Biofuels and biomaterials from microbes

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511718786.029

25 - Biofuels and biomaterials from microbes

from Part 3 - Renewable energy sources

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012

Trent R. Northen

Edited by

David S. Ginley and

David Cahen

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Trent R. Northen: Affiliation:
Joint Bioenergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA, USA and Department of GTL Bioenergy and Structural Biology, Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
David S. Ginley: Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado
David Cahen: Affiliation:
Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

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Summary

Focus

The development of “carbon-neutral” biofuels and biomaterials is critical for stabilizing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and reducing the current dependence on petroleum. Microbes are self-replicating “biocatalytic” systems that can convert solar energy and plant biomass into a wide range of molecules that can be used for biofuels and biomaterials. However, major technical challenges need to be addressed before the approaches become economically viable. Among these challenges are the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic feedstocks, the low cell density of algal production systems, and the scaling needed to minimize impacts on freshwater/arable land.

Synopsis

Biofuels and biomaterials are among the diverse portfolio of technologies considered essential to address concerns over an excessive dependence on fossil fuels and their impact on the environment, such as through CO2 emissions. Whereas the burning of fossil fuels increases the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, biofuels and biomaterials have the potential to be carbon neutral or negative. Because the carbon sequestered in biofuels is eventually returned to the atmosphere upon burning, these are primarily carbon-neutral technologies, although some crops accumulate carbon in the soil and have the potential to be carbon-negative. The use of biomaterials, on the other hand, can decrease the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide by fixing it in useful materials.

Type: Chapter
Information: Fundamentals of Materials for Energy and Environmental Sustainability , pp. 315 - 335

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511718786.029 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2011

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