Award details

Plant Biomass Biorefinery Network (PBBNet)

Reference	BB/L013738/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Simon McQueen-Mason
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Professor Timothy Bugg
Institution	University of York
Department	Biology
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	1,120,759
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	14/01/2014
End date	30/11/2019
Duration	71 months

Abstract

The need to curb greenhouse gas emissions from unsustainable use of fossils fuels coupled with declining global reserves of petroleum and increasing costs of their extraction provide strong drivers to develop alternative methods for fuel and chemical production. Plant biomass is currently the only renewable and sustainable non-food renewable, sustainable feedstock available on a scale commensurate with current use of petroleum. Lignocellulosic biomass is a rich source of fixed carbon incorporated into a range of polymers comprising mainly polysaccharides and lignin. These polysaccharides consist mainly of cellulose and complex matrix hemicelluloses that form a cohesive network that is effectively cemented into a robust composite material by the phenolic polymer lignin. Lignocellulosic plant biomass also contains a wide range of less abundant chemicals and polymers including sterols, waxes and fatty acids. Thus, this non-food feedstock has the potential to provide a wide range of bulk and speciality chemicals that can serve as the basis for producing most of the products we currently obtain from petroleum. At present, the development of new industries based on plant biomass is challenged by the lack of cost-effective approaches to convert lignocellulose into useful component parts for bioprocessing. We also currently lack a clear joined up vision across the supply chain that combines the necessary disciplines of biology, chemistry and engineering and identifies where the major challenges and opportunities to establishing this new industry lie. We propose the establishment of a Plant Biomass Biorefinery Network (PBBNet) to establish a cohesive multi-disciplinary network of researchers and stakeholders with interests in lignocellulose-derived biorenewables in order to overcome fragmentation of the research community in this area and develop systems based approaches to move this area forward.

Summary

Petroleum is a fossil carbon resource used to produce most of the transportation fuels and large proportions of bulk chemicals and materials we have come to depend on, but reserves of this resource are in decline. At the same time, concerns over the impact of human activity on global warming and climate change are driving international commitments to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon doixide produced from burning fossil fuels. This has encouraged a move towards biofuels and biorenewable chemicals derived from plants. Such biorenewables have the advantage that they are produced continually by crops and hence area a renewable resource. In addition, these products emit far less carbon dioxide on a net basis because that released from their use is balanced by having been fixed from the atmosphere to produce the biomass in the first instance. Currently, biofuels and biorenewable chemicals are produced mostly from plant sugar, starch and oil, and the problem with this is that it imposes added strain to world food security and pushes up food prices. The most immediately available alternative is to make biofuels and chemicals from the woody parts of crops that are not used for food such as straw from cereal crops. These woody materials are mostly made of polysaccharides (sugar polymers) that can be converted into simple sugars for fermentation to produce fuels and chemicals. Whilst the potential of producing fuels and chemicals in this way is well understood, the practicality of doing it is challenging. This is because the costs of converting woody materials into simple sugars and other chemicals is too expensive to make the resulting products cost-effective. Producing cost effective and sustainable biofuels and chemicals from woody biomass is a new industrial challenge that can only be met by bringing wide-ranging scientific disciplines together with companies from the commercial sector with ambitions in this domain. In order to bring down processing costs we need to develop innovative new approaches to bioprocessing, which incorporate understanding and innovation across the supply chain from crop production and harvesting through processing to final products. The aim of the Plant Biomass Biorefinery Network is establish a community of researchers from the academic and commercial sectors to identify the major system-wide challenges to establishing a modern fuel and chemicals industry based on plant biomass. This network will help establish integrated cross-disciplinary teams to tackle the big challenges to realising the vision of s sustainable and competitive bio-based economy. As well as providing an active community of interested participants, the network proposes to provide a range of competitive funding opportunities to help kick-start new major research projects and to attract new researchers into this area of research. We also plan to establish the UK as the international partner of choice in the area of biomass-derived fuels and chemicals. This will be achieved by establishing an excellent science base and providing encouragement and funding to UK scientists to establish competitive international collaborations. The network will also work closely with environmental scientists to ensure that environmental concerns are at the heart of approaches we take, and with policy makers from government departments to harmonise our aims and activities with government policy and public interests.

Impact Summary

We propose the establishment of a Plant Biomass Biorefinery Network (PBBNet) to establish a cohesive multi-disciplinary network of researchers and stakeholders with interests in lignocellulose-derived biorenewables in order to overcome fragmentation of the research community in this area and develop systems based approaches to move this area forward. This network will have benefits for a wide range of stakeholders with interests in the biorenewable fuels and chemicals industries, these include: 1. Researchers in the areas of working in feedstock improvement (crop breeding), feedstock production (farming), logistics and transportation, processing (engineers and chemists), deconstruction (biologists, engineers, chemists), fermentation (biologists and engineers), product recovery, anaerobic digestion and combustion for heat and power generation from residues, and water and plant nutrient recycling and capture. 2. The network will also involve and benefit environmental scientists interested in sustainability issues and social scientists and economists studying the impact of new industries 3. The work is also directly relevant to policy makers from the government sector, working to decrease the UK's carbon footprint, stimulate new industries and revive the rural economy. 4. The network will involve and benefit a wide range of commercial enterprises working in the farming, logistics, engineering, chemical engineering, fermentation, anaerobic digestion, enzymes, water purification, fuel, chemicals and natural products industries. 5. The general public, through being made aware of the benefits and challenges in establishing sustainable bio-based industries These stakeholders will benefit directly by being part of the network. These benefits will come from: 1. helping develop policy documents to help influence relevant government policy, and public funding of research in this area. 2. defining major research challenges relevant to their interests 3. overcoming fragmentation in the sector and gaining benefits from taking part in multi-disciplinary innovative research to tackle major challenges 4. forming collaborations to compete for major funding on the national and international stages 5. the attraction of talented young researchers into areas relevant to their interests 6. from being part of a community of researchers committed to developing a sustainable future for mankind The network will benefit the nation's health, wealth and culture by enabling the establishment of new industries and jobs in areas that will help improve our environment by reducing carbon emissions and dependence on non-renewable resources.

Committee	Research Committee D (Molecules, cells and industrial biotechnology)
Research Topics	Bioenergy, Industrial Biotechnology, Plant Science
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBB) [2013]
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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