Co-hosted by the Department of Manufacturing Engineering, and the School of Management , Boston University.

Emerging Technology and Best Practices Seminar Series

Speaker: Jack Newman

Title: Novel Biofuels to Meet the Increased Demand for Transportation Fuels.

Abstract:  To meet the growing demand for transportation fuels, the world needs another “Gulf of Mexico” sized supply each year.  Global recognition of the climate change crisis has forced the world to examine alternatives to petroleum products that will reduce the carbon dioxide burden associated with fossil fuels.  To that end, ethanol, fats and vegetable oils are a good start toward implementing liquid fuels that reduce the global production of carbon dioxide.  However, these liquid fuels have been selected according to availability and not design.  In this talk, we will explore the impact of novel liquid biofuels produced through the design of microbes that ferment sugar to liquid fuels.  Because of its scalability, this technology has the potential to significantly offset the need for new sources of liquid fuels while also reducing the carbon footprint of transportation fuels.  Work at Amyris has centered on identifying the best molecules for use as transportation fuels for today’s vehicles.  Once identified, these molecules are produced via microbial fermentation using engineered microbes capable of producing large quantities of fuels from a sugar or corn feedstock. 

« Back