Advanced Second Generation Biofuel (A2G) Laboratory

Thank you for visiting the web site of the Advanced Second Generation Biofuel (A2G) Laboratory. We are a newly-formed interdisciplinary and international team who seeks to meld frontier-extending science with technological innovation in order to advance sustainability and economic development. In the pages that follow, we hope to convey our great excitement as we initiate this endeavor. I draw your attention in particular to the list of Open Positions, as we are actively recruiting talented young scholars to join us.

Kindly,

Lee Rybeck Lynd

Director

The A2G Lab is cohosted by the Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (CBMEG) and the Faculty of Chemical Engineering (FEQ) at the University of Campinas, with a substantial - and we hope growing - number of Partner Institutions and Associated Investigators. The A2G lab is directed by Lee Lynd, a leader in the biofuels field from Dartmouth College (US) with a long history of involvement in Brazil. The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) will be supporting the lab through its São Paulo Excellence Chair program (https://bv.fapesp.br/en/auxilios/106030/advanced-second-generation-biofuels-laboratory/), which enables distinguished international scholars to initiate research activities at academic institutions in the state of São Paulo.

The central focus of the A2G lab is a novel paradigm for biofuel production from cellulosic feedstocks involving a) one-step consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) of cellulosic biomass without added enzymes using engineered thermophilic bacteria in lieu of added fungal cellulase and yeast, and b) mechanical disruption during fermentation (cotreatment) in lieu of thermochemical pretreatment. This paradigm is supported by recent research results from the Lynd lab at Dartmouth including:

• Demonstration that C. thermocellum, a thermophilic, anaerobic bacterium, is decisively more effective at biomass deconstruction than commercial fungal cellulase under a broad range of conditions;

• Demonstration that cotreatment allows C. thermocellum cultures to achieve nearly complete solubilization of the carbohydrate present in several 2G feedstocks;

• Technoeconomic analysis indicating that an advanced scenario featuring CBP with cotreatment, C-CBP, has an 8-fold shorter payback period compared to a current technology base case featuring thermochemical pretreatment and added fungal cellulase.

Advancement of C-CBP will be pursued in the context of two focus areas, one addressing Microbial Cellulose Utilization and one addressing Biotechnology.

Overarching objectives for the A2G Lab include technological innovation, active publication, development of an interdisciplinary and international research community, and advancing commercial deployment in partnership with industry.