Tulane University researcher gets $507,000 NSF award to study bacteria’s role in biofuels

In Louisiana, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Tulane University, is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Early Career Award.

The $507,000 award will allow the researcher and his team of graduate students to continue their work on a type of bacteria with potentially important applications in biofuels, carbon capture and cancer treatment.

The bacterium, called Clostridium, is able to produce butanol from sugars derived from agricultural waste such as corn cobs, stalks and husks.  A major problem, however, is that the sugars are commonly accompanied by chemicals that inhibit the growth and metabolism of the cells, thus reducing biofuel productivity and yields. He aims to engineer tolerance to these chemicals to improve biofuel production.