Finding cleaner, greener alternatives to fossil-based vehicle fuels is a key driver behind the development of bioenergy. New research is now tackling some of the challenges that must be met if widespread use of sustainable biofuels is to become a reality.
Willow, miscanthus, waste from food crops – these are just some of the plant and plant-based materials that can be used as sources of secure, low-carbon energy.In the UK, for example, the emerging bioenergy industry has clear potential to produce significant volumes of biofuels that can reduce reliance on conventional petrol and diesel, which currently dominate the transport market. Importantly, it also has the potential to generate thousands of new, so-called ‘green collar’ jobs.
Funded by the Research Councils UK Energy Programme, the BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre is providing a scientific platform designed to help the industry seize the opportunity to establish itself as a key player in the energy sector. The centre comprises six research hubs involving partners from academia and industry. Its objective is to have a real impact not only in enhancing the range, yield and quality of biofuel feedstocks and processes for converting them into energy, but also in promoting bioenergy’s overall sustainability and economic/social viability.
For instance, research supported by the centre is exploring how energy locked up in plant cell walls can be more efficiently converted into the renewable fuel bioethanol. The project is addressing a number of challenges, such as the use of enzyme ‘toolkits’ to release sugars from cell walls and the optimisation of the fermentation process that plays a vital role in converting plant material into biofuels. “A core aim is to evaluate the sustainability of the bioenergy routes we develop, in terms of the need to balance economic and social development with environmental protection,” says Professor Katherine Smart, who is leading the project at the University of Nottingham.
Another centre-funded initiative is the Perennial Bioenergy Crops Programme at Rothamsted Research. This aims to optimise feedstocks derived from crops such as willow and miscanthus, whilst ensuring that greenhouse gas emissions from their production and conversion are minimised. “Optimising biomass yield and composition is the primary objective and we’ll be using different approaches, including crop physiology, genetics, biochemistry, cell biology and crop modelling, to achieve it,” says Dr Angela Karp, who is leading the research. “By linking in with breeding programmes – and through the involvement of Ceres Inc. – we hope to deliver improved energy crops for the future.”