UC breakthrough aims to make biofuel cheaper
One limitation of producing biofuel is that the alcohol created by fermentation is toxic to the microbes that produce it.
Now scientists are closer to overcoming this obstacle.
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory achieved a breakthrough in understanding the vulnerability of microbes to the alcohols they produce during fermentation of plant biomass.
With the national lab’s neutron scattering and simulation equipment, the team analyzed fermentation of the biofuel butanol, an energy-packed alcohol that also can be used as a solvent or chemical feedstock.
Jonathan Nickels. Photo/Corrie Mayer/CEAS Marketing
Butanol is toxic to the very microorganisms that produce it. This toxicity limits the amount of butanol that can be generated during fermentation, presenting a challenge to bio-based production, said Jonathan Nickels, an associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering in UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science.
“The primary location of toxicity is in the membrane,” Nickels said. “Ultimately, the solvent thins it out and makes it softer and less stable. Ultimately, you get holes in the membrane. When this happens, the cell loses the ability to generate energy.”
Researchers found that butanol tends to accumulate unevenly around the membrane, causing some regions to thin more than others. This could be responsible for the cell stress and less efficient fermentation.
They shared their results in the journal Langmuir.
Working with world-leading scientists and staff at a national lab is a tremendous privilege.
Jonathan Nickels, UC College of Engineering and Applied Science
Lead author Luoxi Tan, a doctoral graduate of UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science, is continuing this collaboration as a postdoctoral researcher at the national laboratory. He said researchers now will look to see if they can make biofuel more efficiently by stabilizing the membranes of the cells in the biomass.
“(The findings) provide us with new targets to reduce the influence of these fermentation products,” Tan said.
Researchers investigated the processes occurring during fermentation using neutron scattering experiments that allow for non-destructive testing of the membrane, letting scientists see the structures and arrangements of molecules.
“Neutrons give you the ability to probe the interior of the membrane to help determine how the butanol is distributed,” said Hugh O’Neill, director of the Center for Structural Molecular Biology at Oak Ridge.
Researchers used supercomputers to perform molecular dynamics simulations to examine how atoms and molecules move and interact over time.
Nickels said these tools allowed researchers to see what’s happening to the structure of a cell’s membrane at the molecular level.
“The findings have very relevant and meaningful long-term implications,” Nickels said. “We want to make biofuels more efficient, which would have significant economic outcomes.”
Nickels said he is proud of his longtime collaboration with Oak Ridge.
“It’s a great collaboration. Working with world-leading scientists and staff at a national lab is a tremendous privilege. And it provides inspiration and an environment for great work for a student's doctoral research.”
The project was funded by the national lab’s Center for Structural Molecular Biology and the DOE Office of Science’s Solvent Disruption of Biomass and Biomembranes Science Focus Area, also known as the Biofuels SFA, led by Oak Ridge.
Featured image at top: UC collaborated with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory on research examining ways to improve the efficiency of biofuel. Photo/Unsplash
Next Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Latest UC News
- So do ‘sin taxes’ curb harmful behavior?The Ohio Capital Journal reports that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is proposing to create a child tax credit and to pay for it with increased 'sin taxes' on tobacco. According to one analysis, the tax credit is expected to produce big gains for the state. Michael Jones, PhD, associate professor in the Lindner College of Business, weighs in on the effectiveness of 'sin taxes.'
- Message from President Pinto: Moving forward togetherMessage from President Pinto to UC Community: Moving forward together
- New clinical trial aims to optimize pain management and reduce opioid use after mastectomyMSN highlighted a new University of Cincinnati Cancer Center clinical trial aimed to optimize pain management and reduce the need for opioids after mastectomy procedures.
- Researchers see breakthrough in efficient biofuel productionScience and industry outlets highlight a research partnership between UC and Oak Ridge National Laboratory designed to improve the production of biofuel.
- Allergy season is getting longer because of climate changeAllergy season is starting earlier — and lasting longer — as climate change heats up cities across the U.S. While the spring allergy season usually starts in March, more warm weather earlier in the year means people might begin experiencing symptoms in February, or even January, said Ahmad Sedaghat, MD, PhD, professor and director of the Division of Rhinology, Allergy and Anterior Skull Base Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
- UCPD and Campus Rec partner to host scholarship basketball tournamentThe University of Cincinnati Police Division held a basketball tournament for UC students on March 1, 2025, sending the winning team members home with a $1,000 scholarship.
