1. Powering the Future: Biofuels

2. Activity: Bacterial cellulase Describe the use of cellulose in paper and sources of naturally produced cellulases Carry out an experiment to investigate the presence of cellulase producing bacteria in soil Assess the pros and cons of the method for identifying cellulase producing bacteria

3. To help combat climate change the UK has a target to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. 30% of the UK renewable energy could come from biomass heat and electricity by 2020. To meet the European Renewable Energy Directive, the UK is aiming for 10% of transport energy to be from renewable sources by 2020. 18% of the sustainable renewable road transport fuel used in the UK between April 2012 and April 2013 came from UK feedstocks. Facts and Figures

4. Plant Cell Walls: Lignin is a strengthening and waterproofing material that encrusts the sugar based polymers in plant cell walls making them hard to access for biofuel production. © University of Dundee at SCRI

5. Plant Cell Walls: Woody plants, such as miscanthus and willow, convert much of the carbon that they capture into lignocellulosic polymers, which are not a readily fermentable form of carbohydrate. © University of Dundee at SCRI

6. Plant Cell Walls: Feedstocks rich in lignocellulose require treatment with acids, alkalis or steam explosion methods to hydrolyse hemicellulose and break down lignin, enabling access to the cellulose by enzymes. © University of Dundee at SCRI

8. Institute of Food Research Steam explosion unit: We need to optimise the release of sugars from agricultural and wood- industry wastes to produce a fermentable feedstock that microorganisms can use to produce fuels. Pre-treatment of feedstocks with steam opens up the structures in plant cell walls to enable access by cellulase enzymes.

9. Professor Katherine Smart BSBEC LACE Programme School of Biosciences University of Nottingham © University of Nottingham To harness the potential of lignocellulosic (plant cell wall) materials, we need to optimise the release of sugars from agricultural and wood-industry wastes to produce a fermentable feedstock that microorganisms can use to produce fuels. Developing robust microbial strains that can use these feedstocks will enable sustainable production of bioethanol.

10. Industrial biotechnology: Researchers at the University of Nottingham have devised gene technologies which are now being used to enhance the productivity of bacterial strains in the large-scale production of chemicals and transport fuels from renewable plant biomass. © University of Nottingham

11. Method 1.Collect soil samples or obtain a sample of Cellulomonas. 2.Label test tubes with contents (soil, paper, control etc), name and date. 3.Add 5 ml of nutrient broth to the control tube using a pipette, and seal. 4.Add a soil sample to 30 ml of nutrient broth in a conical flask. Swirl the flask to form an evenly distributed soil suspension and then allow the particulate debris to settle for 1-2 minutes. 5.Add 5 ml of the soil suspension to each test tube using a pipette. 6.Add the paper samples to the tubes and seal the tubes. 7.Incubate the test tubes for about 1 week at room temperature.

12. Activity: Bacterial cellulase Describe the use of cellulose in paper and sources of naturally produced cellulases Carry out an experiment to investigate the presence of cellulase producing bacteria in soil Assess the pros and cons of the method for identifying cellulase producing bacteria

13. Contributors