• About the Program
• Research
• KBase
• Bioenergy Research Centers
• User Facilities
• Site Map
• Search

Breaking the Biological Barriers to Cellulosic Ethanol: A Joint Research Agenda

A Research Roadmap Resulting from the Biomass to Biofuels Workshop, December 7–9, 2005, Rockville, Maryland

The Biomass to Biofuels Workshop, held December 7-9, 2005, was convened by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the Office of Science; and the Office of the Biomass Program in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The purpose was to define barriers and challenges to a rapid expansion of cellulosic-ethanol production and determine ways to speed solutions through concerted application of modern biology tools as part of a joint research agenda. Although the focus was ethanol, the science applies to additional fuels that include biodiesel and other bioproducts or coproducts having critical roles in any deployment scheme.

Publication Date: June 2006

Suggested citation: U.S. DOE. 2006. Breaking the Biological Barriers to Cellulosic Ethanol: A Joint Research Agenda. Report from the December 2005 Workshop, DOE/SC-0095. U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (www.genomicscience.energy.gov/biofuels/).

Document image gallery

Order a printed copy

Download full document:

• fast download PDF (6335 kb)
• high resolution PDF (48,383 kb)

Download document by section: (fast download PDFs)

• Executive Summary (257 kb)
• Introduction (1524 kb)
• Technical Strategy: Development of a Viable Cellulosic Biomass to Biofuel Industry (263 kb)
• System Biology to Overcome Barrier to Cellulosic Ethanol
  • Lignocellulosic Biomass Characteristics (794 kb)
  • Feedstocks for Biofuels (834 kb)
  • Deconstructing Feedstocks to Sugars (632 kb)
  • Sugar Fermentation to Ethanol (1367 kb)
• Crosscutting 21st Century Science, Technology, and Infrastructure for a New Generation of Biofuel Research (744 kb)
• Bioprocess Systems Engineering and Economic Analysis (66 kb)
• Appendix A. Provisions for Biofuels and Biobased Products in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (54 kb)
• Appendix B. Workshop Participants and Appendix C. Workshop Participant Biosketches (529 kb)

Additional Resources

• July 7 Press Release
• Fact Sheet: A Scientific Roadmap for Making Cellulosic Ethanol A Practical Alternative to Gasoline (PDF, 30 kb)
• Bioenergy Research Centers
• A two-part illustrated primer explains the process of transforming cellulosic biomass (plant matter) into cellulosic ethanol and the significant current challenges for efficient conversion.
• Workshop Agenda PDF
• Workshop Invitation Letter PDF

Sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy

• Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) of the Office of Science and
• Office of Biomass Program (OBP) of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy