Efficient pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is a critical factor for the production of affordable biofuels and bioproducts. We have demonstrated that pretreatment using ionic liquids is one of the most effective methods for producing high yields of biomass-derived fermentable sugars. We have also discovered that certain molecular solvents that can be components of ionic liquids can also function as pretreatment solvents and we are exploring both classes of solvents to conduct process optimization and intensification campaigns with the goal of developing economically viable and scalable biomass deconstruction processes. We are currently focusing on several key aspects of the pretreatment process, including compatibility with chemical and biological lignin depolymerization technologies, developing facile and scalable recovery methods, and developing a process that is compatible with a broad range of plant feedstocks, both natural and engineered. To enable rapid development of these processes, we have developed a high-throughput Feedstocks to Fuels pipeline that is capable of testing a range of feedstocks, pretreatment solvents and bioconversion hosts to generate high-quality data for efforts across JBEI and our partner BRCs. We will continue to improve and expand the capabilities of this pipeline and are working to leverage the data generated within the pipeline to enable machine learning-based bioprocess and host organism optimization efforts.
Projects
- Process optimization and integration of pretreatment technologies implemented on native and engineered feedstocks.
- Developing pretreatment methods that produce high-quality lignin for chemical and biological deconstruction.
- Development of high-efficiency, scalable, and economical pretreatment solvent recovery and recycle methods.
- Implementation of the Feedstocks to Fuels pipeline to generate high-throughput and high-quality compositional, sugar and fermentation data to inform JBEI’s efforts in LEAD, Feedstocks, Deconstruction, and Biofuels and Bioproducts Divisions.
Featured Media
From Smoky Skies to a Green Horizon: Scientists Convert Fire-Risk Wood into Biofuel
From Waste to Fuel with New Biofuel Production Process
Aemetis Licenses JBEI Pretreatment Technologies
Featured Publications
- “A miniaturized feedstocks-to-fuels pipeline for screening the efficiency of deconstruction and microbial conversion of lignocellulosic biomass,” PLOS One (2024)
- “Enhanced microbial production of protocatechuate from engineered sorghum using an integrated feedstock-to-product conversion technology,” Green Chemistry (2023)
- “Factors that influence the activity of biomass-degrading enzymes in the presence of ionic liquids—a review,” Frontiers in Energy Research (2023)
- “Valorization of Hemp-Based Packaging Waste with One-Pot Ionic Liquid Technology,”Molecules (2023)
- “In Situ Synthesis of Protic Ionic Liquids for Biomass Pretreatment,” ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng (2022)
- “Comparative Study on the Pretreatment of Aspen and Maple With 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Acetate and Cholinium Lysinate,” Frontiers in Energy Research (2022)
- “Effect of cosolvent on the solubility of glucose in ionic liquids: Experimental and molecular dynamics simulations,” Fluid Phase Equilibria (2022)
- “Alkanolamines as Dual Functional Solvents for Biomass Deconstruction and Bioenergy Production,” Green Chemistry (2021)
- “Seawater-based one-pot ionic liquid pretreatment of sorghum for jet fuel production,” Bioresource Technology Reports (2021)
- “High-Efficiency Conversion of Ionic Liquid-Pretreated Woody Biomass to Ethanol at the Pilot Scale,” ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng (2021)
- “Deconstruction of Woody Biomass via Protic and Aprotic Ionic Liquid Pretreatment for Ethanol Production,” ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng (2021)
- “Use of ensiled biomass sorghum increases ionic liquid pretreatment efficiency and reduces biofuel production cost and carbon footprint,” Green Chemistry (2021)
- “A predictive toolset for the identification of effective lignocellulosic pretreatment solvents: a case study of solvents tailored for lignin extraction,” Green Chemistry (2021)
- “Conversion of poplar biomass into high-energy density tricyclic sesquiterpene jet fuel blendstocks,” Microbial Cell Factories (2020)
- “One-pot bio-derived ionic liquid conversion followed by hydrogenolysis reaction for biomass valorization: A promising approach affecting the morphology and quality of lignin of switchgrass and poplar,” Bioresour Tecnol (2019)
- “Pilot-scale hydrothermal pretreatment and optimized saccharification enables bisabolene production from multiple feedstocks,” Green Chemistry (2019)
Featured Intellectual Property
- Double Salt Ionic Liquids for Efficient Biomass Pretreatment
- Metal Chloride Deep Eutectic Solvents for Economical Biomass Fractionation
- Economical “In Situ” Ionic Liquid and Deep Eutectic Solvent Synthesis
- Ensiled Biomass to Increase Ionic Liquid Pretreatment Efficiency
- Production of 4-Vinylphenol for Bioplastics
- Water Enhanced Pretreatment of Biomass for High Saccharification Yields