Powering the Future: Biofuels
Activity: Plant material testing
• Describe the main constituents of plant cells
• Carry out staining for lignin and cellulose walls
• Compare the constituents of different plant material
and suggest the ideal components of biofuel crops
Facts and Figures
• To help combat climate change the UK has a target to reduce carbon
emissions by 80% by 2050.
• 30% of the UK renewable energy could come from biomass heat and
electricity by 2020.
• To meet the European Renewable Energy Directive, the UK is aiming for
10% of transport energy to be from renewable sources by 2020.
• By 2020, 8% of our petrol and 5% of our diesel could come from crops
grown in the UK.
Improving barley straw for bioenergy production and transferring the new knowledge to
other crops: Our challenge is to discover how the properties of lignin in barley straw can
be changed, to make it easier to produce biofuel (or bioenergy) from this waste material
without having any detrimental effects on the yield or quality of the crop.
Rothamsted Research Ltd
Optimising the yield of fast growing energy crops that are not part of the
food chain is one way scientists at Rothamsted Research aim to make
sustainable, green bioenergy replacements for fossil fuels a reality.
Rothamsted Research Ltd
Miscanthus growing at Rothamsted Research: Miscanthus is a fast
growing grass which produces biomass very quickly, without competing
with the food chain. Research will look at maximising the yield of
Miscanthus for sustainable bioenergy production.
University of Cambridge
Scanning Electron Microscope cross-section of straw: Non-edible waste from agriculture, such as
straw, could be used in the future as a secure, green source of fuel without taking up land needed
for growing food. Scientists will be looking at this as one possible way to provide sustainable,
environmentally friendly bioenergy replacements for fossil fuels.
University of Cambridge
Stained cross-sections of plant stems: The sugars locked away in the stems
of plants would make excellent fuel for sustainable bioenergy. Research will
investigate how they could be unlocked for conversion into green bioenergy.
Stained cross-sections of plant stems: The
University of Dundee at SCRI
Plant Cell Walls: Lignin is a strengthening and waterproofing material
that encrusts the sugar based polymers in plant cell walls making them
hard to access for biofuel production.
The John Innes Centre
Improving barley straw for bioenergy production and transferring the new knowledge
to other crops: Our challenge is to discover how the properties of lignin in barley
straw can be changed, to make it easier to produce biofuel from this waste material
without having any detrimental effects on the yield or quality of the crop.
Light Harvesting complex 2:
Photosynthesis is only 6% efficient
and it may be possible to improve
this to produce higher yielding
plants or develop novel ways of
capturing solar energy.
Rothamsted Research Ltd
Willow is a promising energy crop that does not compete with the
food chain. Research will look at maximising the biomass yield of
willow for sustainable bioenergy production.
Harvested Willow at Rothamsted Research:
Scientists will investigate how we can maximise
the yield of non-food energy crops such as
willow so that sustainable bioenergy
replacements for fossil fuels become a reality.
Rothamsted Research Ltd
Switchgrass: Switchgrass is a fast growing grass which produces biomass very
quickly, without competing with the food chain. Research will look at maximising
the yield of non-food crops for sustainable bioenergy production.
© Institute of Food Research
Steam explosion unit: We need to optimise the release of sugars from agricultural and wood-industry
wastes to produce a fermentable feedstock that microorganisms can use to produce fuels. Pretreatment of
feedstocks with steam opens up the structures in plant cell walls to enable access by cellulase enzymes.
Plant material testing: Method
1. Carefully using a pair of tweezers and a scalpel, slice a thin transverse section off the
stem of the plant. Many sections may be too thick but with practice some sections will
be thin enough to use.
2. Place the stem sections in a petri dish of water to keep moist.
3. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to produce a number of sections from each plant stem being
investigated.
4. Remove stem section from the petri dish and place on a slide.
5. Remove excess water by carefully touching the edge of the section with absorbent
paper.
6. Add 1 to 2 drops of stain to the section. Phloroglucinol should be left for 4 minutes
before removing excess stain and adding a drop of HCl
7. Remove excess stain with absorbent paper as before.
8. Slowly lower the coverslip onto the section using the mounted needle making sure that
air bubbles are removed from the slide.
9. Label the slide and examine under the microscope.
10. Place any broken or used coverslips and slides in the beaker or sharpsafe.
Activity: Plant material testing
• Describe the main constituents of plant cells
• Carry out staining for lignin and cellulose walls
• Compare the constituents of different plant material
and suggest the ideal components of biofuel crops
Contributors