Review
Nature Reviews Genetics 9, 433-443 (June 2008) | doi:10.1038/nrg2336
Focus on: Global Challenges
Plant genetic engineering for biofuel production: towards affordable cellulosic ethanol
Mariam B. Sticklen1 About the author
Abstract
Biofuels provide a potential route to avoiding the global political instability and environmental issues that arise from reliance on petroleum. Currently, most biofuel is in the form of ethanol generated from starch or sugar, but this can meet only a limited fraction of global fuel requirements. Conversion of cellulosic biomass, which is both abundant and renewable, is a promising alternative. However, the cellulases and pretreatment processes involved are very expensive. Genetically engineering plants to produce cellulases and hemicellulases, and to reduce the need for pretreatment processes through lignin modification, are promising paths to solving this problem, together with other strategies, such as increasing plant polysaccharide content and overall biomass.
- View At a Glance
Author affiliations
-
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.
Email: stickle1@msu.edu
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Loosening lignin's grip on biofuel productionNature Biotechnology News and Views (01 Jul 2007)
Genome sequence of an omnipotent fungusNature Biotechnology News and Views (01 Jun 2004)
See all 8 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
Genome sequencing and analysis of the biomass-degrading fungus Trichoderma reesei (syn. Hypocrea jecorina)Nature Biotechnology Research (01 May 2008)
Lignin modification improves fermentable sugar yields for biofuel productionNature Biotechnology Research (01 Jul 2007)
See all 6 matches for Research
