Biofuels R&D: Securing the Planet Future Energy Needs

Special Issue: Biofuels R&D: Securing the Planet's Future Energy Needs The special issue belongs to the thematical section Green Chemistry

[Published Papers] [Keywords] [Announced Papers] [Leading Review Papers] [Submission Instructions] [Editors] [Call for Papers]

Rationale for the Special Issue on

“Biofuels R&D: Securing the Planet's Future Energy Needs”

Dear Colleagues,

The value of biomass as a sustainable source of energy and carbon has been heralded for years. Despite the information available on enzyme systems and plant cell walls structure, application of this knowledge to biomass conversion into biofuels and useful chemicals has met with limited success. The goal of this special issue is to examine the stand of the latest available technologies to ensure a sustainable commercial use of biomass wastes.

Papers can also be submitted to a new MDPI journal: Energies (http://www.mdpi.org/energies/)

Clifford Louime, Ph.D.

Editors:

Guest Editor

Clifford Louime, Ph.D.
Research Associate, Grapes Breeding and Genetics, Center For Viticulture and Small Fruit Research

Florida A&M University, 6505 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32315, USA
Tel: 850-412-7395, Fax: 850-561-2617, Email: [email protected]
http://www.famu.edu/oldsite/acad/colleges/cesta/vit-faculty.htm

Keywords:

Topics of special interest include, but are not strictly limited to, the following:

1. Biomass Characterization & Analysis:

1a. Characterization of biomass feedstock and products;

1b. Process design;

1c. Development of new methods and tools

2. Biochemical Conversion Technologies:

2a. Development of pretreatment technologies;

2b. Cellulase Enzyme Development: e.g. basic science underlying enzymatic hydrolysis;

2c. Strain Development: metabolic engineering techniques;

3. Thermochemical Conversion Technologies:

3a. Gasification R&D;

3b. Pyrolysis processes;

4. Biobased Product & Development:

4a. Discovery, improvement, and development of conversion technologies;

4b. Novel separation technologies;

4c. Quantifying the quality and performance of biobased products;

Submission:

Manuscripts on biofuels related topics can now be submitted to the special issue on biofuels within the Energies journal

Call for Papers: download the call for paper message here

Published Papers:

Mohammad Pourbafrani ^1,2,*, Farid Talebnia ^1,2, Claes Niklasson ² and Mohammad J. Taherzadeh ¹
1 School of Engineering, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, Sweden; E-mail: [email protected]; E-Mail: [email protected]
2 Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden; E-mail: [email protected]
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-mail: [email protected]; Tel: +46-33-435 4361; Fax: +46-33-435 4008
Full Research Paper: Protective Effect of Encapsulation in Fermentation of Limonene-contained Media and Orange Peel Hydrolyzate
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2007, 8, 777-787 (PDF format, 91.8 K)

Ronny Purwadi ^1,3, Tomas Brandberg ² and Mohammad J. Taherzadeh ^3,*
1 Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, 40132 Bandung, Indonesia
2 SEKAB, SE-891-26 Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
3 School of Engineering, University College of Borås, S-501 90 Borås, Sweden;Tel.: (+46) 33 435 5908, Fax: (+46) 33 435 4008
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-mail: [email protected]
Received: 2 July 2007; in revised form: 9 August 2007 / Accepted: 28 August 2007 / Published: 3 September 2007
Full Research Paper: A Possible Industrial Solution to Ferment Lignocellulosic Hydrolyzate to Ethanol: Continuous Cultivation with Flocculating Yeast
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2007, 8, 920-932 (PDF format, 803K)

Arjun B. Chhetri ¹, Martin S. Tango ^1,2, Suzanne M. Budge ¹, K. Chris Watts ¹ and M. Rafiqul Islam ^1,*
1 Faculty of Engineering, Dalhousie University, 1360 Barrington Street, Halifax NS B3J 2X4, Canada
2 School of Engineering, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, Canada
E-Mails: [email protected] (A. C.); [email protected] (M. T.); [email protected] (S. B.); [email protected] (K. W.); [email protected] (M. I.)
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel. +1.902.4943980
Received: 5 December 2007 / Accepted: 28 January 2008 / Published: 8 February 2008
Full Research Paper: Non-Edible Plant Oils as New Sources for Biodiesel Production
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 169-180 (PDF format, 339K)

Norma Ramírez-Ramírez¹, Eliel R. Romero-García ¹, Vianney C. Calderón¹, Claudia I. Avitia ¹, Alfredo Téllez-Valencia² and Mario Pedraza-Reyes^1,*
1 Instituto de Investigación en Biología Experimental (IIBE), Facultad de Química, Universidad de Guanajuato. P.O. Box 187. Guanajuato, Gto. 36050. Mexico
2 Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. Abasolo 600, Pachuca, Hgo. 42000. Mexico
E-mail:[email protected], Tel: (473) 73 2 00 06 Ext 8161. Fax: (473) 73 2 00 06 Ext 8153
Received: 2 December 2007; in revised form: 25 January 2008 / Accepted: 29 January 2008 / Published: 29 February 2008
Full Research Paper: Expression, characterization and synergistic interactions of Myxobacter Sp. AL-1 Cel9 and Cel48 glycosyl hydrolases
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 247-257 (PDF format, 336K)

Teresa Miranda ^1,*, Alberto Esteban ², Sebastián Rojas ¹, Irene Montero ¹ and Antonio Ruiz ¹
1 Department of Mechanical, Energetic and Materials Engineering, Industrial Engineering School, University of Extremadura, Avda. Elvas s/n, 06071 Badajoz, Spain.
2 Department of Energy, CIEMAT, Avda. Complutense, 22, Madrid 28040, Spain. Tel.: +34 913466701; Fax: +34 913466269
E-mails: [email protected] (T.M.); [email protected] (A.E.); [email protected] (S.R.); [email protected] (I.M.); [email protected] (A.R.)
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. E-Mail: [email protected]
Received: 22 January 2008; in revised form: 5 March 2008 / Accepted: 31 March 2008 / Published: 4 April 2008
Full Research Paper: Combustion Analysis of Different Olive Residues
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 512-525 (PDF format, 600K)

Matt A. Sanderson * and Paul R. Adler
USDA-ARS, Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, Building 3702, Curtin Road, University Park, PA 16802-3702; E-Mails: [email protected] (M.A.S.); [email protected] (P.R.A.)
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed
Received: 7 April 2008; in revised form: 9 May 2008 / Acceped: 12 May 2008 / Published: 20 May 2008
Review: Perennial Forages as Second Generation Bioenergy Crops
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 768-788 (PDF format, 301K); DOI: 10.3390/ijms9050768

Clifford Louime ^1,* and Hannah Uckelmann ²
1 College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA; E-mail: [email protected]
2 College of Arts and Sciences, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA; E-mail: [email protected]
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 7 April 2008; in revised form: 16 May 2008 / Accepted: 16 May 2008 / Published: 20 May 2008
Editorial: Cellulosic Ethanol: Securing the Planet Future Energy Needs
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 838-841 (PDF format, 893K); DOI: 10.3390/ijms9050838

Yiqun Wang and Lifeng Yan *
Department of Chemical Physics and Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, P. R. China
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; Tel.: +86-551-360-6853; Fax: +86-551-360-2969; E-mail: [email protected]
Received: 2 April 2008; in revised form: 3 June 2008 / Accepted: 3 June 2008 / Published: 27 June 2008
Review: CFD Studies on Biomass Thermochemical Conversion
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 1108-1130 (PDF format, 1843K); DOI: 10.3390/ijms9061108

Vishwanath Patil ^1,*, Khanh-Quang Tran ² and Hans Ragnar Giselrød ¹
1 Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
2 Department of Mathematical Sciences and Technology, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: E-Mail: [email protected]; Present address: Borregaard, Biorefinery R&D, P. O. Box 162, 1701 Sarpsborg, Norway
Received: 20 March 2008; in revised form: 12 May 2008 / Accepted: 10 June 2008 / Published: 9 July 2008
Review: Towards Sustainable Production of Biofuels from Microalgae
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 1188-1195 (PDF format, 185K); DOI: 10.3390/ijms9071188

Panagiotis Grammelis ^1,*, Anastasia Malliopoulou ¹, Panagiotis Basinas ¹ and Nicholas G. Danalatos ^2,*
1 Institute for Solid Fuels Technology and Applications/Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, 4thkm N.R. Ptolemaida-Kozani, 50200 Ptolemaida, Greece. E-Mail: [email protected]
2 Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, Fytokou Street, N. Ionia, 348446 Volos, Greece. E-Mail: [email protected]
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed
Received: 22 May 2008; in revised form: 7 July 2008 / Accepted: 10 July 2008 / Published: 15 July 2008
Article: Cultivation and Characterization of Cynara Cardunculus for Solid Biofuels Production in the Mediterranean Region
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 1241-1258 (PDF format, 546K); DOI: 10.3390/ijms9071241

Carlo R. Carere ¹, Richard Sparling ², Nazim Cicek ¹ and David B. Levin ^1,*
1 Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB, Canada R3T 5V6
2 Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB, Canada R3T 5V6
E-mails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected].
Received: 23 April 2008; in revised form: 11 June 2008 / Accepted: 12 June 2008 / Published: 22 July 2008
Review: Third Generation Biofuels via Direct Cellulose Fermentation
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 1342-1360 (PDF format, 238K); DOI: 10.3390/ijms9071342

Donald L. Rockwood ^1,*, Alan W. Rudie ², Sally A. Ralph ², J. Y. Zhu ² and Jerrold E. Winandy ²
1 School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA, 32611-0410. E-Mail: [email protected]
2 USFS Forest Products Laboratory, One Gifford Pinchot Drive, Madison, WI, USA 53726-2398 E-Mails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed
Received: 4 June 2008; in revised form: 16 July 2008 / Accepted: 17 July 2008 / Published: 30 July 2008
Article: Energy Product Options for Eucalyptus Species Grown as Short Rotation Woody Crops
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 1361-1378 (PDF format, 365K); DOI: 10.3390/ijms9081361

Mohammad J. Taherzadeh ^1,* and Keikhosro Karimi ^{1, 2}
1 School of Engineering, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, Sweden
2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, 84156-83111, Iran. E-Mail: [email protected]
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]
Received: 5 March 2008 / in Revised Form: 27 August 2008 / Accepted: 1 September 2008 / Published: 1 September 2008
Review: Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Wastes to Improve Ethanol and Biogas Production: A Review
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 1621-1651 (PDF format, 209K); DOI: 10.3390/ijms9091621

Atte Aho ¹, Narendra Kumar ¹, Kari Eranen ¹, Bjarne Holmbom ², Mikko Hupa ³, Tapio Salmi ¹ and Dmitry Yu. Murzin ^1,*
1 Laboratory of Industrial Chemistry and Reaction Engineering, Process Chemistry Centre, Abo Akademi University, FI-20500 Abo/Turku, Finland
2 Laboratory of Wood and Paper Chemistry, Process Chemistry Centre, Abo Akademi University, FI-20500 Abo/Turku, Finland
3 Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, Process Chemistry Centre, Abo Akademi University, FI-20500 Abo/Turku, Finland
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]
Received: 6 May 2008; in revised form: 24 July 2008 / Accepted: 15 August 2008 / Published: 2 September 2008
Article: Pyrolysis of Softwood Carbohydrates in a Fluidized Bed Reactor
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 1665-1675 (PDF format, 133K); DOI: 10.3390/ijms9091665

Leading Papers and Reviews:

Adsul, M.G.; Bastawde, K.B.; Varma, A.J.; Gokhale; D.V. Strain improvement of Penicillium janthinellum NCIM 1171 for increased cellulase production. Bioresour. Technol. 2007, 98,1467-73. Epub 2006 Nov 13.
Saha, B.C.; Cotta, M.A. Ethanol production from alkaline peroxide pretreated enzymatically saccharified wheat straw. Biotechnol Prog. 2006, 22, 449-53
Rauscher, R.; Wurleitner, E.; Wacenovsky. C.; Aro, N.; Stricker, A.R.; Zeilinger, S.; Kubicek, C.P., Penttila, M.; Mach, R.L. Transcriptional regulation of xyn1, encoding xylanase I, in Hypocrea jecorina. Eukaryot. Cell, 2006, 5, 447-56.
Old, L.A.; Lowes S.; Russell, R.R. Genomic variation in Streptococcus mutans: deletions affecting the multiple pathways of beta-glucoside metabolism. Oral Microbiol. Immunol. 2006, 21, 21-7.
Baker, J.O.; McCarley, J.R.; Lovett, R.; Yu, C.H.; Adney, W.S.; Rignall, T.R.; Vinzant, T.B.; Decker, S.R.; Sakon, J.; Himmel, M.E. Catalytically enhanced endocellulase Cel5A from Acidothermus cellulolyticus. Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 2005, 121-124, 129-48.
Wang, T.; Liu, X.; Yu, Q.; Zhang, X.; Qu, Y.; Gao, P.; Wang, T. Directed evolution for engineering pH profile of endoglucanase III from Trichoderma reesei.
Biomol. Eng. 2005, 22, 89-94.
Chand, P.; Aruna, A.; Maqsood, A.M.; Rao, L.V. Novel mutation method for increased cellulase production. J. Appl. Microbiol. 2005, 98, 318-23.
Zhou, W.; Irwin, D.C.; Escovar-Kousen, J.; Wilson, D.B. Kinetic studies of Thermobifida fusca Cel9A active site mutant enzymes. Biochemistry 2004, 43, 9655-63.
Wilson, D.B. Studies of Thermobifida fusca plant cell wall degrading enzymes. Chem. Rec. 2004, 4, 72-82.
Tellez-Valencia, A.; Sandoval, A.A.; Pedraza-Reyes, M. The non-catalytic amino acid Asp446 is essential for enzyme activity of the modular endocellulase Cel9 from Myxobacter sp. AL-1. Curr. Microbiol. 2003, 46, 307-10.
Torney, F.; Moeller, L.; Scarpa, A.; Wang, K. Genetic engineering approaches to improve bioethanol production from maize. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 2007 [Epub ahead of print].
Service, R.F. Cellulosic ethanol. Biofuel researchers prepare to reap a new harvest. Science 2007, 16, 1488-91. No abstract available.
Escovar-Kousen, J.M.; Wilson, D.; Irwin, D. Integration of computer modeling and initial studies of site-directed mutagenesis to improve cellulase activity on Cel9A from Thermobifida fusca. Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 2004, 113-116, 287-97.
Stephanopoulos, G. Challenges in engineering microbes for biofuels production. Science 2007, 315, 801-4.
Schubert, C. Can biofuels finally take center stage? Nat. Biotechnol. 2006, 24, 777-84.
Hahn-Hagerdal, B.; Galbe, M.; Gorwa-Grauslund, M.F.; Liden, G.; Zacchi, G. Bio-ethanol--the fuel of tomorrow from the residues of today. Trends Biotechnol. 2006, 24, 549-56. Review.
Farrell, A.E.; Plevin, R.J.; Turner, B.T.; Jones, A.D.; O'Hare, M.; Kammen, D.M. Ethanol can contribute to energy and environmental goals. Science 2006, 311, 506-8.
Sticklen, M. Plant genetic engineering to improve biomass characteristics for biofuels. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 2006, 17, 315-9. Review.
Gray, K.A.; Zhao, L.; Emptage, M. Bioethanol. Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. 2006, 10, 141-6. Review.
Ragauskas, A.J.; Williams, C.K.; Davison, B.H.; Britovsek, G.; Cairney, J.; Eckert, C.A.; Frederick, W.J. Jr.; Hallett, J.P.; Leak, D.J.; Liotta, C.L.; Mielenz, J.R.; Murphy, R.; Templer, R.; Tschaplinski, T. The path forward for biofuels and biomaterials. Science 2006, 311, 484-9. Review.
Yinbo, Q.; Zhu, M.; Liu, K.; Bao, X.; Lin, J. Studies on cellulosic ethanol production for sustainable supply of liquid fuel in China. Biotechnol. J. 2006, 1, 1235-40. Review.
Jeffries, T.W. Engineering yeasts for xylose metabolism. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 2006, 17, 320-6. Review.
Sticklen, M. Plant genetic engineering to improve biomass characteristics for biofuels. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 2006, 17, 315-9. Review.
Percival Zhang, Y.H.; Himmel, M.E.; Mielenz, J.R. Outlook for cellulase improvement: screening and selection strategies. Biotechnol. Adv. 2006, 24, 452-81. Review.
Ward, O.P.; Singh, A. Bioethanol technology: developments and perspectives. Adv. Appl. Microbiol. 2002, 51, 53-80. Review.
Lynd, L.R.; Weimer, P.J.; van Zyl, W.H.; Pretorius, I.S. Microbial cellulose utilization: fundamentals and biotechnology. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 2002, 66, 506-77. Review. Erratum in: Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 2002, 66, 739.
Sun, Y.; Cheng, J. Hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials for ethanol production: a review. Bioresour. Technol. 2002, 83, 1-11. Review.
Mielenz, J.R. Ethanol production from biomass: technology and commercialization status. Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 2001, 4, 324-9. Review.
Bayer, E.A.; Shimon, L.J.; Shoham, Y.; Lamed, R. Cellulosomes-structure and ultrastructure. J. Struct. Biol. 1998, 124, 221-34. Review.
Davies, G.J. Structural studies on cellulases. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 1998, 26, 167-73. Review.
Gray, K.A.; Zhao, L.; Emptage, M. Bioethanol. Curr. Opin.Chem. Biol. 2006, 10, 141-6. Review.
Lin, Y.; Tanaka, S. Ethanol fermentation from biomass resources: current state and prospects. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2006, 69, 627-42. Review.
Louime, C.; Abazinge, M.; Johnson, E.; Latinwo, L.; Ikediobi, C. Location, formation and biosynthetic regulation of cellulases in the gliding bacteria Cytophaga hutchinsonii. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2006, 7, 1-11.
Louime, C.; Abazinge, M.; Johnson, E.; Latinwo, L. Sugarcane: Is it the new biocellulosic substrate for the biomass industry. Florida Scientist 2006, 69, 44-48.

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