Ethanologenic/Electricigenic Consolidated Biprocessing of Cellulosic Biomass
Award Information
Agency: Department of Energy
Branch: N/A
Contract: DE-FG02-07ER86319
Agency Tracking Number: 82287
Amount:
$99,910.00
Phase:
Phase I
Program:
STTR
Awards Year:
2007
Solicitation Year:
2007
Solicitation Topic Code:
48 c
Solicitation Number:
DE-PS02-06ER06-30
Small Business Information
729 Veron Place, Mount Pleasant, SC, 29464
DUNS:
787826283
HUBZone Owned:
N
Woman Owned:
N
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged:
N
Principal Investigator
Name: Harold May
Title: Dr
Phone: (843) 792-7140
Email: mayh@musc.edu
Title: Dr
Phone: (843) 792-7140
Email: mayh@musc.edu
Business Contact
Name: Harold May
Title: Dr
Phone: (843) 792-7140
Email: mayh@musc.edu
Title: Dr
Phone: (843) 792-7140
Email: mayh@musc.edu
Research Institution
Name: Medical University of South Carolina
Contact: Rebecca Antley
Address: 19 Hagood Avenue
Box 250808
Charleston, SC, 29425
Phone: (843) 792-3991
Type: Nonprofit college or university
Contact: Rebecca Antley
Address: 19 Hagood Avenue
Box 250808
Charleston, SC, 29425
Phone: (843) 792-3991
Type: Nonprofit college or university
Abstract
Energy usage will continue to increase at a dramatic pace for the foreseeable future, endangering the security, economy, and environment of the nation. One means of meeting this challenge is the replacement of liquid transportation fuels based on petroleum with cellulosic bioethanol. However, cellulosic ethanol remains too costly to be commercially feasible, in part due to the generation of organic acids that inhibit ethanol fermentation. This project will couple cellulolytic, ethanologenic, and electricity generating (electricigenic) bacteria in a process that eliminates these inhibitory organic acids, enhances ethanol production, and generates electricity. The cellulolytic and ethanologenic bacteria will hydrolyze the cellulose and hemicellulose fractions of lignocellulose, and produce ethanol and inhibitory organic acids. The acids produced by the fermentative bacteria, and during the pretreatment of the biomass (e.g. corn stover), will then be consumed by the electricigenic bacteria in a microbial fuel cell component of an ethanologenic/electricigenic bioreactor. Phase I will determine the feasibility of using this combined microbial process. Phase II will involve improvement and scale-up of the process. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: A procedure that produces bioethanol and biopower less expensively and more efficiently should prove to be highly marketable. Cellulosic ethanol could replace up to 40 percent of the nation¿s petroleum-based liquid fuels, instead of the 2 percent that may be replaced by grain-based alcohol. * Information listed above is at the time of submission. *