Location: Bioenergy Research
Project Number: 5010-30600-009-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Jul 21, 2025
End Date: Jul 20, 2030
Objective:
Objective 1: Enable production of bioproducts using process advantageous microbes.
Sub-objective 1.A: Produce enzymes and apply to biomass using a naturally hardy microbe.
Sub-objective 1.B: Identify genetic variants in naturally tolerant yeast that are required for increased growth in biomass sugars.
Sub-objective 1.C: Develop advantageous traits in industrially relevant yeast strains.
Approach:
Renewable fuels and chemicals offer a promising path to reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil while strengthening rural economies. Each year, the U.S. can produce over a billion tons of biomass that could be used as a renewable resource for energy and chemical production. Developing an industry that converts lignocellulosic biomass (plant-based materials like grasses and agricultural residues) into fuels and chemicals would enhance energy security by decreasing dependence on imported oil. It would also create economic opportunities in farming communities through employment at new biorefineries and from additional revenue streams for farmers. Although technologically proven, commercialization of lignocellulosic biorefining has been slowed by high costs and technical challenges. Major limitations that remain as issues for biorefineries are a need for more efficient enzymes to break down biomass to useable sugars, and a lack of microbes that can withstand the harsh conditions present in a biorefinery process. This project focuses on developing robust microorganisms for breaking down lignocellulosic feedstocks into useable sugars, and using microbes such as distiller’s yeast to convert the sugars to fuels and chemicals. First, we will identify genetic traits that allow certain microorganisms to tolerate inhibitory compounds found in lignocellulosic sugars. Using this genetic information, we will develop improved strains of distiller’s yeast that can convert a wider range of biomass-derived sugars, including xylose (the second most abundant sugar in nature) to fuels and high-value chemicals. In addition to improved yeast strains, we will also develop other robust, inhibitor-tolerant microbes to make products from biomass, even in the presence of common inhibitors. The outcomes of this research will benefit a wide range of stakeholders, including producers and processors of agricultural and new energy crops, and producers of biofuels, commodity chemicals, and enzymes.