Grassoline -- Converting Plant Biomass to Biofuels
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Presenter: Dr. Rod Mackie, Dept of Animal Sciences and Division of Nutritional Sciences, Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois The development of alternatives to fossil fuels as
energy source is an urgent global and national priority. Green plants capture solar energy and fix carbon as renewable cellulosic biomass that has the potential to contribute to fuel needs, though
many obstacles remain before this can be realized. One of the major limitations to plant biomass conversion is the efficient enzymatic degradation of cellulosic and hemicellulosic polymers in plant
cell walls. In the guts of grazing animals, microbes are primarily responsible for the production of these digestive enzymes. Better understanding of the capabilities of these microbes is the key to
improved biomass utilization.
