Advanced Corn-to-Biofuels

Bioeconomy Institute

Advanced Corn-to-Biofuels

Iowa State Researchers from left: Anthony Pometto, professor of food science and human nutrition; Hans van Leeuwen, professor of civil, construction, and environmental engineering; and Samir Khanal, research assistant of civil, construction, and environmental engineering convene in the fermentation laboratory in the Food Sciences building.


The Bioeconomy Initiative is launching a new research platform that aims to improve the efficiency of producing biofuels from corn. The Advanced Corn-to-Biofuels platform has multiple goals, including the use of new enzymes to more fully take advantage of available carbohydrates, the development of new lines of corn with increased fermentation productivity, the development of new uses for co-products, and the reduction of processing and energy costs. Lawrence Johnson, professor of food science and human nutrition and director of the Center for Crops Utilization Research (CCUR), recently explained the importance of the new research platform. “Federal subsidies for ethanol production will eventually go away,” he said. “We understand this and that is why we are turning over every stone to find out how to make sure that these technologies are profitable. We need to get as much value as we can out of the co-products that come from producing ethanol, butanol and other fermentation products.”

While the initial focus of the Advanced Corn-to-Biofuels platform will be on enhancing the conversion of cornstarch to ethanol, longer-term efforts include producing butanol, and using the lignocellulose in corn by integrating corn grain fiber and corn stover conversion. According to Johnson, the nearly 60 researchers who make up the new platform team are guided by a desire to develop biofuels and new high value fermentation products that are more amenable to today’s distribution and marketing systems. Johnson said that the team’s “to-do” list is very long and even includes plans to develop an understanding of lignocellulose metabolism and cell wall assembly in corn grain and stover so that it can be efficiently taken apart; develop new pretreatments for grain fiber and corn stover; develop economical technologies to integrate cellulose conversion with minimum retrofitting into today’s starch-to-ethanol facilities; develop corn varieties with lignocellulose that can be readily disassembled and converted to fermentable sugars; develop improved enzymes and processing treatments to convert lignocellulose to fermentable sugars; and develop co-products for feed and other uses.

Some of the key researchers involved in the Advanced Corn-to-Biofuels platform include Johnson, Jay-Lin Jane, professor of food science and human nutrition, Anthony Pometto, professor of food science and human nutrition, Charles Hurburgh, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Hans van Leeuwen, professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, Charles Glatz, professor of chemical engineering, Roger Ginder, professor of agricultural economics, David Grewell, assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Samir Khanal, research assistant professor of  civil, construction and environmental engineering, and Paul Scott, research geneticist with the USDA- Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit. These researchers oversee various aspects of the platform’s numerous projects and sub-projects, some of which are already funded and underway, and some of which are awaiting support. 
 

Advanced Corn-to-Biofuels Projects