Join us on March 31 at 3:30 p.m. for this Sustainable Energy Seminar presentation by Hiroshi Maeda, Professor of Botany at UW-Madison.

Abstract

Aromatic compounds are essential building blocks for producing a variety of products in our food, pharmaceuticals, fuels, and other materials. The high energy density and stability of these compounds make them indispensable ingredients of polymers, plastics, resins, adhesives, asphalts and semiconductor materials. However, the vast majority of these industrial aromatic products are produced from fossil fuels, substantially contributing to CO2 emissions and environmental pollution. To disrupt this unsustainable practice the Maeda lab is studying the evolution of plant metabolism and aiming to engineer plant-based "living refineries" to sustainably produce aromatic chemicals. As plants naturally produce and store high levels of aromatics, there is great untapped potential for large-scale production of aromatic chemicals directly from CO2 using sunlight energy. Preliminary techno-economic analyses suggest that in-plant aromatic production can substantially reduce CO2 emissions by up to 96% and has a potential to be economically competitive compared to chemical and microbial synthesis. By implementing synthetic biology that combines “push-direct, pull, store, and induce” strategies, we can streamline the metabolic flow of carbon from photosynthetic CO2 fixation to the production of aromatic chemicals in fast-growing non-food crops, like sorghum. The innovative plant-based solution has a potential to fundamentally transform the energy and chemical landscape by providing the dual benefits of supplying renewable aromatic materials without relying on fossil fuels while reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations to mitigate global warming.

Registration

This event is offered online only through Zoom Webinar. Registration is required through Zoom. Click here to register for this and all other webinars as part of the Sustainable Energy Seminar series in Fall 2025.