Unzipping Poplars' Biofuel Potential

Energy, Federal Agency/Executive Branch, Feedstock, Feedstocks, Forestry/Wood/Residues/Waste, Michigan, Process, R & D Focus, University/College Programs

May 13, 2014

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by Layne Cameron, Curtis Wilkerson, Krista Eastman and John Ralph (Michigan State University/Renewable Energy World) What began 20 years ago as an innovation to improve paper industry processes and dairy forage digestibility may now open the door to a much more energy- and cost-efficient way to convert biomass into fuel.

The research, which appears in the current issue of Science, focuses on enhancing poplar trees so they can break down more easily, improving their viability as a biofuel. The long-term efforts and teamwork involved to find this solution can be described as a rare, top-down approach to engineering plants for digestibility, said Curtis Wilkerson, Michigan State University plant biologist and the lead author.
“By designing poplars for deconstruction, we can improve the degradability of a very useful biomass product,” said Wilkerson, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center scientist. “Poplars are dense, easy to store and they flourish on marginal lands not suitable for food crops, making them a non-competing and sustainable source of biofuel.” READ MORE Abstract

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