Susan B. Leschine - US grants

Dr. Susan Leschine, of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, proposes a study of a group of microorgnaisms new to science: cellulose degrading, nitrogen fixing, and anaerobic bacteria. The ecology community is excited about their discovery and possible roles in carbon cycling. Results of these studies will contribute to our understanding of the phenotypic and genotypic diversity present among anaerobic cellulolytic microorganisms, their quantitative contribution to cellulose breakdown, and their numerical distribution in natural environments. The possible role of physiological interactions with non-cellulolytic microorganisms will also be investigated. These investigations are intended to fill a gap in our understanding of the dynamics of carbon cycling in natural environments. Moreover, the techniques devised to conduct this study will be generally useful for identifying introduced (e.g., genetically engineered) as well as indigenous microorganisms in diverse environments.

The goal of the proposed research is to advance understanding of the microbial ecology of anaerobic cellulose degradation in soils and sediments. At present, little is known of the complex microbial processes responsible for the conversion in the absence of oxygen, of cellulose, the most abundantly- produced organic material in terrestrial environments, to CO2 and CH4. An important objective of the project is to develop methods to identify, enumerate, and estimate the activity of groups of anaerobic cellulolytic bacteria in soils and sediments. Rapid RNA sequencing methodology will be used to sequence 16S ribosomal RNAs of isolated strains of cellulose-fermenting bacteria. Sequences will be aligned to identify those that are shared by members of groups of bacteria. Oligodeoxynucleotides complementary to these unique sequences will be used as probes to detect the presence and activity of specific groups of cellulolytic bacteria in controlled experiments and in environmental samples. A second objective of the project is to use these probes to investigate the activity of cellulolytic bacteria in poorly-drained forest soil at a proposed study site in Central Massachusetts. A final objective concerns the ability of cellulose-fermenting bacteria to fix N2. Several strains of bacteria from soils and sediments have recently been shown to use cellulose as an energy source for the fixation of N2. Strains of cellulose-fermenting bacteria isolated as part of the proposed project, as well as additional presently known strains, will be examined for the presence of nitrogenase activity in order to determine the prevalence of the ability to fix N2 among cellulose-fermenting bacteria, thus setting the groundwork for establishing an important link between carbon and nitrogen cycles in natural environments. Such processes are likely to be common in many natural systems, where they may be indications of important biological processes.

Proposal: 0722802
PI: George Huber
Institution: University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Title: MRI-- Acquisition of Instrumentation for a Biofuels Research Laboratory


This proposal seeks the acquisition of instrumentation for a state-of-the-art biofuels research laboratory including a high-throughput catalytic reactor (which can simultaneously test up to 31 catalysts), a catalytic pyrolysis reactor, a 4-reactor parallel fermentation system, and analytical equipment (HPLC and two GCs). The configuration of this instrumentation has been carefully designed around a diverse user community whose interests include heterogeneous catalysis, biological catalysis, pyrolysis, metabolic pathway analysis, agronomy, kinetic modeling, and computational chemistry. The instrumentation will be located and maintained in the Chemical Engineering Department by full-time technicians. The Chemical Engineering Department has a well-developed infrastructure for student training and instrument maintenance.

Intellectual Merit: The user community for this instrument is inherently multidisciplinary including faculty from three colleges and five departments: Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Microbiology, and Plant Soil and Insect Science. The common need of these investigators is to understand the chemistry, biology and reaction pathways involved in biofuels production. The requested equipment will be used to answer scientific questions regarding reaction chemistry, catalyst structure vs. reactivity, catalyst design at the nano-level, fermentation pathways, biomass feedstocks, and metabolic engineering strategies. Specific projects that will substantially benefit from this instrumentation include:

? Production of biofuels by aqueous-phase processing of biomass-derived
feedstocks

? Aqueous-phase processing of fast pyrolysis oils

? Catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass-derived feedstocks

? Improved nanomaterials for biofuels production

? Integrated cellular and process engineering for optimal ethanol
production from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

? Optimization of Clostrium phytofermentans fermentation for ethanol
production

? Ethanol production in an integrated forest biorefinery

? Genetically modified plants for biofuel production: biodiesel production
from Crambe

Broader Impacts: This proposed experimental facility will have a strong impact on the local environment at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst at several levels. It will serve as a focal point for several research projects and enable collaborative research that is interdisciplinary and timely. The proposed equipment will represent the cornerstone of a leading biofuel laboratory in the United States, enhancing our ability to recruit and retain superior graduate students and faculty. Graduate students from underrepresented groups will be recruited in collaboration with established outreach programs at University of Massachusetts. This facility will increase funding from the private sector, and we are currently working with several companies to commercialize a number of biofuel related technologies. The requested instruments will positively impact education in two ways. A centralized facility will be utilized by a multi-disciplinary group of faculty and students at the graduate and undergraduate levels, providing an ideal learning environment for integrating research with education. The initial estimates indicate that at least 17 graduate and undergraduate students will be heavy equipment users, with additional student researchers expected as they advertise the facility across the campus. Secondly, the catalytic reactor and fermentation equipment will be integrated into two senior-level laboratory courses offered by the Chemical Engineering Department. The team will encourage other departments to develop similar laboratory course experiments. The proposed research and teaching activities will facilitate the development of renewable liquid transportation fuels from plant biomass, thus alleviating problems (global warming, political instability, etc.) caused by national dependence on fossil fuels.

There are daunting technological challenges in bringing the potential of renewable energy such as solar energy and biofuels to fruition, requiring collaboration among leaders in science, engineering, and social science. Despite this need for multidisciplinary integration, university science education remains firmly rooted in separate silos. The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) is tackling this issue through the Integrated Concentration in Science (iCons) program, a new national model of integrative education that sets multidisciplinary student teams to work on current societal problems such as renewable energy. Holyoke Community College (HCC) has likewise developed its own integrative 2-year clean energy program. Jointly they develop a renewable energy laboratory course. The course trains students to design and carry out unique experiments on subjects such as algae biofuels, plastic solar cells, and new energy-efficient building materials. This new UMass/HCC partnership produces students with leadership and laboratory experience in clean energy problems, able to cross disciplinary boundaries in search of useful solutions. The resulting laboratory modules will be disseminated nationally and globally for broadest impact. The partnership produces new pathways for HCC students to transfer to 4-year programs. And most important, the UMass/iCons and HCC programs produce the next generation of leaders in science with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills needed to solve the inherently multidisciplinary technology problems facing our nation.