Moo-ving Towards A Better Biofuel

Presenter Information

Davis Logan

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

SURC Ballroom C/D

Start Date

15-5-2014

End Date

15-5-2014

Keywords

Sustainability, Energy, Biofuels

Abstract

In the United States, ethanol fuel is mostly produced using corn, which is problematic because it competes with humans for food, and requires substantial amounts of fossil fuels for production. Cellulose is a vast potential source of energy. The applicability of cellulose fuel is hindered by the ability to competitively break cellulose into glucose. Our group looked into using naturally occurring bacteria and fungi found in a bovine stomach to perform this process. We took rumen fluid from a cow, and then applied several concentrations of the diluted fluid to cellulosic culture medias. This allowed us to isolate cellulose degrading microorganisms which we identified and cultured. We then tested the cultures for their efficiency in breaking down cellulose.

Poster Number

56

Faculty Mentor(s)

Hashimoto, Jeff

Additional Mentoring Department

K-12

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May 15th, 8:30 AM May 15th, 11:00 AM

Moo-ving Towards A Better Biofuel

SURC Ballroom C/D

In the United States, ethanol fuel is mostly produced using corn, which is problematic because it competes with humans for food, and requires substantial amounts of fossil fuels for production. Cellulose is a vast potential source of energy. The applicability of cellulose fuel is hindered by the ability to competitively break cellulose into glucose. Our group looked into using naturally occurring bacteria and fungi found in a bovine stomach to perform this process. We took rumen fluid from a cow, and then applied several concentrations of the diluted fluid to cellulosic culture medias. This allowed us to isolate cellulose degrading microorganisms which we identified and cultured. We then tested the cultures for their efficiency in breaking down cellulose.