Bioenergy: Prospects and processes

Replacement of our current fossil fuel-based global energy systems must happen if we are to avoid massive, worldwide ecological and economic disasters. The nature of these replacements remains to be determined, but many plant and microbial systems have been put forward as ways to harness the energy of the sun to fuel our society. Plant systems include growing feedstocks for the production of ethanol, biodiesel, or other molecules that may be used for fuel. These same fuel molecules may also be produced by microorganisms. Additionally, microorganisms may produce other fuels such as hydrogen gas or may be used in microbial fuel cells to produce electricity. Biologically-based energy systems offer the unique advantage of self-replication, something not shared by synthetic solar collecting devices. The challenge facing implementation is to discover, breed, or engineer organisms that convert the greatest amount of the sun's energy into a form usable to humans. In this class we will consider the many nascent technologies and learn about the molecular and biochemical factors that can be improved upon to create biologically-based energy technologies.

Good reviews on the subject:

• Microbial Energy Conversion
• Recent DOE information on construction of Bioenergy Research Centers