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Special
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Written by Sabrina Deparine
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Monday, 26 July 2010 10:01 |
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Page views: 1018 |
Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore Laboratory are currently studying the feasibility of using the leaves of a common garden plant to improve cellulosic biofuel production.
The team works in collaboration with another research team from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to explore the cell walls of zinnia leaves on nanometer scale to see if they can convert this to biofuels. To date, the researches have tried various microscopy methods in digging deeper into the cell structure of zinnia leaves.
 Zinnia is a common garden plant. It has never been used as a biofuels source but the leaves of its seedling can be a good source of cells that can aid in biofuel production. Zinnia leaves can give single cells that contain huge amounts of chloroplasts. These single cells can be cultured in liquid to produce xylem, a tube-like cell that carries water from the roots to the leaves. Xylem contains the bulk of cellulose and lignin in plants, two essential components in producing biofuels.
The research team makes use of different imaging techniques to visualize the single cells in full details. Right now, they employ a special microscopy technique that enables them to see the cellular substructures and the nano-scale structure of the cell walls.
One of the team members, Catherine Lacayo, developed a technique that allows them to view and study the inner structure of the cell walls in the xylem.
As of now, the scientists are having a hard time breaking down lignin on the plant’s cell walls. They are now making thorough studies on the organization and structure of the cell walls to help them devise the best technique to break down the walls.
As for the cellulose, this undergoes processing and is blended with enzymes to release the sugar compounds. These sugar compounds are then converted to alcohols and other chemicals that can be used for the production of alternative fuels. |
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