Solvent Induced Membrane Stress in biofuel production: an experimental and computational study
Location
D.P. Culp Center Ballroom
Start Date
4-5-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
4-5-2024 11:30 AM
Poster Number
131
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Bob Standaert
Faculty Sponsor's Department
Chemistry
Competition Type
Competitive
Type
Poster Presentation
Presentation Category
Science, Technology and Engineering
Abstract or Artist's Statement
Biofuels have gained traction due to their greenness, ease of production from local sources, and ability to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Currently, advanced or second-generation (non-ethanol) biofuels such as 1-butanol are being pursued due to increased energy content and compatibility with existing infrastructure. Biofuel production commonly employs microorganisms to ferment biomass to fuel for industrial and transportation applications. The advanced biofuels now face low production yield due to the high toxicity of the fuels themselves and process solvents such as tetrahydrofuran to the producer organisms,1 which remains a critical barrier to the production of these green-energy fuels. A key to overcoming this challenge is understanding how fuels/solvents interact with microorganisms’ cell membranes, which serve as barriers and protective veils to compartmentalize the internal components including enzymes that catalyze the conversion of the biomass. Lipid bilayers made up of phospholipids are the core structure of biomembranes and provide the critical matrix to support these vital functions. The phospholipids are the key building blocks for the bilayer, and their individual molecular structures dictate the properties of the membrane (charge, thickness, and fluidity). Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation provides a molecular-scale view of the disruption of a microbial model membrane by 1-butanol and tetrahydrofuran (THF), two common water-organic cosolvent mixtures of importance in biofuel production. Also, we sought to investigate in vitro how fuel/solvent stress affects the membrane integrity of Bacillus subtilis (a biofuel producer candidate) through laurdan fluorescence. By varying the structure of individual phospholipids (fatty acid “tails” and polar “heads), as well as the mixture proportions, it will be possible to generate the requisite understanding of the factors that lead to fuel- and solvent-resistant membrane.
Solvent Induced Membrane Stress in biofuel production: an experimental and computational study
D.P. Culp Center Ballroom
Biofuels have gained traction due to their greenness, ease of production from local sources, and ability to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Currently, advanced or second-generation (non-ethanol) biofuels such as 1-butanol are being pursued due to increased energy content and compatibility with existing infrastructure. Biofuel production commonly employs microorganisms to ferment biomass to fuel for industrial and transportation applications. The advanced biofuels now face low production yield due to the high toxicity of the fuels themselves and process solvents such as tetrahydrofuran to the producer organisms,1 which remains a critical barrier to the production of these green-energy fuels. A key to overcoming this challenge is understanding how fuels/solvents interact with microorganisms’ cell membranes, which serve as barriers and protective veils to compartmentalize the internal components including enzymes that catalyze the conversion of the biomass. Lipid bilayers made up of phospholipids are the core structure of biomembranes and provide the critical matrix to support these vital functions. The phospholipids are the key building blocks for the bilayer, and their individual molecular structures dictate the properties of the membrane (charge, thickness, and fluidity). Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation provides a molecular-scale view of the disruption of a microbial model membrane by 1-butanol and tetrahydrofuran (THF), two common water-organic cosolvent mixtures of importance in biofuel production. Also, we sought to investigate in vitro how fuel/solvent stress affects the membrane integrity of Bacillus subtilis (a biofuel producer candidate) through laurdan fluorescence. By varying the structure of individual phospholipids (fatty acid “tails” and polar “heads), as well as the mixture proportions, it will be possible to generate the requisite understanding of the factors that lead to fuel- and solvent-resistant membrane.