Nanometer Imagery to Help Create Biofuels

23/07/2010

A major hurdle in creating biofuels is the poor understanding of how plant cell walls are built. Researchers using a nanoscale imagery technique have solved the problem, which means other researchers will be able to clearly understand how to turn plants into biofuels in the most effective way.

Michael Thelen led a team of researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab who utilized
4 separate imaging techniques to step by step get down into the depths of the cell walls of a Zinnia elegans leaf.

A Zinnia leaf was chosen because the seedling leaves offer a great source of single cells that have so many chloroplasts that they are dark green. These leaves can be cultured in liquid for days at a time during which time the cells alter shape to look like the tube type cells that transport water to the leaves from the roots. These xylem cells as they are known contain the maximum amount of lignin and cellulose of a plant, both of which are important in biofuel research.

Thelen explained the concept, saying: "The basic idea is that cellulose is a polymer of sugars, which if released by enzymes, can be converted into alcohols and other chemicals used in alternative fuel production," but "For this to happen efficiently, we need to find ways to see how this is proceeding at several spatial scales."

Lignin and cellulose that together are called lignocelluloses are resistant to both mechanical breakage and common chemicals making them great for the plant but difficult for researchers to break down.

LLNL team member, Alex Malkin, who specializes in atomic force
microscopy said,   "The capability to image plant cell surfaces at the
nanometer scale, together with the corresponding chemical composition, could significantly enhance our understanding of cell wall molecular architecture," adding that "A high resolution structural model is crucial for the successful implementation of new approaches for conversion of biomass to liquid fuels."

A complete understanding of cell wall organization is essential in order to decide the right methods to deconstruction the cell wall into its components so it can be turned into a biofuel.

The research is to be published in the Plant Physiology journal.