ST-01: The UK BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre (BSBEC)

Wednesday, May 2, 2012: 7:00 PM
Napoleon Ballroom A and B, 3rd fl (Sheraton New Orleans)
Angela Karp, Bioenergy & Climate Change Centre, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom, Paul Dupree, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, Claire Halpin, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom, Simon McQueen-Mason, Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom, Nigel Minton, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom and Katherine Smart, Faculty of Science, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
The UK BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre (BSBEC)

The mission of the UK BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre (BSBEC) is to underpin the development of cost-effective renewable fuels and other products from plant biomass that provide a socially and environmentally sustainable alternative to fossil derived products and contribute to the mitigation of climate change. BSBEC is tackling some of the major barriers preventing the establishment of sustainable biofuel production, focusing on the lignocellulosic feedstocks of perennial biomass crops (willow and Miscanthus) and agricultural residues (wheat and barley straw).The six programmes that constitute BSBEC span the whole chain and include research on crop improvement (yield and composition), cell walls (sugars and lignin), enzyme discovery, biological conversion and next generation fuels.  BSBEC is working to see the establishment of new technologies that improve the socioeconomic and environmental sustainability of human activities and carries out research to ensure that the products and processes developed fit these aims. BSBEC is also actively engaged in a variety of outreach activities aimed at educating the public about bioenergy and biofuels and contributes to UK bioenergy policy, through consultation responses and participation in key committees and advisory boards. Key activities and achievements of the BSBEC programme will be outlined in this presentation.

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