Monday, May 2, 2011
Grand Ballroom C-D, 2nd fl (Sheraton Seattle)
The choices which are made with respect to the efficient development and operation of any bioenergy conversion process are inherently linked to the physical and chemical properties of the feedstock. However, the analytical techniques which are currently used to determine biomass composition are limited in their ability to classify feedstocks based on their characteristics and predict their potential response to processing. Another way to consider biomass feedstocks which may seem novel from a processing standpoint is in terms of their botanical classification, a system which automatically incorporates distinct differences in cell wall chemical and structural properties. Because plant characteristics and potential yields are also strongly affected by environmental factors, botanical classification cannot explain all of the differences between two different feedstocks or quantifiably predict process yields. However a better knowledge of this classification system can provide useful information for making processing-related decisions such as determining the best location for a biorefinery, examining the feasibility of a potential new feedstock for a given conversion process, or explaining differences in digestibility between materials. We can also improve our communication with plant biologists and plant breeders and can circumvent potential errors when designing new experiments or discussing results. For this presentation we will provide an overview of the botanical classification system, go over some errors which are commonly made based on an incomplete understanding of this system, and present results from two studies concerned with bioenergy production where knowledge of this system has been applied analytically.