14th Aspen Global Change Institute MeetingEnergy Options & Paths to Climate Stabilization

8 July 2003

“Advanced Biotechnology”21st Century Opportunities

for Greenhouse Gas Abatement

F. Blaine MettingPacific Northwest National Laboratory

Richland, Washington USA

Based on preliminary results from St. Michaels II, a workshop on“Biotechnology and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation”

Sponsored by the Battelle Global Energy Technology Strategy Project

Biotech -- Major Points• Biotechnology is cross-cutting and so will have a

pervasive impact on 21st century energytechnologies

• Greatest impact is expected to be via enhancedbiological productivity and managementefficiency of crop, forest and dedicated biomassproduction

• Microbial biodiversity is a vast, untappedopportunity that will yield currently unforeseenbreakthroughs from the application of genomeand post-genome science to basicunderstanding

A Revolution in Biology

• 1953 – DNA structure• 1970s – rDNA technology• 1980s – Metabolic

engineering• 1990s – Genomics• 21st Century – “Systems”

biology (post-genome biology)Biology and Computingare being integrated to achieve aPredictive Understanding ofliving systems

Global Carbon ManagementTechnologies in the Current R&D Pipeline Are Not Enough

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

50.0

1990 2010 2030 2050 2070 2090

Gig

aton

s /yr

IS92a(1990 technology)

IS92a

550 Ceiling

Where today’s technologywill take us

Where our current aspirationsfor technology will take us

Where we need to go tostabilize carbon

480 Gigatons

1300 Gigatons

Potential Impact of Technology Systems (MMt C/yr)*Systems likely to be impacted by biotechnology

1990

2005

2020

2035

2050

2065

2080

2095

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

Mill

ions

of T

onne

s of

C

arbo

n pe

r Yea

r

Low Carbon Fuels Production, Capture, & Seq.BioEnergy ProductionSoil SequestrationStationary Fossil Power Capture & Seq.End-Use Efficiency & ConservationSolarNuclear550ppm

Global United States

Low-Carbon Fuels Production, Capture, & Sequestration* 186 27BioEnergy* 90 15

Soil Sequestration* 51 6

Stationary Fossil Power Capture & Sequestration* 51 5

Energy Efficiency* 42 14Solar 34 0Conservation (“Doing with Less”) 17 12Nuclear 13 0

Biotech – Potential Impacts(~ order of magnitude, Gt/century)• Dedicated Biomass

Biofuels (including H2), Biopower

• Soil Carbon Sequestration

• Direct Microbial H2 Production

• Microbial CO2 Capture

• Nitrogen Fixation

• Energy Efficiency ApplicationsWaste treatment, Fossil energy biotechnology,Industrial biotechnology

100

10

1

Dark horses ?

A Biomass Future

Primary energy (exajoules/yr), 550 ppm CO2 stabilization

MiniCAM B2 550 1.5% Ag Productivity

0100200300400500600700800900

1,0001,1001,2001,300

1990 20052020 20352050 20652080 2095

Exaj

oule

s pe

r Yea

r

WindSolarNuclearHydroBiomassCoalGasOil

Increasing general agricultural productivityincreases the size of the biomass market

MiniCAM B2 550 0.5% Ag Productivity

0100200300400500600700800900

1,0001,1001,2001,300

1990 2005 2020 2035 2050 2065 2080 2095

Exaj

oule

s pe

r Yea

r WindSolarNuclearHydroBiomassCoalGasOil

Biotechnology Insights fromIntegrated Assessment Models

Biotechnology Insights fromIntegrated Assessment Models

Biomass -Energy CropsBiomass -Energy Crops

Hybrid Poplar

Switch Grass

Biotechnology – Accelerating the rate of domestication and acquisition of desired traits

Constraints – Yields, Available Land, Geographic Distribution

Domesticated Domesticated PopulusPopulus Attributes Attributes

• Enhanced photosynthetic efficiency

• Controlled C allocation

• No response to competition

• Reduced height growth

• Less (or more) extensive root system

• Improved wood chemistry

• Pest resistance

• Optimized photoperiod response

Biorefinery of the Future

•Lignocellulosic feedstock•Closed loop process•Zero GHG emissions•Use of engineered microbes•Complete “cracking” of “crop residues”to products

Biorefinery of the FutureBiorefinery of the Future

FermentationPump Pipeline Final Fermentation *

Biomass Harvest

Distillation/

Dehydration/

Scrubber

CentrifugationEvaporation

Drying

Condensate

Syrup

Electricity Ethanol

Microbialcells

Liquid/Gasadditives

EnzymesMicrobial Cells

Process additives

“cracking”Monitoring and control

Chemicals ChemicalsAnimal feeds

ChemicalsAnimal feeds

Chemicals

Biomass

AM Fungi

Aggregates

Slow & Stable PoolsC & N

CN,P

C,N

N,P

C,N,P

Microbes

CO2

C,N,P

N,P

CO2CO2

Biotechnology Impacts on Soil Carbon Sequestration

BiotechnologyBiotechnology

BiotechnologyBiotechnology

14

Microbial Diversity & Versatility

Photosynthetic bacteria

Filamentous fungi

Extremophiles

Microalgae

Cellulase molecular machineConverting Cellulose to Glucose

Potential - Make lignocellulosics a viable energyfeedstock for creating the biomass energyindustry.

Microbial Biotechnology -Understanding Molecular Machines

Then putting them to work

Microbial Hydrogen (H2) Production

1. Direct Biophotolysis (simultaneous, single-cell, single stage, H2 -andO2 production)

O2 H2

H2O PSII PSI Ferredoxin Hydrogenase

Green Microalgae

2. Direct Biophotolysis (with spatial separation of H2 -andO2 production) O2 CO2 (recycle) CO2 H2

H2O PSII PSI (CH2O)n (CH2O)n- Ferredoxin Nitrogenase

PSI ATP

Vegetative Cells Heterocysts

Heterocystous N2-fixing Cyanobacteria

[NOTE: These are generalized schematics. Ferredoxin also represents other electron carriers]

Microbial Hydrogen (H2) Production

3. Indirect Biophotolysis (Single cell H2 and O2 production, separated temporally or spatially)

O2 CO2 (recycle) CO2 H2

H2O PSII PSI (CH2O)n (CH2O)n- PSI Hydrogenase

First Stage Second Stage

Green Microalgae

4. Photofermentation (Single Cell, no O2 Production).

CO2 H2 Photosynthetic

Bacteria(CH2O)n- Ferredoxin Nitrogenase

Bacterial PS ATP

Microbial Hydrogen (H2) Production5. Dark Fermentation (No O2 Production) Anaerobic Bacteria

5.1. Maximum H2 Production coupled to growth

2CO2 4H2

(CH2O)6- Ferredoxin Hydrogenase + 2 CH3COOH

5.2. Maximum Stoichiometric H2 Production

6CO2 12H2

(CH2O)6- Ferredoxin Hydrogenase

6. Microbial Shift Reaction (Dark process) Anaerobic Bacteria

CO + H2O H2 + CO2

Microbial Fixation of CO2 and N2

Microalgae and Cyanobacteria

Photosynthetic Bacteria

Opportunities Include:

• CO2 Capture: Flue Gases & Direct Atmospheric

• Waste and Wastewater Treatment

• Coupled H2 and CH4 Production

• Fertilizer Production

Impact of Biotechnology: One Example

Challenge: Photosynthetic Efficiency

Is 10% solar energy efficiency a realistic target?

Potential Approaches:

Enhanced enzyme efficiency• Directed evolution• Rational redesign

Structural Engineering – Reaction Center Complex

0 200 400 600 800 1000

1000

800

600

400

200

0

SOLAR RADIATION (W/m2)

RATE

OF

PHO

TOSY

NTHE

SIS

(rel.

uni ts

)

PARAMETRIC CHARACTERIZATIONOF THE RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

vs SOLAR RADIATIONVARIABLE CHLOROPHYLL: RC RATIOS

20:1

50:1

100:1

200:1

Antenna Size and Photosynthetic Efficiency

Photosynthetic Electron-Transport Chain

200 Chl 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

Photosynthetic Electron-Transport Chains

Problem: Light Saturation Solution: Reaction Center Structural Re-engineering

Biotechnology Approach to Enhance Photosynthetic Efficiency

Acknowledgement This presentation is based on material presented at the St. Michaels II Workshop by the following people – Forthcoming as a published workshop proceedings.

Jae Edmonds, John Clarke & Norm RosenbergJoint Global Change Research Institute

Michael Knotek, Consultant to the U.S. Department of EnergyGerald Tuscan, Stan Wullschleger, Robin Graham, Janet Cushman &

Elias Greenbaum, Oak Ridge National LaboratorySteven Thomas, Min Zhang & Michael Seibert,

National Renewable Energy LaboratoryCharles Rice, Kansas State UniversityScott Angle, University of MarylandBlaine Metting, Michael J. Scott & Linda Lasure

Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryJohn Benemann, ConsultantAlfred Spormann, Stanford UniversityHideaki Yukawa, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, KyotoJohn Houghton, U.S. Department of Energy