3:30pm to 4:30pm |
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Enabling Robust Production of Biorenewable Fuels and Chemicals from Biomass
(Seminar/Conference)
Dr. Laura Jarboe
Karen and Denny Vaughn Assistant Professor
Chemical and Biological Engineering
Iowa State University
http://www.cbe.iastate.edu/ljarboe/
Abstract
Overcoming biocatalyst inhibition, whether by the target metabolic product, the substrate of interest, or contaminants in the feedstock, is a significant challenge for cost-effective production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals from the lignocellulosic biomass. Rational engnineering efforts can be employed when the mechanism of inhibition is known, where omics analysis can be used to identify the mechanism. In contrast, reverse engineering of evolved strains can also reveal the mechanism of inhibition. This talk describes examples of both approaches involving production of inhibitory products, such as short-chain carboxylic acids, and the use of cheap ("dirty") biomass-derived substrates, such as pyrolytic sugars.
Biography
Dr. Jarboe obtained her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky in 2000 and then her Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2006. After doing two years of postdoctoral research at the Florida Center for Renewable Fuels and Chemicals, she joined the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Iowa State University in 2008. Dr. Jarboe has served on the advisory council for ISU's Plant Sciences Institute and Bioeconomy Institute and has also been involved with the "Engineers Without Borders" student chapter Belize program.
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