Publications

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This work describes the first documented case of an effect defined herein as “octane hyperboosting” by an oxygenated fuel compound, 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol (prenol). Octane hyperboosting is characterized by the Research Octane Number (RON) of a mixture (e.g. an oxygenate biofuel blended into gasoline) exceeding the RON of the individual components in that mixture. This finding counters the widely held assumption that interpolation between the RON values of a pure compound and the base fuel provides the bounds for the RON performance of the blend. This is clearly distinct from the more commonly observed synergistic blending of oxygenates with gasoline, where the RON never exceeds the performance of the highest performing component. Octane hyperboosting was observed for blends of prenol and six different gasoline fuels with varying composition. Testing of compounds chemically similar to prenol yielded no qualitatively similar instances of octane hyperboosting, which suggests that the effect may not be widespread among fuel candidates. The phenomenon suggests an unexplored aspect of autoignition kinetics research for fuel blends, and may provide a new mechanism for significantly increasing fuel octane number, which is necessary for increasing combustion efficiency in spark ignition engines. This phenomenon also increases the potential candidate list of biofuels, as compounds hitherto discounted due to their lower pure component RON may exhibit hyperboosting behavior, and thereby enhanced performance, in blends.

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Endophytic fungi are ubiquitous plant endosymbionts that establish complex and poorly understood relationships with their host organisms. Many endophytic fungi are known to produce a wide spectrum of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with potential energy applications, which have been described as "mycodiesel". Many of these mycodiesel hydrocarbons are terpenes, a chemically diverse class of compounds produced by many plants, fungi, and bacteria. Due to their high energy densities, terpenes, such as pinene and bisabolene, are actively being investigated as potential "drop-in" biofuels for replacing diesel and aviation fuel. In this study, we rapidly discovered and characterized 26 terpene synthases (TPSs) derived from four endophytic fungi known to produce mycodiesel hydrocarbons. The TPS genes were expressed in an E. coli strain harboring a heterologous mevalonate pathway designed to enhance terpene production, and their product profiles were determined using Solid Phase Micro-Extraction (SPME) and GC-MS. Out of the 26 TPS's profiled, 12 TPS's were functional, with the majority of them exhibiting both monoterpene and sesquiterpene synthase activity.

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Increasing energy costs, the dependence on foreign oil supplies, and environmental concerns have emphasized the need to produce sustainable renewable fuels and chemicals. The strategy for producing next-generation biofuels must include efficient processes for biomass conversion to liquid fuels and the fuels must be compatible with current and future engines. Unfortunately, biofuel development generally takes place without any consideration of combustion characteristics, and combustion scientists typically measure biofuels properties without any feedback to the production design. We seek to optimize the fuel/engine system by bringing combustion performance, specifically for advanced next-generation engines, into the development of novel biosynthetic fuel pathways. Here we report an innovative coupling of combustion chemistry, from fundamentals to engine measurements, to the optimization of fuel production using metabolic engineering. We have established the necessary connections among the fundamental chemistry, engine science, and synthetic biology for fuel production, building a powerful framework for co-development of engines and biofuels.

Enzymes can be used to catalyze a myriad of chemical reactions and are a cornerstone in the biotechnology industry. Enzymes have a wide range of uses, ranging from medicine with the production of pharmaceuticals to energy were they are applied to biofuel production. However, it is difficult to produce large quantities of enzymes, especially if they are non-native to the production host. Fortunately, filamentous fungi, such as Aspergillus niger, are broadly used in industry and show great potential for use a heterologous enzyme production hosts. Here, we present work outlining an effort to engineer A. niger to produce thermophilic bacterial cellulases relevant to lignocellulosic biofuel production.

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