Key Plant Traits Yield More Sugar for Biofuels

Lignin content in plants was thought to be a stumbling block in the production of sugars from secondary biofuel feedstocks. However, using a high-throughput screening of a number of poplar core samples, Bourns College of Engineering's Center for Environmental Research and Technology researchers led by Charles Wyman found that the ratio of lignin building blocks syringyl (S) and guaiacyl (G) affects sugar yield. Poplar samples with the highest sugar release had average S/G ration and lignin contents.

They also found that certain poplar samples can produce unusually high yields with no pretreatment. Usual biofuel production requires various pretreatments including high temperature and pressure to the biomass. This natural variability can be used to find and develop poplar phenotypes that have increased sugar yield. It is hoped that superior poplar cultivars may soon be available for commercial testing and propagation, that could provide excellent materials for biofuel production and would reduce the country's dependence to fossil fuels.

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