Mutated plants may be better for biofuels

A team of chemists are investigating the potential improvements genetic mutations in plants could make to the conversion of cellulosic biomass to biofuels.

The study is being led by Seth DeBolt, an associate professor of horticulture at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.

DeBolt assembled a team to research whether genetic mutations in the Arabidopsis thaliana plant membrane complex could produce what they have called 'wounded' cellulose that are less crystalline and as such, easier to break down into sugars necessary for biofuel production.

The team recently published its findings in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.