Thursday, May 3, 2012: 10:30 AM
Waterbury Ballroom, 2nd fl (Sheraton New Orleans)
Forest tree lignocellulose is an attractive feedstock for production of second generation bioethanol due to its high abundance and the fact that it does not interfere with food production. Unfortunately the lignocellulosic rawmaterial is poorly susceptible to pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis during saccharification due to complex structure and chemical composition of the lignocellulose. We have taken a large-scale approach to identify molecular mechanisms that control biomass production and chemical composition of the wood in forest trees, and how this knowledge can be utilised to improve saccharification potential and production of materials, biofuels and green chemicals from the lignocellulosic raw material. We have produced a large number of genetically modified hybrid aspen trees (Populus tremula x tremuloides) and characterized them in greenhouse conditions for biomass production, wood chemistry as well as susceptibility to pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis during saccharification on a laboratory-scale. Some of these lines are also tested for their performance in field conditions. The various transgenic lines show a wide span in wood chemical composition and biomass production as well as saccharification potential. These analyses have given us information about the function of individual genes as well as pinpointed the important role of lignin content but also xylan properties in control of saccharification potential. The collection of the transgenic Populus lines will form a source of improved Populus feedstocks as well as a knowledge platform for future efforts to tailor forest feedstocks with improved properties during bioprocessing.