Session 1: Advances in Bioenergy Feedstocks and Plant Science

Abstract

While the stars of biofuel biotechnology are engineered conversion enzymes or microbes, at the root of all biofuels are biomass feedstocks. Whether ethanol, longer-chain alcohols, or biodiesel, the feedstocks for these platforms will mainly be higher plants well into the foreseeable future. Even though arguments surface for developing algal feedstocks, it remains to be seen whether infrastructure and capital costs for ponds and processing are prohibitively expensive for algae to become a feasible reality in the mid-to-long-range future. Researchers who made presentations in the Advances in Bioenergy Feedstocks and Plant Science session also understand the importance of emerging higher-plant feedstocks, such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), as evidenced by four of the six papers that focused on this species. Considering that switchgrass can deliver approximately 600 gallons per acre [1] using today’s conversion technologies, approximately twice that of current corn-grainto-ethanol platforms, and that there are a plethora of biotechnology tools and developing germplasm resources, this focus is justified [2].