Salvation through fermentation

Krista Eastman
WisContext

https://www.wiscontext.org/salvation-through-fermentation

Research Center

Great Lakes Bioenergy

Research Areas

Conversion

Related Researchers

Chris Todd Hittinger

Related News

flow chart illustrating the conversion of poplar or pine biomass into value-added products. The process begins with reductive catalytic fractionation of the biomass to produce RCF lignin oil, separating out cellulosic pulp. The oil undergoes distillation to remove monomers, leaving RCF oligomers. These oligomers are then processed through aerobic oxidative C-C cleavage to create oxygenated monomers. Finally, bioconversion turns these monomers into the final products: PDC or muconic acid
Catalytic reaction maximizes product yield from plant fibers
Bright-field microscopy images showing Z. mobilis bacterial cells under six different treatment conditions. The top row shows Control (normal rod-shaped cells), Ethanol treatment (cells appear slightly enlarged), and Isobutanol treatment (cells show some swelling and morphological changes). The bottom row displays cells exposed to 25%, 50%, and 100% lignocellulosic hydrolysate concentrations, showing progressive cellular stress with increased elongation, chain formation, and morphological distortion at high
Systems-level analysis shows how treated biomass affects microbes
Cartoon illustration showing two anthropomorphized microbes with caps (one coral-colored, one teal) collecting phenolic compounds from poplar trees. The trees display molecular structures of phenolic compounds (showing benzene rings with OH groups). One microbe operates a cart filled with collected phenolic molecules, while the other holds a collection tool.
Microbes turn hazardous waste into valuable products
Six ball-and-stick models of lignin oligomers shown in relation to palladium (gray) and carbon (teal) surfaces in three solvents. In methanol, oligomers are close to the palladium surface and lie flat on the carbon surface. In the other two solvents, oligomers are far from palladium and tangentially touching the carbon surface.
Atomic-level modeling offers insights on biomass deconstruction
A molecular rendering of a homodimer protein complex showing two identical subunits colored in blue (left) and green (right). Each monomer contains bound citrate molecules (yellow spheres) and acetovanillone molecules (orange spheres). A black rectangular box highlights a specific region in the blue subunit, with a measurement indicating "24 Å" distance. The protein structure displays typical secondary structure elements including alpha helices and beta sheets in ribbon representation.
Newly discovered protein expands microbial palates