INL BIOTECHNOLOGY

Science

Progress

In collaboration with other

Department of Energy

national laboratories, industry,

and university researchers,

INL personnel are developing

small-grain crop strains,

advanced grain harvesting

equipment, and bioprocessing

systems for converting grain

straw into added-value

materials. Renewable feedstocks such as wheat straw are

used to economically produce

chemicals. Naturally occurring microorganisms can

convert these low-value

residuals into building blocks

for use in forming industrial

chemicals. Bioconversion of

straw into its basic molecules,

e.g., glucose from cellulose or

xylose from hemicelluloses,

allows their use to make

target chemical precursors for

production of plastics and

resins, textiles, adhesives,

films and coatings, solvents,

cosmetics, food additives,

medical materials - all of

which now come from crude

oil. Thus today’s wheat straw,

largely a waste material, is the

focus of whole crop utilizaContinued on next page

Chemicals and Fuels from Whole-Crop

Utilization

World energy consumption is projected to increase from 95 quads in 1998 to 121

quads in 2020. The effects of this increase will be magnified by a decrease in U.S.

oil production, nuclear power generation, and hydropower generation. Biomass from

crop residues is a very promising alternative to petroleum as a feedstock for energy and chemical production. Crop residues that are currently wastes from agricultural and forest product

operations amount to more than 1.8 billion tons world-wide. The Chemicals and Fuels from

Whole Crop Utilization Program is researching a suite of technologies that will enable wholecrop utilization for food, feed, fiber, energy, and value-added products.

tion for food, feed, fiber,

energy, and chemicals from

crop residuals, i.e.,

tomorrow’s feedstock for

high-value materials.

INL researchers have completed an engineering analysis

for producing commodity

chemicals from renewable

feedstocks; developed a

proprietary bioprocess to

synthesize a plastics precursor

from wet-milled cereal

feedstocks; and selected

wheat plant improvement

options for straw production

with enhanced cellulose

content. They have also

applied auto steering software

and ‘hitch-pin’ sensor characterization for crop production

and harvesting, including

remote sensing tools for

irrigation and chemigation;

modified bacterial cells by

amplifying the enzymatic

pathways for biochemical

production; and have used

directed evolution and

screening techniques for

collecting enzymes and

selecting extremophilic
INL BIOTECHNOLOGY

05-GA50193-52

For more information

INL is a U.S. Department of Energy

national laboratory operated by

Battelle Energy Alliance

Richard Hess, Ph.D.

(208) 526-0115

JRichard.Hess@inl.gov

William A. Apel, Ph.D.

(208) 526-1783

William.Apel@inl.gov

David N. Thompson, Ph.D.

(208) 536-3977

David.Thompson@inl.gov

Continued from front

microbes from Yellowstone

National Park, the Arctic, and

the Pacific Ocean.

Selected Publications/

Presentations/Patents

D.N. Thompson and M.A.

Hamilton, “Production of

Bacterial Cellulose from

Alternative Feedstocks,”

Applied Biochemistry and

Biotechnology, Vol. 91–93,

2001 (in press).

“Development of Genetically

Engineered Bacteria for

Production of Selected

Aromatic Compounds,” 1997,

patent application filed April

22, 1998.

J.K. Polman, G.A. Bala, and

P. St. Clair, “Models for the

Biological Production of

Glycerol and Biosurfactants

from Potato Processing

Industry Residuals,” Applied

Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Vol. 51/52, 1995,

pp. 511–518.

J.K. Polman, “Review and

Analysis of Renewable

Feedstocks for the Production

of Commodity Chemicals,”

Applied Biochemistry and

Biotechnology, Vol. 45/46,

1994, pp. 709–722.

S.A. Leeper and G.F.

Don Maiers

Manager,

Biological Sciences

(208) 526-6991

Donald.Maiers@inl.gov

Technical Contacts

Management Contact

Andrews, “A Critical Review

and Evaluation of

Bioproduction of Organic

Chemicals,” Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology,

Vol. 28/29, 1991, pp. 499–

511.

S.A. Leeper, T.E. Ward, and

G.F. Andrews, “Production

of Organic Chemicals via

Bioconversion: a Review of

the Potential,” INEEL Report

EGG-2645, 1991.