Location: Bioenergy Research
Project Number: 5010-41000-189-002-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2018
End Date: Aug 31, 2024
Objective:
Develop oleaginous yeasts that produce medium chain carbon esters for use in biodiesel and solvent applications.
Approach:
We will generate a mixture of sugars from lignocellulose by pretreating the biomass with dilute-acid at 160-180 degrees Celsius for 10-30 minutes, neutralizing the hydrolysate, and extracting the fermentable sugars using commercial cellulases. The sugar streams will be used for biological conversion to biodiesel using engineered oleaginous yeasts in aerobic cultures. Production will be optimized by adjusting the dilution of the hydrolyate, adjusting culture conditions (pH, temperature, and mixing), medium composition (nitrogen source, macro-element concentrations, and the carbon to nitrogen ratio), and finally utilizing complex culture strategies possibly including staged and fed-batch cultures. Where suitable statistical experimental designs, factorials and response surface(s), will be implemented for eliciting important factors and determining optimal culture conditions.
