据《 科学日报》 ( ScienceDaily ) 2012 年 5 月 14 日 报道， 爱荷华州立大学（ Iowa State University ）和索尔克生物研究所（ Salk Institute for Biological Studies ）的研究人员合作研究，发现了三种植物蛋白（ FAP1,FAP2 和 FAP3 ）的功能 , 这一发现可能会帮助植物科学家提高农作物种子油的生产 , 从而有益于食物、生物可再生化学品以及生物燃料的生产。 由 爱荷华州立大学提供的基因活性分析，索尔克 生物研究所进行 蛋白质结构确定，独立确认植物拟南芥（ thale cress) 似乎参与脂肪酸新陈代谢的三种相关蛋白质。爱荷华州立大学和索尔克生物研究所的研究者联手进行研究 , 并证明了这些蛋白质在调节植物中的脂肪酸数量和类型的作用。研究人员还发现这些蛋白质对于温度非常敏感 , 此功能可能在植物如何应用脂肪酸减轻温度应力过程中起重要作用。该研究成果 2012 年 5 月 13 日 在 《自然》 （ Nature ） 杂志 网站 上发表，通讯作者是爱荷华州立大学遗传、发育和细胞生物学 教授 Eve Syrkin Wurtele 和 索尔克生物研究所化学生物学和蛋白质组学 Jack H. Skirball 研究中心（ Center for Chemical Biology and Proteomics at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, Calif. ）主任， 霍华德·休斯医学研究所 （ Howard Hughes Medical Institute ）研究员 Joseph Noel 教授。 这项工作对于调节植物中的脂肪酸有重要启示 , 其意义非同寻常 , 不仅对可持续食物生产和营养具有重要意义，而且对于生物可持续化学品和生物燃料的生产同样意义重大。因为在植物中高能量分子如脂肪酸的形成是植物利用太阳能转化的结果 , 这类分子可能为生物可再生产品提供最具成本效益和最高效的来源。这三种蛋白质被称为脂肪酸键链蛋白质 Ⅰ、 脂肪酸键链蛋白质 Ⅱ和 脂肪酸键链蛋白质 Ⅲ（fatty-acid-binding proteins one, two and three） 或简写为 FAP1,FAP2 和 FAP3 。尽管研究人员已经明白 , 这三种蛋白质在植物组织如叶子和种子中参与了脂肪酸的积累 , 但是，研究人员在分子水平上仍不理解其应用的物理机制。详细信息请浏览原文。 Micheline N. Ngaki, Gordon V. Louie, Ryan N. Philippe, Gerard Manning, Florence Pojer, Marianne E. Bowman, Ling Li, Elise Larsen, Eve Syrkin Wurtele, Joseph P. Noel. Evolution of the chalcone-isomerase fold from fatty-acid binding to stereospecific catalysis . Nature , 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nature11009 Supplementary Information (6.3M) This file contains Supplementary Figures 1-23 and Supplementary Tables 1-9 nature11009-s1 .pdf
第一代生物燃料是来自一些可以食用的生物质，其中最为典型的就是大豆、玉米、甘蔗等，但是这种生物质来源收到地域限制，有些地域根本不适宜于种植大豆或者玉米，而且还涉及到人畜食用还是制造生物燃料用地突出矛盾。第二代生物燃料是纤维类生物质，以木材下脚料、农作物秸秆等为主，随着农村生活条件的改善，以农作物秸秆作为燃料的时代基本结束，尽管也有新建沼气池来利用农作物秸秆的相关措施，但是推广应用十分有限，大多数农作物秸秆白白浪费或者以火燎之，既污染环境又浪费资源，因此研究利用纤维生物质转化依然是一个有待开发的主要课题。生物燃料中有关藻类研究应该是生物燃料研究领域中的第三代，它已经成为生物燃料研究领域中的一个亮点，当然这可能与其生长习性和生存环境有关，2001年以来，与algae biofuel有关的研究持续升温，我们以SCIrus搜索引擎检索结果为例，可以看出世界各地对其关注的程度，无论是与藻类有关的报道还是与藻类研究有关的专利文献，均有大幅度的提高(见下图)。藻类研究也是2011年的主要研究之一。更多信息请浏览： Putting the pressure on algae to create biofuel 也可以看看附件： algae-biofuels-poster-caer .pdf Algae as a Source for Biofuel.pdf USA National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap
2010 Biofuels Digest Awards announced Solazyme, Amyris, Neste Oil, Ceres, Bunge, OPX Biotechnology, and Genencor among the winners ShareIn Florida, Biofuels Digest announced that Solazyme, Amyris, Neste Oil, Ceres and Bunge led this years roster of Biofuels Digest Award winners. The awards, first established in 2008, recognize excellence in the research, development and commercialization of biofuels, renewable chemicals and bio-based products. The awards are voted by the Biofuels Digest editorial board, based on nominations submitted by the Digest's readership. This year's honoree for Company of the Year, went to Solazyme. “Solazyme made the decision several years ago to grow heterotrophic algae in the dark and harvest renewable oils – and have become the unquestioned leader in the quest to make an integrated biorefinery commercially successful in the production of renewable oils for fuels, foods and other bio-based products,” noted Digest editor Jim Lane. “Along the ways they've racked up an impressive array of partners, and won contracts to supply biofuels to the US Department of Defense. More importantly, in every way, they have personified throughout their organization what it means to be an advanced bio-based company – in the ways that they have triumphed, and in the ways they have faced adversity.” The award for Product of the Year (fuels) went to Amyris for its farnesane molecule, which it is now producing in Brazil. Made by adding hydrogen to farnesene (itself produced via Amyris's novel modified yeast fermentation technology), it can be utilized as a drop-in replacement for fossil-based diesel fuels. Product of the Year (renewable chemicals) went to OPX Biotechnology for its work in reducing the production cost of bioacrylic by more than 85 percent in its pilot production process, using sugars and syngas as feedstocks. Product of the Year (bio-based products) went to Genencor for its development of bioisoprene and, in partnership with Goodyear, the development of renewable technology for the production of tires, using a novel fermentation process based on an engineered molecule. Project of the Year went to Neste Oil for the completion and start-up of its massive 240 million gallon renewable diesel plant in Singapore. Technology of the Year Awards went to LanzaTech, the partnership of Rentech and ClearFuels Technology, the partnership of Taurus Energy and SEKAB, and Renewable Energy Group. These awards recognized pre-pilot, pilot, demonstration-scale and commercial-scale installations. LanzaTech is commercializing the fermentation of waste steel gases into ethanol and other bio-based chemicals, with a pilot in New Zealand and a forthcoming demonstration of its technology in China. Rentech and ClearFuels have combined on a gasification and Fisher-Tropsch processing of biomass into synthetic jet or diesel fuels, in a project that will be built at Rentech's Product demonstration Unit in Colorado, and has been supported by a $23 million grant from the US Department of Energy. Taurus Energy and SEKAB have combined on a cellulosic ethanol process, using Taurus Energy's yeast strains and SEKAB's demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Sweden. Renewable Energy Group was honored for its novel continuous-flow, multi-feedstock processing technology that has allowed the company to pioneer the acquisition of a wide variety of hard-to-process, low-cost feedstocks such as tallows and yellow grease. The town of Emmetsburg, Iowa was recognized as Community of the Year for the transformation of the small local community's economy through corn and cellulosic ethanol. The town is the site of POET's Project LIBERTY, a 20 million gallon cellulosic ethanol demonstration, bolted onto an existing corn ethanol plant, which also is home to advanced work by POET BIOMASS in corb cob and agricultural residue harvest and logistics. For Project Structure, Biofuels Digest recognized ZeaChem, for creativity in financial structure, as well as BlueFire Renewables, for off-take and feedstock contracting. Sapphire Energy received the “Plan for Scale” award for its design of its algal biofuels system with planned demonstration scale facility in 2014 and first commercial facility in 2018. The Digest recognizes Iowa State University as Institutional Research Facility of the Year, the Joint BioEnergy Institute as Government-Institutional Research Facility of the Year, and the Energy Biosciences Institute as Public-private Research facility of the Year. JBEI's researchers have been notably active in the development of novel technologies utilized by, among others, Amyris and LS9, while EBI has lately funded research that resulted in a newly engineered yeast strain, that can simultaneously consume glucose, a six-carbon sugar that is relatively easy to ferment; and xylose, a five-carbon sugar that has been much more difficult to utilize in ethanol production. Iowa State's BioCentury Research Farm provides researchers with the opportunity to integrate harvesting, transportation, storage, and processing, as well as test plant breeding, genomics, cropping systems, soil conservation and nutrient management. Partnerships were recognized in several awards this year. The Corporate partnership of Boeing, Air China and PetroChina is recognized for pioneering the testing and availability of jatropha-based aviation biofuels for the key China aviation market. Algenol and Lee County (Florida) were recognized for Public private partnership (county) of the Year, a partnership which has resulted in a state-of-the-art algal biofuels research center in southwest Florida as well as a future pilot-scale algal farm. Enerkem and the US state of Mississippi were recognized for Public private partnership (state or province) of the Year for their work in developing the Pontotoc, MS cellulosic ethanol project using municipal solid waste. Ineos BIO and the US Department of Energy are recognized as Public private partnership (National) of the Year for their cooperation in bringing the Vero Beach, Florida cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant to fruition on schedule. The US Department of Agriculture and the US Navy are recognized for Public-public partnership of the Year for their cooperative work in developing advanced biofuels for naval onshore and fleet operations. Finally, Cosan and Shell are recognized as Joint Venture of the Year for their $14 billion combination of ethanol, advanced biofuels, sugarcane and fuel distribution assets in Brazil. In Feedstock development, Ceres is recognized as Feedstock research project of the year (new feedstock or traits) for its development of seawater-tolerant energy grasses. SG Biofuels is recognized as Feedstock domestication project of the Year (new feedstock or traits) for its development of the JMax platform for jatropha in Cehtral America. Genera Energy is recognized as Feedstock grower development project of the year for its work in developing a switchgrass-grower network in Tennessee. The Bio-XCell project in Iskandar, Malaysia is recognized as Multi-project (co-location, or symbiosis) development of the Year, for its custom-built biotechnology park and ecosystem being developed by Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation and UEM Land Holdings, which will become home to the GlycosBio demonstration-scale project among other tenants in 2012. Statoil was recognized as Downstream partner of the Year for its work with Inbicon, Bioarchitecture Lab and other partners in creating investment and distribution for advanced biofuels. Bunge was recognized as Strategic Investor of the Year for its investments in Solazyme, Renewable Energy Group, and its strategic alliances with Verenium, and SG Biofuels. Company of the Year SOLAZYME Technology of the Year (pre pilot) RENTECH, CLEARFUELS Technology of the Year (pilot) LANZATECH Technology of the Year (demonstration state) TAURUS ENERGY, SEKAB Technology of the Year (commercial stage) RENEWABLE ENERGY GROUP Product of the Year (fuel) AMYRIS – FARNESENE Product of the Year (renewable chemicals) GENENCOR – BIOISOPRENE Product of the Year (bio-based products) OPX BIOTECHNOLOGY – BIOACRYLIC Project of the Year NESTE OIL, SINGAPORE Project Structure of the Year (off-take and feedstock contracting) BLUEFIRE RENEWABLES Project Structure of the Year (creativity in financing) ZEACHEM Community of the Year EMMETSBURG, IOWA Institutional Research Facility of the Year IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY Government Research Facility of the Year JOINT BIOENERGY INSTITUTE Public-private Research Facility of the Year ENERGY BIOSCIENCES INSTITUTE Corporate partnership of the Year BOEING, AIR CHINA, PETROCHINA Public private partnership (county) of the Year ALGENOL – Lee County, FL Public private partnership (state) of the Year ENERKEM Public private partnership (federal) of the Year Ineos BIO, US Department of Energy Public-public partnership of the Year US Department of Agriculture, US NAVY Joint venture of the Year COSAN, SHELL Plan for Scale SAPPHIRE ENERGY Feedstock research project of the year (new feedstock or traits) CERES Feedstock domestication project of the Year (new feedstock or traits) SG BIOFUELS Feedstock grower development project of the year GENERA ENERGY Multi-project (co-location, or symbiosis) development of the Year BIO-XCELL – ISKANDAR, MALAYSIA Downstream partnership of the Year STATOIL Top Strategic Investor BUNGE 详细请参考： http://biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2010/12/29/solazyme-amyris-neste-oil-ceres-and-bunge-among-winners-of-biofuels-digest-awards/
2008 年创刊的《生物能研究》（BioEnergy Research），ISSN: 1939-1234，季刊，美国(SPRINGER, 233 SPRING ST, NEW YORK, USA, NY, 10013)出版，2010年入选 Web of Science的Science Citation Index Expanded，目前在SCI数据库可以检索到该期刊2008年的第1卷1-4期到2010年第3卷第1-2期共81篇论文。 该刊是 EI 收录期刊， EI 从 2009 年开始收录， EI 共收录了该刊 2009-2010 年 53 篇论文。 81 篇文章包括学术论文74篇、社论7篇。 81 篇文章的主要国家分布：美国66篇，德国4篇，中国、加拿大、英国、印度各3篇，法国5篇，澳大利亚2篇，比利时、哥伦比亚、捷克、法国、西班牙、瑞典、墨西哥、韩国各1篇等。 中国学者在该期刊发表的3篇论文是和美国合作的非第一作者单位（均不是以通讯作者单位在该期刊发表论文） 。 81篇文章共被引用155次（其中2008年被引用3次，2009年被引用52次，2010年被引用100次），平均引用1. 91次， H指数为6（有6篇文章每篇最少被引用6次）。 《生物能研究》（BioEnergy Research ）投稿指南： 该刊是有关生物能源跨学科期刊，主要刊登经过同行审查的科学研究论文、评论、观点和社论、行业新闻以及政府政策。 网址： http://www.springerlink.com/content/120991/ 编委会： http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/plant+sciences/journal/12155?detailsPage=editorialBoard 作者指南： http://www.springerlink.com/content/120991/ 在线投稿： http://www.editorialmanager.com/bere/ 《生物能研究》（BioEnergy Research ）热点论文： 1.标题: Second Generation Biofuels: High-Efficiency Microalgae for Biodiesel Production 作者: Schenk PM, Thomas-Hall SR, Stephens E, et al. 来源出版物: BIOENERGY RESEARCH 卷: 1 期: 1 页: 20-43 出版年: MAR 2008 被引频次: 35 2.标题: Farm-Scale Production Cost of Switchgrass for Biomass 作者: Perrin R, Vogel K, Schmer M, et al. 来源出版物: BIOENERGY RESEARCH 卷: 1 期: 1 页: 91-97 出版年: MAR 2008 被引频次: 14 3.标题: Pongamia pinnata: An Untapped Resource for the Biofuels Industry of the Future 作者: Scott PT, Pregelj L, Chen N, et al. 来源出版物: BIOENERGY RESEARCH 卷: 1 期: 1 页: 2-11 出版年: MAR 2008 被引频次: 14 4.标题: Solution-state 2D NMR of Ball-milled Plant Cell Wall Gels in D class=MsoNormal 作者 : Kim H, Ralph J, Akiyama T 来源出版物: BIOENERGY RESEARCH 卷: 1 期: 1 页: 56-66 出版年: MAR 2008 被引频次: 10 5.标题: Effects of Two-Stage Dilute Acid Pretreatment on the Structure and Composition of Lignin and Cellulose in Loblolly Pine 作者: Sannigrahi P, Ragauskas AJ, Miller SJ 来源出版物: BIOENERGY RESEARCH 卷: 1 期: 3-4 页: 205-214 出版年: DEC 2008 被引频次: 7 6.标题: Improving Saccharification Efficiency of Alfalfa Stems Through Modification of the Terminal Stages of Monolignol Biosynthesis 作者: Jackson LA, Shadle GL, Zhou R, et al. 来源出版物: BIOENERGY RESEARCH 卷: 1 期: 3-4 页: 180-192 出版年: DEC 2008 被引频次: 7 7.标题: Allelic Association, Chemical Characterization and Saccharification Properties of brown midrib Mutants of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) 作者: Saballos A, Vermerris W, Rivera L, et al. 来源出版物: BIOENERGY RESEARCH 卷: 1 期: 3-4 页: 193-204 出版年: DEC 2008 被引频次: 6 8.标题: Soil Carbon Storage by Switchgrass Grown for Bioenergy 作者: Liebig MA, Schmer MR, Vogel KP, et al. 来源出版物: BIOENERGY RESEARCH 卷: 1 期: 3-4 页: 215-222 出版年: DEC 2008 被引频次: 5
万跃华 世界上最大的开放存取同行评议杂志出版商英国伦敦生物医学中心(BioMed Central) 2008年创刊Biotechnology for Biofuels《生物燃料技术》，ISSN: 1754-6834，月刊，2009年入选 Web of Science的Science Citation Index Expanded，目前在SCI数据库可以检索到该期刊2008年的第1卷到2010年的第3卷共50篇论文。 该刊是 EI 收录期刊， EI 从 2008 年开始收录， EI 共收录了该刊 2008-2010 年 19 篇论文。 该刊还被 Scopus 收录。 50 篇文章包括论文40篇、评论9篇、社论1篇。 50 篇文章的主要国家分布：美国21篇，瑞典11篇，英国7篇，日本、荷兰各3篇，丹麦2篇等。中国目前没有论文在该期刊上发表。 50篇文章共被引用91次，其中2008年被引用9次，2009年被引用67次，2010年被引用15次，平均引用1. 82次， H指数为6（有6篇文章每篇最少被引用6次）。 该期刊的热点论文为1篇评论3篇论文： 1.标题: A short review on SSF - an interesting process option for ethanol production from lignocellulosic feedstocks 作者: Olofsson K, Bertilsson M, Liden G 来源出版物: BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 卷: 1 文献编号: 7 出版年: MAY 1 2008 被引频次: 13 2.标题: Combining hot-compressed water and ball milling pretreatments to improve the efficiency of the enzymatic hydrolysis of eucalyptus 作者: Inoue H, Yano S, Endo T, et al. 来源出版物: BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 卷: 1 文献编号: 2 出版年: APR 15 2008 被引频次: 10 3.标题: Cell-wall structural changes in wheat straw pretreated for bioethanol production 作者: Kristensen JB, Thygesen LG, Felby C, et al. 来源出版物: BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 卷: 1 文献编号: 5 出版年: APR 16 2008 被引频次: 8 4.标题: Pichia stipitis xylose reductase helps detoxifying lignocellulosic hydrolysate by reducing 5-hydroxymethyl-furfural (HMF) 作者: Almeida JRM, Modig T, Roder A, et al. 来源出版物: BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 卷: 1 文献编号: 12 出版年: JUN 11 2008 被引频次: 8 Biotechnology for Biofuels 《生物燃料技术》是一本开放获取期刊, 采用同行评议制度。主要聚焦于生物质燃料领域内的植物和生物转化系统的生物技术应用，刊登生物技术在生物燃料中的应用以及与此有关的经济、环境和政策等多方面、多学科的研究、综述和评论论文。杂志发表主题广泛，包括纤维素生产、生物质成分和结构研究、植物分解、预处理、酶、发酵、整合系统、加工过程设计和经济分析、生命循环研究和其他相关领域的内容。 期刊编委会由生物燃料领域专家组成，包括加利福尼亚大学环境工程福特发动机公司主席Charles Wyman，斯坦福大学生物学教授Chris Somerville，国家可再生能源实验室(the National Renewable Energy Laboratory)分子生物学研究组带头人Michael Himmel。 网址： http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/ 编委会： http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/edboard/ 作者指南： http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/info/instructions/
万跃华 2007 年创刊的Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining-Biofpr《生物燃料、生物产品与生物精炼》，ISSN: 1932-104X，双月刊，英国 约翰威立父子出版公司 （JOHN WILEY SONS LTD, THE ATRIUM, SOUTHERN GATE, CHICHESTER, ENGLAND, W SUSSEX, PO19 8SQ）出版，2007年入选 Web of Science的Science Citation Index Expanded，目前在SCI数据库可以检索到该期刊2007年的第1卷1-4期到2010年的第1卷第1期共272篇论文。 该刊是 EI 收录期刊， EI 从 2007 创刊年开始收录， EI 共收录了该刊 2007-2010 年 127 篇论文。 272 篇文章包括新闻140篇、论文55篇、评论42篇、社论32篇、更正2篇。 272 篇文章的主要国家分布：美国50篇，荷兰14篇，英国10篇，澳大利亚、比利时各7篇，德国、印度、瑞典各5篇，加拿大4篇，奥地利、丹麦各3篇等。 中国的清华大学（Tsinghua Univ, Dept Chem Engn）在该期刊的2009年第3卷第6期633-639页上发表了题名为Prospective and impacts of whole cell mediated alcoholysis of renewable oils for biodiesel production的综述。 272篇文章共被引用443次，其中2008年被引用44次，2009年被引用324次，2010年被引用72次，平均引用1. 63次， H指数为11（有11篇文章每篇最少被引用11次）。 该期刊的热点论文为3篇评论2篇论文： 1.标题: Enzymatic conversion of lignocellulose into fermentable sugars: challenges and opportunities 作者: Jorgensen H, Kristensen JB, Felby C 来源出版物: BIOFUELS BIOPRODUCTS BIOREFINING-BIOFPR 卷: 1 期: 2 页: 119-134 出版年: OCT 2007 被引频次: 35 2.标题: Pretreatment: the key to unlocking low-cost cellulosic ethanol 作者: Yang B, Wyman CE 来源出版物: BIOFUELS BIOPRODUCTS BIOREFINING-BIOFPR 卷: 2 期: 1 页: 26-40 出版年: JAN-FEB 2008 被引频次: 32 3.标题: Food and fuel for all: realistic or foolish? 作者: Cassman KG, Liska AJ 来源出版物: BIOFUELS BIOPRODUCTS BIOREFINING-BIOFPR 卷: 1 期: 1 页: 18-23 出版年: SEP 2007 被引频次: 28 4.标题: Lignocellulose conversion: an introduction to chemistry, process and economics 作者: Lange JP 来源出版物: BIOFUELS BIOPRODUCTS BIOREFINING-BIOFPR 卷: 1 期: 1 页: 39-48 出版年: SEP 2007 被引频次: 27 5.标题: Production of biodiesel: possibilities and challenges 作者: Al-Zuhair S 来源出版物: BIOFUELS BIOPRODUCTS BIOREFINING-BIOFPR 卷: 1 期: 1 页: 57-66 出版年: SEP 2007 被引频次: 27 《生物燃料、生物产品和生物精炼》是一综述和评论性杂志，主要刊登可持续性产品、燃料和能源信息的综述、评论、商业信息、政策以及专利，密歇根州立大学Bruce E. Dale教授是该期刊编委会的主编，编委会成员主要是该领域专家（中国有3位编委），包括如下主题的专家： 原料设计植物生物学和生物技术、原料生产农业和林业、生物燃料生物乙醇和生物柴油、生物基产品平台化工和材料、生物精炼过程、发酵技术、分离和纯化、市场发展和创新、工业和政府发展、可持续性问题等。 该期刊的3位中国编委： Professor Ying- Jin Yuan School of Chemical Engineering Technology Tianjin University, China Professor Jie Bao State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering East China University of Science and Technology, China Professor Qing Yang Dalian University of Technology, China Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining《生物燃料、生物产品与生物精炼》投稿指南： 网址： http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/114071350/home 编委会： http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/114071350/home/EditorialBoard.html 作者指南： http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/114071350/home/ForAuthors.html 在线投稿： http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/biofpr-wiley
王 应 宽 2010-01-28 Beijing, China 美国能源部、农业部拨款 630 万美元开展生物燃料研究 据报道，美国能源部、农业部斥资 630 万美元联邦基金，由 7 个研究团队参与开展生产生物燃料的植物原料基因组学研究，包括柳枝稷、高粱、苜蓿以及其他物种。能源作物品种培育将是该项目的研究重点。 参加这个大的研究项目的专家和机构包括： Andrew Paterson of the University of Georgia （ 乔治亚大学 ）， Charles Brummer of the University of Georgia （ 乔治亚大学 ）， USDA-ARS-Lincoln （ 美国农业部研究中心 - 林肯） principal investigator Gautam Sarath ， John Vogel of the USDA-ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California （美国农业部西部研究中心 - 加州奥尔巴尼） ， Matias Kirst of the University of Florida （ 佛罗里达大学 ）， Victor Busov of Michigan Technological University （ 密西根技术大学 ）， Ismael Dweikat at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln （ 内布拉斯加大学 - 林肯校区 ）。这也是一个体现多机构大团队合作攻坚的研究课题。 Source: DOE, USDA Grant $ 6.3M for Biofuel Studies. http://www.genomeweb.com/doe-usda-grant-63m-biofuel-studies NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) Seven research teams at institutions around the country will use $6.3 million from the US Government to run genomics studies of plant feedstocks for biofuel production using switchgrass, sorghum, alfalfa, and others.
王应宽 编译 2009-08-17 UTC-6 CST UMN, St Paul 佛罗里达大学研究人员发现短吻鄂细菌 可提升纤维素乙醇生产 据位于甘斯韦尔的佛罗里达大学消息（ July 27, 2009 ），该校的研究人员发现生长在短吻鳄树中的细菌有助于改善生产木质纤维素乙醇的工艺，将有助于解决国家的能源危机。（注：佛罗里达大学橄榄球队取名短吻鳄队 - the Gators ） 纤维素乙醇燃料的生产源于经常被丢弃的植物废弃物。典型的工艺是采用转基因工程的细菌或复杂的化学反应分解植物细胞壁中的复杂化合物，来生产单糖分子化合物，再发酵生产燃料级乙醇。 圣地亚国家实验室（ Sandia National Laboratories ） 2 月份的报告预测，如果能降低生产成本，到 2030 年纤维素乙醇将可取代全美国汽油消耗量的 30% 。而降低成本的重要途经就是使生产更高效。 纤维素乙醇生产中效率低的原因很大程度在于在反应之初必须要用加热和加酸的办法预处理植物原料以分解植物细胞壁中的一些成分。佛罗里达大学食品与农业科学研究所的研究组在应用与环境微生物学学报（ Journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology ）报道称，有一种命名为 JDR-2 的朽木细菌（ Paenibacillus Sp. ）具有分解半纤维素的特殊能力。这种能力有助于改进预处理工艺步骤以便低成本高效率的生产乙醇。 通过工程改良细菌，像类芽孢杆菌 JDR-2 那样分解半纤维素，纤维素乙醇生产工艺可以大大简化。研究组几年前就筛选出了这种细菌，并被用于枫香树进行分解试验。目前研究组已经绘制出 JDR-2 的基因组图谱，预计年内将把 JDR-2 的纤维素分解能力转基因到细菌，用于生产乙醇。届时将设计高效的工艺以便用木材、农业废弃物和其他能源作物生产燃料乙醇。 资料来源： UF team finds alligator tree bacteria might improve cellulosic ethanol production http://news.ufl.edu/2009/07/27/sweetgum/ UF team finds alligator tree bacteria might improve cellulosic ethanol production Filed under Agriculture , Environment , Florida , Research on Monday, July 27, 2009. GAINESVILLE, Fla. Most would identify the tree by its often troublesome, spiky gumballs, but what many call the sweetgum tree also goes by another name, thanks to its distinctive, reptilian bark: the alligator tree. So it may be fitting that researchers from the University of Florida , home of the Gators, have found that bacteria growing in its wood may improve the process of making the fuel that might help solve the nations energy crisis. Cellulosic ethanol fuel is derived from plant material often thrown away as trash. Typically, the processes use genetically engineered bacteria or tricky chemical reactions to break down complex compounds in plant cell walls to produce simple sugar molecules that can be fermented into fuel-grade alcohol. A February report by the Sandia National Laboratories predicted that cellulosic ethanol could replace 30 percent of the nations gasoline by 2030 if the price can be brought down. A big part of reducing the price is making production more efficient. Much of the inefficiency in cellulosic ethanol production lies in the fact that it must be given a head start by cooking the plant material with heat and acids to break down some of the components in the plant cell walls. As the team from UFs Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences reported in the July issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a strain of the wood-decaying Paenibacillus sp. bacteria named JDR-2 has a knack for breaking down and digesting one of these components, hemicelluloses. That knack could help modify preprocessing steps for cost-effective production of ethanol. The acids, the heating all of these steps you have to take beforehand are expensive, require a lot of work and, lets face it, no one wants to work with sulfuric acid on that scale if you dont have to, said James Preston , the team leader and a professor in UFs microbiology and cell science department . By engineering the bacteria already being used to produce ethanol to also process hemicelluloses the way this Paenibacillus does, you should be able to significantly simplify the process. Preston came across the bacteria a few years ago, as he was using decaying sweetgum trees to grow shiitake mushrooms on his tree farm in Micanopy, Fla. After studying the unusually uniform composition of the decaying wood, he and his colleagues went on to study the genetics of one of the bacteria digesting that wood. The team has now mapped JDR-2s genome, and Preston expects that, within the year, they will transfer genes behind JDR-2s abilities to bacteria used to produce ethanol. This would be followed by the design of processes for the cost-effective production of ethanol from wood, agricultural residues and other potential energy crops. Credits Writer Stu Hutson, stu@ufl.edu , 352-392-0400 Source James Preston, jpreston@ufl.edu , 352-392-5923
王应宽 编译 2009-08-17 UTC-6 CST UMN, St Paul 佛罗里达大学获得基金资助研究树木品质改良基因 以生产生物燃油 佛罗里达大学的研究人员新发现一种基因将成为采用林木生物质高效生产燃料乙醇的关键。所发现的这种基因，有助于调节树木的生长和木材纤维的组成，可能有助于培育出适于生产生物燃油和造纸的改良树种。并因此得到 643 万美元的联邦基金资助，继续开展此项研究。 项目组将研究这种基因如何有助于调节细胞壁的化学组成和结构以及在何时何地发生。最终通过转基因工程培养改良树种，来调节木材的组成成分和生物质的生长。 纤维素容易分解为葡萄糖，然后发酵生产燃料乙醇。因此，希望培育高纤维素低木质素的树种，以便于生产燃料乙醇。同时，这种树叶有利于造纸。 Kirst 的研究生 Evandro Novaes 从杨树里发现和分离出一种基因 Cpg13 ，代表在染色体 13 上面碳的分解和生长，对木材成分和生物质生长起着关键作用。研究还发现，高纤维素含量的树种生长很快。研究很可能培育出高纤维素低木质素的新树种，快速为生产生物燃油和造纸提供大量优质的原料。 还可能研究培育出树木枝干纤维素含量高而根部木质素含量高的树种。研究还表明，氮肥对调节杨树生物质组分和生长具有显著影响。营业与基因的相互作用研究将会对人类的健康产生影响。 博主感慨： 2002年，中国成为世界上第一个批准商业化种植转基因树的国家，目前 拥有世界上释放面积最大的转基因林木的林地。目前，中国已掌握了杨树、桦树、桉树、落叶松、核桃、橘子、苹果、猕猴桃等多树种组织培养技术和外源基因转化技术，建立了多树种组织培养和遗传转化系统；已进行转化的基因主要包括抗虫、抗病、抗除草剂、抗逆境（包括耐盐、耐旱、耐冷、耐高温等）、生殖发育调控、材性改良等方面。但好像在品质改良培育能源树种方面的研究报道不多。佛罗里达大学的这项成果如若预期，将意义重大，理论上的突破有可能获诺贝尔奖，产生的经济效益巨大，将拯救能源危机。如今又让美国专家领先了！ 资料来源： UF researchers receive $643,000 federal grant to study wood-quality gene for fuel production. http://news.ufl.edu/2009/07/23/tree-grant/ UF researchers receive $643,000 federal grant to study wood-quality gene for fuel production Filed under Agriculture , Business , Environment , Florida , Research on Thursday, July 23, 2009. GAINESVILLE, Fla. A newly discovered gene may be the key to producing fuel ethanol more efficiently from trees, and the University of Florida researchers who identified it have received a prestigious federal grant to investigate further. The gene, which helps regulate wood growth and the composition of wood fiber, could also lead to improved tree varieties for pulp and paper. Matias Kirst and Gary Peter , plant geneticists with UFs Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences , lead the team. They received one of seven 2009 Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy grants a program from the U.S. Department of Agricultures Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, and the U.S. Department of Energys Office of Science. The grants, totaling $6.32 million, were announced this week. The UF teams three-year, $643,000 grant will fund research on how the gene helps regulate cell wall chemistry and structure. The scientists will also investigate where and when its effects occur. Eventually, they will create genetically engineered trees that overexpress or underexpress the gene, to study resulting changes in wood composition and biomass growth. We focus on understanding very fundamental biological mechanisms that may be critical for the productivity of tree species and the quality of wood products, said Kirst, with UFs School of Forest Resources and Conservation . The gene cpg13 appears to play a critical role in these traits. Cpg13, which stands for Carbon Partitioning and Growth on chromosome 13, was identified by one of Kirsts graduate students, Evandro Novaes. The gene was isolated in poplar trees but may exist in other species. It appears cpg13 controls how much of the carbon taken up by a poplar tree is used to make cellulose and lignin, two major building blocks of plant cell walls. Cellulose is a complex carbohydrate, which can be broken down into glucose and fermented to produce biofuels. Wood with high cellulose and low lignin content is better suited for biofuels such as ethanol, because it should convert more efficiently and with greater yields. High cellulose content is also a desirable trait for producing pulp and paper. Whats more, theres apparently a link between high cellulose content and fast tree growth, Kirst said. It may be possible to engineer trees that not only produce large amounts of wood quickly, but also have the ideal properties for biofuel, as well as pulp and paper production. However, there is a potential benefit to trees with high lignin content. Plant materials rich in lignin degrade slower than those with more cellulose. It may be possible to engineer high-lignin trees that could be used to store carbon and reduce greenhouse gases that cause global climate change. Another possibility, Kirst said, would be to develop trees with high cellulose content in stems and high lignin content in roots, offering the best solution for mitigating greenhouse gases. The team also published a paper in the June issue of New Phytologist demonstrating that nitrogen fertilizer has a significant effect on genes that regulate growth and wood composition in poplar trees. One expert likened the UF paper to studies showing that the interplay between nutrition and genetics has consequences for human health. Malcolm Campbell , a professor with the University of Torontos department of cell and systems biology, said scientists have often viewed improvement of tree crops as a matter of genetic selection, but the UF teams work demonstrates that much can be changed in the wood composition by silvicultural practices. The way this will shape forestry for the future is quite cutting-edge, Campbell said. Credits Writer Tom Nordlie, tnordlie@ufl.edu , 352-273-3567 Source Matias Kirst, mkirst@ufl.edu , 352-846-0900 Source Malcolm Campbell, malcolm.campbell@utoronto.ca , 416-946-0817
标签: 生物燃料
