Biomass is a renewable resource that has shown promise to replace petroleum based fuels, while reduc-ing green house gas emissions. The plant cell walls, which are the dominant component of feedstocks, contain polysaccharides such as cellulose, heteroxylans, and glucomannans that can ultimately be con-verted to fuel. However, the production of biomass-based fuels has not been cost competitive relative to oil or other energy resources. A key challenge is cell walls have built up a natural protection (or recal-citrance) that makes the process of converting polysaccharides to fermentable sugars inefficient.
BESC Industry Contact Information
To learn more about the BioEnergy Science Center's (BESC) industry program, please contact Brian Davison, Science Coordinator, besc@ornl.gov.