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213 records · Page 12

Comparative establishment and yield of bioenergy sorghum and maize following pre–emergence waterlogging

Biofuel feedstocks grown on marginal lands, such as those that experience ephemeral waterlogging, reduce interference with food agriculture. As early-season extreme precipitation events in the U.S. Midwest continue to increase, waterlogging tolerance may play an important role in the productivity of annual biofuel cropping systems. We assessed the establishment and yield of photoperiod-sensitive sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] and maize (Zea mays L.) after extreme early-season rainfall events in central Illinois. We used paired sorghum and maize transects, spanning from low-lying poorly drained areas to higher better drained areas, to evaluate the response of both cropping systems throughout the 2020 growing season. Sorghum maintained 25% mean emergence rates in areas that experienced the most severe waterlogging, but maize failed to establish under the same conditions. Despite the low establishment, sorghum yields in the poorly drained areas were upwards of 50% of those found in the better drained, whereas maize yields were zero areas in the poorly drained locations. The yield compensation in sorghum resulted from increased tillering, higher productivity per stem, and subsequently higher productivity per plant, which illustrates the greater phenotypic plasticity of sorghum compared to maize. Land managers who are currently seeking to grow annual cellulosic feedstocks on soils that are vulnerable to transient soil waterlogging will likely have more success with photoperiod-sensitive bioenergy sorghum than maize.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Novel Strategy To Analyze Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry Data of Biomass Pyrolysis Oil for Oligomeric Structure Assignment

Among the most prominent challenges for the analysis of biomass pyrolysis products is the characterization of the abundant oligomer fraction of bio-oil. This fraction is principally made up of pyrolytic lignins and dehydrated, highly modified sugar oligomers, called humins, in liquid phase. An emerging technique for analysis of this oligomer fraction is high-resolution Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), which allows for accurate determination of C x H y O z formulae for detected oligomers. Additionally, using simple dehydration and fragmentation reaction schemes, similar formulae can be developed from cellulose-, hemicellulose- and lignin-derived oligomers, which are primary depolymerization products. In this paper, FT-ICR MS analysis is coupled with combinatoric dehydration and fragmentation modeling in order to match experimentally detected bio-oil oligomers with hypothetical pathways for their formation during pyrolysis. In this way, we present a novel strategy by which oligomeric structures can be proposed for bio-oils. Using this approach, it becomes possible to advance the understanding of both the molecular structures comprising the bio-oil oligomer fraction and the pathways by which these structures form during biomass pyrolysis reactions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Anisotropic Motions of Fibrils Dictated by Their Orientations in the Lamella: A Coarse-Grained Model of a Plant Cell Wall

Plant cell walls are complex systems that exhibit the characteristics of both rigid and soft material depending on their external perturbations. The three main polymeric components in a plant primary cell wall are cellulose fibrils, hemicellulose, and pectins. These components interact in a hierarchical fashion giving rise to mesoscale structural features such as cellulose bundles, lamella stacking, and so on. Although several studies have focused on understanding these unique structural features, a clear picture linking them to cell wall mechanics is still lacking. As a first step toward this goal, a phenomenological model of plant cell wall has been developed in this work by using available experimental data to investigate the underlying connections between mesoscale structural features and the motions of fibrils during deformation. In this model cellulose fibrils exhibit motions such as angular reorientations and kinking upon forced stretching. Furthermore, these motions are dependent on the orientation of fibrils with respect to the stretch direction, i.e., fibrils that are at an angle to the stretch direction exhibit predominant angular reorientations, while fibrils transverse to the stretch direction undergo kinking as a result of transverse compression. Varying the chain length of pectin had negligible effects on these motions. One of the main contributions from this work is the development of a simple model that can be easily fine-tuned to test other hypotheses and extended to include additional experimental knowledge about the structural aspects of cell walls in the future.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Engineering of xylose metabolic pathways in Rhodotorula toruloides for sustainable biomanufacturing

Abstract The oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula toruloides is a promising microbial cell factory for the sustainable production of biofuels and value-added chemicals from renewable carbon sources. Unlike the conventional yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, R. toruloides can naturally metabolize xylose, the second most abundant sugar in lignocellulosic hydrolysates. However, its native xylose metabolism is inefficient, characterized by slow xylose uptake and accumulation of D-arabitol. Moreover, despite its phenotype, research on the enzymes involved in xylose metabolism has yet to reach a consensus. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of the non-canonical xylose metabolism in R. toruloides, focusing on the properties of key enzymes involved in xylose metabolism. Native xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase exhibit broad substrate promiscuity compared to their counterparts in the xylose-fermenting Scheffersomyces stipitis. Additionally, the absence of xylulokinase expression under xylose-utilizing conditions redirects metabolism toward D-arabitol accumulation. Consequently, D-arabitol dehydrogenases and ribulokinase play essential roles in the xylose metabolism of R. toruloides. These findings highlight the fundamental differences between R. toruloides xylose metabolism and the oxidoreductase pathways observed in other xylose-fermenting yeast, providing insights for metabolic engineering strategies to improve xylose utilization and enhance bioconversion of cellulosic hydrolysates to different bioproducts by R. toruloides.

Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology↗

Biomass feedstock transport using fuel cell and battery electric trucks improves lifecycle metrics of biofuel sustainability and economy

We report the use of new vehicle technologies such as fuel cell hybrid electric and fully electric powertrains for biomass feedstock supply is an unexplored solution to reducing biofuel production cost, greenhouse gas emissions, and health impacts. These technologies have found success in light-duty vehicle applications and are in development for heavy-duty trucks. This study presents the first detailed stochastic techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment of biomass feedstock supply systems with diesel, fuel cell hybrid electric, and fully electric trucks and determines their impacts on biofuel production considering butanol as a representative biofuel. This study finds that fuel cell hybrid electric and fully electric trucks consume less energy relative to the diesel-powered truck regardless of the evaluated circumstances, including payloads of truck (loaded and empty), pavement types (gravel and paved), road conditions (normal and damaged), and road networks (local and highways). The use of fuel cell hybrid and fully electric trucks powered by H 2 -fuel and renewable sources of electricity, respectively, results in a large reduction in cost and carbon footprint, specifically for a long-distance hauling, and minimize other economic and environmental impacts. While the economic advantage of fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle is dependent on the price of H 2 -fuel and road conditions, use reduces the GHG emissions of biobutanol per 100 km-trucking-distance by 0.98-10.9 gCO 2e /MJ. Results show that converting to fully electric truck transport decreases the biobutanol production cost and GHG emissions per 100 km-trucking-distance by 0.4-7.3 cents/L and 0.78 to 9.1 gCO 2e /MJ, respectively. This study establishes the foundation for future investigations that will guide the development of economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable biomass feedstock supply system for cellulosic biorefineries or other goods transportation systems.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Plant Cell Wall Polysaccharide O-Acetyltransferases

Plant cell walls are largely composed of polysaccharide polymers, including cellulose, hemicelluloses (xyloglucan, xylan, mannan, and mixed-linkage β-1,3/1,4-glucan), and pectins. Among these cell wall polysaccharides, xyloglucan, xylan, mannan, and pectins are often O-acetylated, and polysaccharide O-acetylation plays important roles in cell wall assembly and disease resistance. Genetic and biochemical analyses have implicated the involvement of three groups of proteins in plant cell wall polysaccharide O-acetylation: trichome birefringence-like (TBL)/domain of unknown function 231 (DUF231), reduced wall acetylation (RWA), and altered xyloglucan 9 (AXY9). Although the exact roles of RWAs and AXY9 are yet to be identified, members of the TBL/DUF231 family have been found to be O-acetyltransferases responsible for the O-acetylation of xyloglucan, xylan, mannan, and pectins. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the occurrence of O-acetylated cell wall polysaccharides, the biochemical properties, structural features, and evolution of cell wall polysaccharide O-acetyltransferases, and the potential biotechnological applications of manipulations of cell wall polysaccharide acetylation. Further in-depth studies of the biochemical mechanisms of cell wall polysaccharide O-acetylation will not only enrich our understanding of cell wall biology, but also have important implications in engineering plants with increased disease resistance and reduced recalcitrance for biofuel production.

Plant Sciences↗

Saccharide analysis of onion outer epidermal walls

Abstract Background Epidermal cell walls have special structural and biological roles in the life of the plant. Typically they are multi-ply structures encrusted with waxes and cutin which protect the plant from dehydration and pathogen attack. These characteristics may also reduce chemical and enzymatic deconstruction of the wall for sugar analysis and conversion to biofuels. We have assessed the saccharide composition of the outer epidermal wall of onion scales with different analytical methods. This wall is a particularly useful model for cell wall imaging and mechanics. Results Epidermal walls were depolymerized by acidic methanolysis combined with 2M trifluoracetic acid hydrolysis and the resultant sugars were analyzed by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD). Total sugar yields based on wall dry weight were low (53%). Removal of waxes with chloroform increased the sugar yields to 73% and enzymatic digestion did not improve these yields. Analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) of per- O -trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives of the sugar methyl glycosides produced by acidic methanolysis gave a high yield for galacturonic acid (GalA) but glucose (Glc) was severely reduced. In a complementary fashion, GC/MS analysis of methyl alditols produced by permethylation gave substantial yields for glucose and other neutral sugars, but GalA was severely reduced. Analysis of the walls by 13 C solid-state NMR confirmed and extended these results and revealed 15% lipid content after chloroform extraction (potentially cutin and unextractable waxes). Conclusions Although exact values vary with the analytical method, our best estimate is that polysaccharide in the outer epidermal wall of onion scales is comprised of homogalacturonan (~ 50%), cellulose (~ 20%), galactan (~ 10%), xyloglucan (~ 10%) and smaller amounts of other polysaccharides. Low yields of specific monosaccharides by some methods may be exaggerated in epidermal walls impregnated with waxes and cutin and call for cautious interpretation of the results.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Enhancing Photosynthetic Production of Glycogen-Rich Biomass for Use as a Fermentation Feedstock

Current sources of fermentation feedstocks, i.e., corn, sugar cane, or plant biomass, fall short of demand for liquid transportation fuels and commodity chemicals in the United States. Aquatic phototrophs including cyanobacteria have the potential to supplement the supply of current fermentable feedstocks. In our strategy, cells are engineered to accumulate storage molecules including glycogen, cellulose, and/or lipid oils that can be extracted from harvested biomass and fed to heterotrophic organisms engineered to produce desired chemical products. Here in this manuscript, we examine the production of glycogen in the model cyanobacteria, Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002, and subsequent conversion of cyanobacterial biomass by an engineered Escherichia coli to octanoic acid as a model product. In effort to maximize glycogen production, we explored the deletion of catabolic enzymes and overexpression of GlgC, an enzyme that catalyzes the first committed step toward glycogen synthesis. We found that deletion of glgP increased final glycogen titers when cells were grown in diurnal light. Overexpression of GlgC led to a temporal increase in glycogen content but not in an overall increase in final titer or content. The best strains were grown, harvested, and used to formulate media for growth of E. coli. The cyanobacterial media was able to support the growth of an engineered E. coli and produce octanoic acid at the same titer as common laboratory media.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Synergistic Interactions During Co-Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Food Waste and Biomass Model Compounds for Increased Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of lignocellulosic biomass is plagued with low biocrude yields owing to the tendency of highly reactive oxygenated intermediates to condense to form biochars. By contrast, the high protein content in food waste is comprised of substantial nitrogen species, which are known to interact strongly with oxygenates through Maillard, amide, and peptide bond formation reactions. Co-feeding food waste and lignocellulose opens new reaction pathways for biocrude formation but is currently poorly understood. This work evaluated the molecular level interactions between food waste and lignocellulose model compounds and the corresponding effect on product yields and quality. Food waste–cellulose and food waste–xylan feedstock blends achieved maximum biocrude carbon yield improvements of 12.2% and 10.1%, respectively, relative to a simple linear model that interpolates between the yields of the pure feedstocks. Increases in biocrude yield were balanced by corresponding decreases in char yield, indicating synergistic interactions between the feeds during HTL. Biocrude volatility analysis revealed that increased biocrude yield preferentially benefitted the jet fuel fraction, which comprised up to 22.6% of the total carbon yield for food waste–cellulose blends. Biocrude and char were analyzed using GC–MS and FT-IR spectroscopy to investigate the source of synergistic trends and provide greater mechanistic understanding. Key cofeeding effects included the promotion of retro-aldol condensation reactions and trans-esterification of fatty acids, sequestering carbon in the biocrude phase via the inhibition of char formation while increasing biocrude volatility toward jet fuel-range compounds. These results indicate the potential for judicious selection of HTL cofeeds to increase both biocrude yield and selectivity to desired fuel precursors, including sustainable aviation fuel.

Maillard reaction↗

Moving from residual lignocellulosic biomass into high–value products: Outcomes from a long–term international cooperation

Major progress in the bioprocessing of lignocellulose to fuels and value-added chemicals has created the possibility of a low carbon-footprint economy. However, the current complexity and associated costs of lignocellulose conversion result in a higher price for ethanol than for fossil fuels. The cost of cellulosic ethanol production will be lowered by further progress in development of biorefinery technology that produces both ethanol and high-value chemicals with bio-based products that are beginning to penetrate consumer markets in the USA, Brazil, and worldwide. The cost-effectiveness of low carbon-footprint bioproducts will benefit from advances in supplying large amounts of biomass solids to the biorefinery. We describe here outcomes from a successful long-term international cooperation between the Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering (LORRE) at Purdue University in the United States and Brazil's Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) and Federal University of Sâo Carlos (UFSCar), which has contributed practical pathways to enhance the biorefinery concept. Furthermore, this paper gives an overview of developments that address fundamental knowledge of lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment hydrolysis under optimized operational conditions and bioreactor configurations, and the science and engineering that contributes to the effective production of fuel and ethanol and value-added products from biomass.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Deuterated water as a substrate-agnostic isotope tracer for investigating reversibility and thermodynamics of reactions in central carbon metabolism

Stable isotope tracers are a powerful tool for the quantitative analysis of microbial metabolism, enabling pathway elucidation, metabolic flux quantification, and assessment of reaction and pathway thermodynamics. 13 C and 2 H metabolic flux analysis commonly relies on isotopically labeled carbon substrates, such as glucose. However, the use of 2 H-labeled nutrient substrates faces limitations due to their high cost and limited availability in comparison to 13 C-tracers. Furthermore, isotope tracer studies in industrially relevant bacteria that metabolize complex substrates such as cellulose, hemicellulose, or lignocellulosic biomass, are challenging given the difficulty in obtaining these as isotopically labeled substrates. In this study, we examine the potential of deuterated water ( 2 H 2 O) as an affordable, substrate-neutral isotope tracer for studying central carbon metabolism. We apply 2 H 2 O labeling to investigate the reversibility of glycolytic reactions across three industrially relevant bacterial species -C. thermocellum, Z. mobilis, and E. coli-harboring distinct glycolytic pathways with unique thermodynamics. We demonstrate that 2 H 2 O labeling recapitulates previous reversibility and thermodynamic findings obtained with established 13 C and 2 H labeled nutrient substrates. Furthermore, we exemplify the utility of this 2 H 2 O labeling approach by applying it to high-substrate C. thermocellum fermentations -a setting in which the use of conventional tracers is impractical-thereby identifying the glycolytic enzyme phosphofructokinase as a major bottleneck during high-substrate fermentations and unveiling critical insights that will steer future engineering efforts to enhance ethanol production in this cellulolytic organism. This study demonstrates the utility of deuterated water as a substrate-agnostic isotope tracer for examining flux and reversibility of central carbon metabolic reactions, which yields biological insights comparable to those obtained using costly 2 H-labeled nutrient substrates.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Corn Stover Removal Responses on Soil Test P and K Levels in Coastal Plain Ultisols

Corn (Zea mays L.) stover is used as a biofuel feedstock in the U.S. Selection of stover harvest rates for soils is problematic, however, because excessive stover removal may have consequences on plant available P and K concentrations. Our objective was to quantify stover harvest impacts on topsoil P and K contents in the southeastern U.S. Coastal Plain Ultisols. Five stover harvest rates (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% by wt) were removed for five years from replicated plots. Grain and stover mass with P and K concentration data were used to calculate nutrient removal. Mehlich 1 (M1)-extractable P and K concentrations were used to monitor changes within the soils. Grain alone removed 13–15 kg ha –1 P and 15–18 kg ha –1 K each year, resulting in a cumulative removal of 70 and 85 kg ha –1 or 77 and 37% of the P and K fertilizer application, respectively. Harvesting stover increased nutrient removal such that when combined with grain removed, a cumulative total of 95% of the applied P and 126% of fertilizer K were taken away. This caused M1 P and K levels to decline significantly in the first year and even with annual fertilization to remain relatively static thereafter. For these Ultisols, we conclude that P and K fertilizer recommendations should be fine-tuned for P and K removed with grain and stover harvesting and that stover harvest of >50% by weight will significantly decrease soil test M1 P and K contents.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Biosensor and optogenetics for systems biology of yeast branched-chain alcohol production and tolerance

In this project we combined synthetic biology, systems biology, protein engineering and metabolic engineering to study, control, and improve the production of branched chain alcohols (BCAs), a class of advanced biofuels preferred by the DOE, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This involved the development and application of optogenetic systems as a new modality of dynamic control of native and engineered metabolic pathways, using light as inducible or repressible agent. The optogenetic systems include gene circuits for light control of gene expression, as well as light-assembled synthetic organelles and photo-switchable protein binders to control metabolic and protein function with light at the protein level. In addition, we developed the first genetically encoded biosensor for BCA production in yeast, which we used to design high throughput assays to identify highly productive strains, pathways, and enzymes. We also showed that this biosensor can be functionally co-expressed with optogenetic circuits in the same strain, raising the possibility of establishing, for the first time, computer-interfaced closed-loop controls of engineered metabolic pathways. The yeast gene deletion library was also utilized to conduct the first systems-level study on BCA toxicity in yeast, which uncovered key fundamental principles of yeast sensitivity and tolerance to these alcohols, allowing us to design highly tolerant strains with increased BCA production. This project, thus comprises the development of several new technologies, which we integrated to make new discoveries on the dynamics of BCA production and their mechanisms of cellular toxicity and tolerance, as well as to establish new paradigms to engineer and control metabolic pathways and microbial fermentations with light, for the production of BCAs and other products of interest to the DOE.

2-metyl-1-butanol↗

Comparison of the Chemical Composition of Liquids from the Pyrolysis and Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Lignocellulosic Materials

Major differences in thermal stability and hydrotreatment behavior of HTL and pyrolysis oils have been reported in the literature. However, little is known about the variations in the chemical composition of these oils that could explain such differences. Two commercial wood pyrolysis oils (Pyrovac and BTG), and their water-soluble (WS) and water-insoluble fractions (WIS) were analyzed and compared with the aqueous (WS WD-57 ) and oily (WIS WS-57 ) fractions obtained from hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of Douglas-fir. The samples were characterized by GC/MS, Karl Fischer titration, carbonyl content, total acid number, elemental composition, calorific value, proximate analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Folin-Ciocalteu (FC), and UV fluorescence. All the fractions were also analyzed by Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectroscopy (FT-ICR-MS) and by Electrospray Ionization (EI). The most prevalent class of compounds in the water insoluble phases were phenols derived from lignin. Water-soluble phases contain mostly the oxygenated compounds derived from cellulose and hemicellulose and were richer in carbonyl functional groups. The water content of the resulting aqueous phases were between: 65 (WS BTG ) and 96 (WS Pyrovac ) wt. %. The bio-oil from BTG has higher water content and lower HHV, compared to Pyrovac oil. The GC/MS results of BTG oil show the presence of a more prominent acetic acid peak and higher TAN number than the Pyrovac oil. The GC/MS of Pyrovac oil showed more obvious mono-phenol peaks. The quantification of this family by Folin-Ciocalteu method confirmed higher content of monophenolic compounds compared with the BTG oil. The lower thermal stability of pyrolysis oils compared with HTL biocrudes can be partially explained by the fact that pyrolysis oils (BTG and Pyrovac) contain carbohydrates while HTL biocrude (WIS WD-57 ) doesn’t. Thus, we decided to further investigate the chemical differences between the phenolic rich fractions insoluble in water and the holocellulose derived compounds soluble in water. Even after water extraction, the acid content of the water insoluble fraction from BTG (WISBTG) was higher than the acid content of the water insoluble fraction obtained by HTL (WISWSD-57). Likewise, the acid content of the aqueous phases derived from pyrolysis oils (WS Pyrovac , WS BTG ) was also higher than for the aqueous phase obtained by HTL (WSWSD-57). This result is in part due to the use of bases in the HTL process that neutralizes the acid formed in that process. Moreover, the starting feedstock may also influence the differences between the oils. Although, the UV-Fluorescence spectra, ICR-MS and the EI analyses showed some minor differences in the molecular weight and chemical make-up of the oligomers soluble and insoluble in water from pyrolysis and HTL; the differences observed were not large enough to justify the differences in behavior between these oils reported in the literature. Our results suggest that the differences observed between HTL biocrudes and pyrolysis oils are likely partially due to the presence of holocellulose derived products in the pyrolysis oils and higher acid contents.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Climate Forcing of Bioenergy Feedstocks: Insights From Carbon and Energy Flux Measurements

Bioenergy from biofuels has the potential to slow growing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations by reducing fossil fuel use. However, growing bioenergy feedstocks is a land-intensive process. In the United States, the recent expansion of maize bioethanol has presented some environmental costs, prompting the development of several alternative bioenergy feedstocks. These feedstocks, selected in part for traits associated with ecosystem services, may provide opportunities for environmental benefits beyond fossil fuel displacement. We hypothesized that these bioenergy ecosystems will provide direct climatic cooling through their influence on carbon and radiative energy fluxes (i.e., through albedo). To test this hypothesis, we investigated the potential cooling effect of five current or potential bioenergy feedstocks using multi-year records from eddy covariance towers. Perennial feedstocks were carbon sinks, with an annual mean net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) of –2.7 ± 2.1 Mg C ha –1 for miscanthus, –0.8 ± 1.1 Mg C ha –1 for switchgrass, and –1.4 ± 0.7 Mg C ha –1 for prairie. In contrast, annual rotations were generally carbon sources, with an annual mean NECB of 2.6 ± 2.4 Mg C ha –1 for maize-soy and 3.2 ± 2.1 Mg C ha –1 for sorghum-soy. Using maize-soy as a baseline, conversion to alternative feedstocks increased albedo, inducing further cooling. This effect was strongest for miscanthus, with –3.5 ± 2.0 W m –2 of radiative forcing, and weakest for sorghum, with –1.4 ± 1.4 W m –2 . When feedstock effects on carbon and albedo were compared using carbon equivalents, carbon fluxes were the stronger ecosystem effect, underscoring the role of perennial species as effective carbon sinks. This work highlights the impact of feedstock choice on ecosystem processes as an element of bioenergy land conversion strategies.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗