Biomass Conversion Research Lab

Most of the energy in plant biomass is unavailable for liquid fuel production because the energy is in the form of cellulose and hemicellulose, the complex sugars that make leaves, stems and tree trunks rigid. Before these sugars can be fermented into ethanol, they must be broken down into simple sugars by enzymes. Breaking down cellulose and hemicellulose is a longstanding roadblock in biofuel production—it's difficult to do efficiently and can significantly raise production costs.

BCRL scientists are developing pretreatment, enzymatic and fermentation technologies to break down cellulose and hemicellulose more economically and efficiently. Bruce Dale, OBT associate director, serves as research adviser for the BCRL and conducts much of his work on the ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) process, a patented pretreatment method, there. BCRL researchers are also studying how to improve the sustainability of bioenergy systems.

Visit them on the web at: http://www.everythingbiomass.org/