Vol. 14, No.

3
A magazine of biotechnology applications in health care, agriculture, the environment, and industry Vol. 16, No. 1
Contents
Powering Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Biofuels 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Everyone’s Talking Ethanol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Filling Up Without Fouling the Air . . . . . . . . . . . .8
The Power of Mud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
A Power-People Continuum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Career Profile: Kathleen J. Danna . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Hands-on Lab: Oozing Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

The Biotechnology Institute is an independent,

national, nonprofit organization dedicated to
education and research about the present
and future impact of biotechnology. Our mission is to
engage, excite, and educate the public, particularly young
people, about biotechnology and its immense potential for
solving human health, food, and environmental problems.
Published biannually, Your World is the premier
biotechnology publication for 7th- to 12th-grade
students. Each issue provides an in-depth exploration
of a particular biotechnology topic by looking at the science
of biotechnology and its practical applications in health care, agriculture,
the environment, and industry. Please contact the Biotechnology Institute
for information on subscriptions (individual, teacher, or library sets).
Some back issues are available.

Vol. 16, No. 1 Fall 2006

Publisher The Biotechnology Institute
Editor Kathy Frame
Managing Editor Lois M. Baron
Graphic Design Diahann Hill
Cover, p. 2, 5, 6–7, 8–9, 10–11, 15
photogaphs: Mirrorball Studio/Jason Horowitz
Science Advisors
Matt Carr, Director, Policy Industrial and Environmental Section
MAIN POINTS
Biotechnology Industry Organization FUTURE FUELS NOW
Tim Cornitius, Editor, Syngas Refiner Policymakers have been talking for years about meas-
William A. Frey, Global Business Director, DuPont Biofuels
Roopa Ghirnikar, Senior Science Writer, R&D, Genencor International ures to cut back how much petroleum we use. Interest
Advisory Board has spiked recently, with government and private compa-
Don DeRosa, Ed.D., CityLab, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
Lori Dodson, Ph.D., North Montco Technical Career Center, Landsdale, PA
nies coming together to push forward scientific research
Lucinda (Cindy) Elliott, Ph.D., Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA and development of alternative fuel products such as
Lynn M. Jablonski, Ph.D., GeneData, Waltham, MA ethanol. Biotechnology is helping make alternative energy
Noel Mellon, Mt. Carmel High School, San Diego, CA
Mark Temons, Muncy Junior/Senior High School, Muncy, PA sources easier—and more affordable—to produce.
Carolyn Zanta, Ph.D., UIUC-HHMI Biotechnology and Educational Outreach Most of the world’s energy needs are met with oil and
Program (BEOP), Urbana, IL
natural gas, which come from fossil fuel. No one knows how
Acknowledgments
The Biotechnology Institute would like to thank the Pennsylvania Biotechnology long the supply can last. Biobased fuels come from natural
Association, which originally developed Your World, and sources that can be replaced quickly. Along with corn, there
Jeff Alan Davidson, founding editor.
are many other grains, grasses, trees, and even agricultural
For More Information
Biotechnology Institute
wastes being investigated for their usefulness and envi-
1840 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 202 ronmental friendliness as alternative fuel sources.
Arlington, VA 22201 Careers in this emerging new field emphasize chemistry
[email protected]
Phone: 703.248.8681 Fax: 703.248.8687
and engineering. Look into it for a potential career—
© 2006 Biotechnology Institute. All rights reserved. it’s definitely a job full of energy!
The Biotechnology Institute acknowledges with deep gratitude
the financial support of Centocor, Inc., and Ortho Biotech.

Paul A. Hanle
President
Biotechnology Institute
2 BIOFUELS
 Quick—what’s made out of plants,
doesn’t contribute to global warming,
and starting next year, will power every
car in the Indy 500? If you read the
cover of the magazine you’re holding engine to be a versatile multi-fuel
now, you’ve probably already guessed engine able to run on just about any-
the answer: biofuels. thing, including coal dust and vegetable
Biofuels include ethanol and oil. In 1925 Henry Ford, founder of the convert the CO2 from factory smoke-

Photo compliments of ICM Inc.

biodiesel, which you may have heard of. Ford motor company, told a reporter stacks into clean, renewable biofuels.
They also include methanol, butanol, that fuel made from plant matter was When you hear “fuel,” you think
straight vegetable oil, syngas, and a the “fuel of the future.” “car,” but biotech processes can run
seemingly endless array of other uncon- Eighty years later, everyone from other devices too. Researchers are
ventional, often experimental fuels. All concerned citizens to the president of working on miniature fuel cells powered
these fuels have at least one thing in the United States is finally ready to real- by methanol, butane, or even diesel fuel.
common: they are made from organic ize Ford’s and Diesel’s original vision of These cells could replace and even out-
matter, usually plants, harvested in the powering all our energy-hungry devices last the batteries in laptops and cell
not-too-distant past. (Fossil fuels like with renewable fuels produced close to phones. Breakthroughs in the use of dis-
oil, which are also derived from organic where they’re used. Some people would carded agricultural waste, nontraditional
matter, don’t count because the plants say it’s not a moment too soon—every crops like switchgrass, and high-yield
and animals they’re made from died mil- year America imports 3.67 billion bar- genetically modified crops have the
lions of years ago.) rels of oil while putting 1.6 billion tons potential to replace a large portion of
Biofuels may seem like a futuristic of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmos- the fossil fuels Americans now use,
alternative to plain old coal, oil, and phere. Renewable fuels have the poten- whether they’re burned at a power
natural gas, but they were actually put tial to solve both problems. plant or in our cars. Best of all, because
into use before anyone had ever imag- In addition to helping make eco- all these fuels ultimately come from living
ined that petroleum would be the domi- friendly fuels easier and less expensive plants, biotech researchers can concen-
nant fuel of the 20th century. For exam- to produce, biotechnology has other trate on applying their knowledge to
ple, Rudolph Diesel, who patented the ways to protect the environment. For fixing Earth’s energy problems.
diesel engine in 1892, intended for his example, one technology uses algae to —Christopher Mims
Your World 3
BIOFUELS 101
Making biofuels is fairly in most areas of the United States,
easy; you can even do it farmers have already begun to
in your kitchen. For produce ethanol from sugar beets,
example ethanol, a Starch and which do grow well here. New
potential replacement
for gasoline, is just
water mash breeds of modified sugar beets
demand fewer applications of
the scientific name pesticides and weed-killers, traits
for the alcohol that’s that will be especially important if
present in beer, they become a significant source
wine, and liquor. of plant matter for ethanol.
In the making of wine, for instance, Perhaps the most revolutionary
yeast produce ethanol during fermentation, approach of all comes from
the process that breaks down the sugars
present in grapes into ethanol. The exact
formula is: One molecule of glucose becomes
two molecules of ethanol and two molecules of
carbon dioxide. (It’s this same carbon dioxide that
makes soda fizzy.)
Even biodiesel, a potential replacement for diesel fuel, J. Craig Venter, the scientist and entrepreneur who became
can be produced from vegetable oil using nothing more famous for sequencing the human genome. Venter believes
than methanol, or wood alcohol, and sodium hydroxide, or that scientists working at his company Synthetic Genomics
lye. In a process called transesterification, each molecule of are finally in a position to create custom-built microorgan-
the oil, which is known as a trigylceride, gets broken into isms that process food and energy in ways that are maxi-
three methyl esters and one molecule of glycerol. The mally useful to humans.
resulting methyl esters are a ready-to-use form of biodiesel, To accomplish this goal, Venter and his team have been
and the leftover glycerol is the same substance present in perfecting
glycerine soap (as well as the glycerine-based explosives the develop- Boil
that first inspired scientists to discover transesterification, ment of
during World War II). what they
water
There are countless ways to turn natural substances, call fully off of
including agricultural waste and even animal products,
like turkey manure, into just about any imaginable liquid
synthetic
chromo-
“beer”
and even gaseous fuel. Unfortunately, many of the existing somes.
techniques for doing so are inefficient or polluting in their All organisms have chromosomes, which are long
own way. strands of DNA sequences composed of nucleotides
Fortunately, there’s a solution, and it involves the creative made up of the bases guanine (G), adenine (A),
application of biotechnology to these problems. Scientists thymine (T), and cytosine (C). The sequence of
concerned that cars might some day compete with people nucleotides makes up different genes on the chromo-
for the feed crops grown in America’s heartland have realized some. (An example of a chromosome that you may
that in the same way that genetically modified organisms have heard of is the Y chromosome, which contains
(or GMOs) can increase the yield of food crops, genetic the gene that makes a human being male.) In 2003,
modification can also enhance crops intended to be used researchers at Synthetic Genomics created a fully syn-
as fuel. By creating crops that are hardier, more prolific, or thetic chromosome (one named Phi-X174) in the labo-
have higher concentrations of sugar (for ethanol) or oil (for ratory in just two weeks.
biodiesel), it might be possible to get more fuel using fewer Ultimately, their goal is the invention of organisms that
resources such as land, water, and fertilizer. can start with readily available organic material and trans-
Brazil has already displaced a quarter of the fossil fuels form it into usable fuel. It’s an ambitious project, to say the
it uses by creating its ethanol from sugar cane, which pro- least, but it seems that Venter believes that this century’s
duces 30 percent more fuel than corn because it has a high- biggest issue—energy—will require an equally big solution:
er concentration of sugar. While sugar cane doesn’t do well the world’s first completely human-created life.
—Christopher Mims
4 BIOFUELS
 Enzymes

Yeast

A variety of highly valued

feed co-products, including
gluten meal, gluten feed and
dried distillers grains, are pro-
duced from the remaining pro-
tein, minerals, vitamins and
fiber and are sold as high-
value feed for livestock.
In addition to grain,
Ethanol is produced from starch. All agricultural crops and ethanol is also produced today
residues contain starch, which is a polymer of glucose, a six- from wood waste, cheese whey,
carbon sugar. To produce ethanol from grain, the starch portion waste sucrose, potato waste,
of the grain is exposed and mixed with water to form a mash. brewery waste, and food and
The mash is heated and enzymes are added to convert the beverage wastes. Many
starch into glucose. ethanol producers capture
The next phase, fermentation, involves the addition of yeast carbon dioxide emissions
to convert the glucose to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Fermentation for processing and use
produces a mixture called "beer," which contains about 10 to 15 in beverages.
percent ethanol and 85 percent water. The "beer" is then boiled —The NCERC
in a distillation column to separate the water, resulting in ethanol.
Ethanol production from grain utilizes only the starch.

Ethanol

Your World 5
EVERYONE’S TALKING ETHANOL
Better Processes and Going ‘Cellulosic’
Lately, everyone from Julia Roberts absorbed via photosynthesis during its mega-farms is itself derived from
to President Bush has been talking lifetime. On top of all that, it’s cheaper petroleum products.)
about the benefits of ethanol. It can than gasoline in some states, and will Second, as more and more corn is
be produced in the United States, only become more affordable as oil used to produce ethanol, its cost rises.
which eliminates our reliance on foreign prices continue to climb and One side benefit of corn ethanol produc-
imports of oil and other fossil fuels. It researchers step in with biotech help. tion is that the leftover material—called
can be blended with gasoline to run in Right now, though, there are two dried distillers grains—makes excellent
ordinary car engines. It comes from issues that pose challenges for ethanol high-protein feed for cattle and other
plants that have been recently harvested, as a clean, affordable alternative fuel. animals. But some experts warn that as
which means that it is carbon neutral— First, according to some researchers, soon as 2007, there could be a “food
the carbon dioxide released when production of ethanol from corn, which fight” in which America’s cattlemen,
ethanol is burned in the gas tank is just about the only kind available in who depend on cheap corn to produce
just replaces the CO2 that the plant the United States today, requires nearly beef, are forced to either raise the price
as much fossil fuel as the gasoline it of their product or retire some of their
replaces. (Not only does most farm herds.
machinery today run on diesel or Both of these problems could be
gasoline, but the fertilizer solved if the supply of material to be
that enriches most turned into ethanol could be increased,
modern and if ethanol could also be made from
something other than corn. A new
process for making ethanol from cellu-
lose—the stuff found in the cell walls
of nearly all plants that helps
plants stand upright—
promises to accomplish
both.
While making
ethanol from
corn is

Farming for Fuel

As the United States replaces fossil fuels with renewables, the
demand for crops that can be turned into fuel is likely to explode.
Farmers will find that they can profitably grow things never consid-
ered before, such as switchgrass for ethanol and canola for biodiesel.
This economic windfall will be good for farmers. But regulations and
technology will be needed to deal with the additional pesticides, her-
bicides, and fertilizer runoff this increased production will require. By
using the techniques of sustainable agriculture—such as running
farm equipment on renewable fuels and weaning farmers off petrole-
um-based fertilizer—the folks who grow our food should be able to
provide fuel and food without damaging the environment.—C.M.
6 BIOFUELS
 To Learn More …
Find out how industrial
biorefineries work:
www.ethanolrfa.org/resource/cellulosic/

pretty straightforward (even

the ancient Egyptians knew how to
make alcohol), converting cellulose—
which is far more abundant, but has a
much more complex chemical struc-
ture—to ethanol has long seemed
impractical. er.) Microbes that break down
But thanks to rising oil prices and cellulose are found in the guts of
new scientific breakthroughs, two meth- termites and in mushrooms that break dawn of agriculture, these researchers
ods for making this “cellulosic” ethanol down rotting trees in the forest. But are testing different strains of yeast and
have emerged: enzymatic hydrolysis until recently, scientists didn’t know bacteria to determine which are the
and synthesis gas fermentation. In syn- how to harness this natural technology. most efficient at fermenting sugars into
thesis gas fermentation, the carbon in The key was isolating and improving alcohol. Techniques of genetic modifica-
the cellulose is turned into a gaseous the chemical weapons used by the tion could even be used to make organ-
carbon monoxide that is then fed to a microbes: enzymes. Enzymes are pro- isms that have a superior ability to fer-
special kind of fermenter. The technolo- teins that speed up the breakdown of ment or to create cellulase enzymes.
gy has been around for some time, but substances or catalyze chemical reac- (Genetic engineering is also being used
received little attention until gasoline tions, and they are the workhorses of all to create plants that can produce more
prices jumped to $3 a gallon. cellular functions. By fine-tuning the ethanol.)
Instead of cooking the cellulose, “cellulase” enzymes from termites and Using these new techniques and the
enzymatic hydrolysis uses water and forest fungi, scientists developed a way estimated 1.3 billion tons of available
microorganisms like bacteria and fungi to break down cellulose that doesn’t cellulosic biomass (which includes
to break the cellulose from plants down require expensive boilers and nasty everything from discarded wood to corn
into liquid sugar, which can then be eas- gases. Researchers are now trying to fig- stalks and cobs), the U.S. Department of
ily fermented into ethanol. (Hydroly- ure out which bacteria and fungi do the Energy estimates that by 2050, the United
sis—“hyro”=water, “lysis”=to break—is best job at digesting cellulose into sug- States could replace 30 percent of its oil
the name for the process of separating ars suitable for fermentation. consumption with cellulosic ethanol. It
individual sugars that are locked togeth- Scientists are also working on the fer- would be like taking one in every three
mentation itself, which is the second cars off the road—that’s the promise of
step of cellulosic ethanol production. this new brand of ethanol.
Like good brewers have done since the —Christopher Mims

Your World 7
FILLING UP YOUR TANK
— WITHOUT FOULING THE AIR
corn, soybeans, and other plants that also take carbon diox-
T he news these days is full of warnings from scientists
about our warming planet—melting icecaps, killer
storms, rising sea levels, and damaged ecosystems. After years
ide out of the air during photosynthesis. Biofuels are carbon
recyclers, greatly reducing their net amount of
of research and debate, we now know that global warming is carbon dioxide added to the air.
real. Many people blame human activity for the dangerous ris- Biodiesel made from soybeans produces nearly 80 percent
ing temperatures. Could research and development of plant- less greenhouse gas emissions than regular diesel fuel. Pro-
based biofuels help turn down the heat? ducing biodiesel from soybeans takes less fossil fuel energy
Everyone needs to get where he or she is going. But to cultivate, fertilize, transport, and produce than to make
whether you’re taking a bus to school, driving to the mall, or ethanol from corn. But a gallon of corn ethanol still reduces

hopping a plane to Grandma’s house—you’re polluting the greenhouse gas emissions by about 30 percent compared with
air and contributing to global warming. In the United States, gasoline. Cellulosic ethanol can make a bigger difference—an
one-third of all our climate-changing carbon dioxide emissions 85 to 100 percent reduction in greenhouse gases. Using biofuels
comes from transportation. Carbon dioxide and other green- can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, slow down global
house gases (such as methane, nitrous oxide, and perfluoro- warming, and reduce our need for imported fossil fuels.
carbons) in the atmosphere trap the sun’s heating rays, Greenhouse gases are a problem for the planet. Using
warming up the Earth. Carbon dioxide is a natural component petroleum products also causes problems on a smaller
of the atmosphere—it’s what you and other animals exhale scale—for our lungs. The tailpipes of cars, trucks, trains,
(and flows out of the stomata of plants). It’s also the gas that and planes also pump poisonous carbon monoxide, sulfur
plants use to produce sugars like glucose and starch during dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sooty particulates into the air
photosynthesis. But all the extra carbon dioxide pouring into we breathe.
our atmosphere from burning fossil fuels over the past century Fortunately, biofuels can improve our air quality, too. Ethanol
is overheating our planet. and biodiesel burn more cleanly than petroleum, creating less
Where does all the extra carbon dioxide come from? You soot, smoke, and toxic pollutants like carbon monoxide and
guessed it—from burning fossil fuels like coal and petroleum. sulfur dioxide. They can help reduce acid rain, smog, and
Most modern transportation is powered by carbon dioxide– the ground-level ozone that choke cities and make breathing
spewing petroleum products like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. difficult for people with respiratory problems like asthma. By
In fact, anything made out of carbon produces carbon dioxide replacing polluting petroleum with biofuels, we can help clean
when burned, including biofuels. But biofuels are made from up our air—and still get you where you’re going.
—Mary Kay Carson
8 BIOFUELS
DID YOU KNOW? Think About It?…
Gasoline blended with up to 10 percent This article states that the
ethanol has reduced smog-forming emis- transportation sector creates a
sions in Chicago by 25 percent since 1990. third of the country’s greenhouse
gas emissions. What do you think
creates the other two-thirds? Could
More than a billion gallons of toxic petrole- other biomass products reduce these
um are spilled into oceans, lakes, and other emissions, too?
waterways each year. Even more gasoline [Answer possibilities: Biopower that generates
and oil leaks out of tanks, pipelines, and electricity and bioproducts that replace
other storage facilities. petrochemicals could also contribute.]

It takes 196,000 pounds of prehistoric plant

material buried for millions of years to
produce the petroleum in a single gallon
of gasoline. That’s 98 tons per gallon!

Think About It?…

This article has concentrated on the impact of biofuels and petroleum on air pollution
and global warming. What other kinds of environmental impacts do both petroleum
and biofuel production create?
[Answer possibilities: Petroleum and biofuel production also
affect land, water, and wildlife. Oil drilling and biofuel
farming disturb ecosystems and can cause soil and
water erosion and pollution. Oil tanker spills,
and leaking gasoline storage tanks pollute
oceans and groundwater, etc.]

Your World 9
 already exploring this process as a more startling find: Geobacter can form
Calculator dead? possible power source. natural “nano-wires” to reach out to
Need to recharge it? This electrifying news is all due to the metal and carry electrons to it.
Then just plug it in—by sticking tiny bacteria called Geobacter. They Called pili, these long, wispy
one wire into the water of the nearest are found everywhere, but were first appendages are thinner than a human
stream, and the other into the mud. It discovered in the bottom of the hair, and they extend out from the main
really works, generating tiny amounts Potomac River near Washington, D.C., body of the Geobacter organism. At
of electricity steadily over time that by University of Massachusetts– first, even Lovley had trouble believing
can slowly recharge something like Amherst microbiologist Derek Lovley pili could conduct electricity, which he
a calculator. (Try it. Instructions for in 1987. Geobacter species have the himself called a “crackpot” idea.
your own “sediment battery” are on ability to “eat” plant and vegetable Such wires have important conse-
page 15.) matter, oil slicks, and other forms of quences, in that they may help large
So far, this process produces a few waste in oxygen-free environments. colonies of Geobacter to cluster around
watts, meaning it can power only small Four years ago, Lovley learned how a single piece of metal and form a giant
objects that don’t require much elec- Geobacter does this: It is actually a mat, or biofilm, that produces thou-
tricity, such as a pocket calculator or miniature form of a biofuel cell. sands of times more energy than a
a single Christmas tree bulb. Much like humans, Geobacter creates single one of the microorganisms.
But through genetic engineering, energy for itself by taking in organic Researchers hope to use this
someday in the next few years you matter. And also like humans, its metab- finding, combined with more efficient,
could use this method to recharge olism produces excess electrons in the genetically engineered breeds of the
larger, more power-hungry items process. But while we can dispose of bugs, better foods to grow the micro-
such as your cell phone, your laptop, these electrons by combining them organisms, better metals to accept the
or your electric lawnmower. And in 40 with oxygen, Geobacter lives in an envi- electrons, and more efficient wiring
years, it may even be possible to tack- ronment without oxygen. So it uses a and mechanical arrangements, to get
le something as large as the batteries substitute for the oxygen, dropping off even more electricity from Geobacter.
in an electric car, enabling the vehicle the electrons on any iron or other met- “We’re still in the very early stages,
to go as far as 600 miles on a single als—such as in a strand of wire—that where the sky is the limit,” Lovley
charge, says researcher A. K. Shukla in happen to be in the mud nearby. says. “We still don’t know all the
a recent scientific paper on biological Earlier this year, Lovley and his things this could do.”
fuel cells. Auto manufacturer Toyota is team of researchers made an even —Dan Drollette

10 BIOFUELS
 Besides electricity from bacteria (see “The Power of Mud”), researchers are studying
other biofuels to run planes, cars, trucks, and trains.
One promising gasoline substitute is biodiesel—made from biological materials
such as plants, instead of geological formations such as coal.
Biodiesel is a nontoxic, yellowish fluid. When mixed with a little petroleum-based
diesel fuel, the result can be burned in a standard, unmodified diesel engine.
It’s so simple to make that kids in Washington, D.C., did it in class, using nothing more
complicated than a plastic soda bottle, lye, gas-line antifreeze, and waste vegetable oil.
Try it, by using “The World Famous Dr Pepper Technique”:
www.biodieselcommunity.org/makingasmallbatch/. —D.D.

Your World 11
 The career path in biofuels
looks something like a cat chasing its tail.
The industry is growing, supported by interest
from the government and companies. But not many
people are trained in biofuels. Biofuels, such as E85
(which is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), are
not available at pumps across the country, and there aren’t
many cars that can run on E85. What’s more, by the time students
manage to earn a degree—in three or five years from now—the
industry still might not be quite big enough to provide a job for
everyone.
Most biofuel jobs are in the Midwest, where there are
already about 100 corn-ethanol production facilities. Current-
ly, the ethanol produced from corn is a drop in the feed
bucket against the size of the country’s appetite for
fuel. Policymakers are looking for ways to expand
the production and use of alternative fuels
across the country.

BREAKING
IT DOWN
Biofuel jobs can be Farmers grow much of Agricultural Scientists do basic Microbiologists
listed by the stages the raw material, called Researchers develop research on ways work on new strains
of producing the fuel. feedstock. You’re a feedstock that will to best use enzymes of enzymes, the
farmer whatever most easily yield in changing biomass organisms that convert
organic matter you’re the most energy. to fuel. starch to alcohol.
producing for fuel. It Different enzymes
could be corn or turkeys are used for different
(for manure) or trees feedstock.
or something else.

12 BIOFUELS
CASE STUDY
Let’s take a walk through one operation and look at the numbers.
In central New York, an energy company is retrofitting a 1.3 million-
square-foot brewery to make it into a biomass refinery. According to
the company, here’s a breakdown of employment opportunities:
● The retrofit itself will provide work to 300 members of two unions,
the plumbers and steamfitters and the IBEW. Granted, this isn’t
directly involved with making fuel, but, hey, these are jobs that will
make it happen. When the plant is running, maintenance people will
be hired.
● Sixty fulltime employees will oversee production.
● After the biofuel is made, two different companies will process the
by-products—grain and carbon dioxide—using 40 people in that work.
● The plant will run initially on corn from local farmers, but the State
University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and
Forestry is researching cloned willows that might someday be
farmed as feedstock. The willows grow quickly and can be harvested
several times a year.
The sudden spurt in interest in biofuels is pumping up the growth of
a biofuels industry. If you are interested in a career in alternative fuels,
your best bet right now is to head for colleges that have strong science
and agriculture programs. There, you can patch together classes from
agriculture, chemistry, science, and engineering departments.
Universities and community colleges are hurrying to put together
degree programs that meet the biofuel industry’s needs. Soon, associate
and bachelor degrees will be available.
The industry is anxious to hire trained people so renewable biofuels
can become a part of everyday life. The hope is that colleges will produce
these students at the same rate that the industry is ready for them.
—Lois M. Baron

Did You Know …

In October 2005,
there were 438 E85
gas stations; a year
later, there were
more than 1,000.

Photo: FEVj.org

Agricultural Animal Nutritionists Auxiliary production People will have to In government, jobs
Engineers focus are needed to figure will involve making market the product will be in the lab doing
on the overall out how much of the more than a liquid to and help society accept basic research as well
manufacturing co-products can be drive cars. For example, biofuels. Others with as in legislative and
procedures, called fed to animals. This plastic that is now computer skills will be agency offices deter-
bioprocessing. requires analyzing the made from petroleum needed, along with the mining which compa-
composition of the can be made out of office workers seen in nies and colleges get
co-products and how biofuel. any industry. government funding.
different animals will
digest it.

Your World 13
 CAREER PROFILE Kathleen J. Danna, PhD Danna earned a degree in chemistry from the New Mexico
Faculty Retiree and Senior Research Associate Institute of Mining and Technology, then headed off to Johns
University of Colorado at Boulder Hopkins University for a doctorate in microbiology. Her first
research effort proved disastrous, with the overly ambitious
project coming to an abrupt halt when a glass vessel full of
pulverized rat liver shattered. “There was gooey rat liver
everywhere!” Danna says, laughing.
Enter Danna’s adviser, Daniel Nathans. Intrigued by a
bacterial enzyme newly discovered by scientists down the
hall, Nathans suggested that Danna investigate its possible
applications. The other scientists had discovered that the
enzyme would cut foreign DNA at specific points. What
Danna and Nathans wanted to know was how to put that
discovery to use.
In a revolutionary 1971 article published in the Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences, they revealed the
answer: Scientists could use these so-called restriction
enzymes as chemical scissors to cut DNA into discrete
fragments, making it possible not only to map DNA but
also to rearrange, remove, or add sections. The research
resulted in a PhD for Danna in 1972 and a Nobel Prize for
Nathans in 1978.
Danna went on to become an associate professor of
molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at the Univer-
sity of Colorado at Boulder. Eventually she got interested in
applying the findings of her earlier work to the problem of
renewable energy.
Her goal? Finding a low-cost way to make ethanol out of
cellulose rather than cornstarch.
The solution was to transform plants into factories pro-
ducing an enzyme called cellulase that breaks down cellulose,
the first step in the transformation of biomass into ethanol.
Danna took bacterial genes that code for cellulase, trans-
planted them into a tiny weed, and then harvested the

K
athleen Danna was the first person in her family cellulase enzyme from the plants.
to attend college. And she didn’t stop there: In addition to being cheaper than traditional methods,
She went on to earn a PhD, collaborate with a says Danna, this approach is the most environmentally
Nobel Prize–winner, and help make a discovery friendly way of producing biofuels. After all, she says,
that made possible everything from cloned sheep to DNA “there’s plenty of free sunshine.”
evidence at trials to the biotechnology industry. Now retired, Danna spends her time reading about envi-
Growing up in Texas, Danna was fascinated by nature. ronmental concerns, talking to students about microbiology
“I loved going out and looking for turtles and four-leafed and biofuels, and dreaming of a future when every car will
clovers,” she remembers. “I loved rocks. I loved stars.” She run on ethanol. And when she’s not home with her husband
even set up an astronomy club for neighborhood kids. But and son or traveling to far-flung destinations like Costa Rica
by the time her eighth-grade teacher asked her to write a and New Zealand, she can often be found back at the biology
paper about careers, she had narrowed her interest down department. Says Danna, “I now hang out in the lab for fun.”
to microbiology. —Rebecca A. Clay

14 BIOFUELS
Materials Needed Sediment Battery Assembly
2 Graphite electrodes Mud Notes: For best results, mud should be collected from the sediment
Insulated electrical wire Plastic bucket at the bottom of a body of water, rather than made from a mixture
Electrically conductive epoxy Water of dry soil and water (although this will work also). The sediment
Non-electrically conductive epoxy Drill battery should be made in a plastic bucket or glass beaker; metal
Resistor (100 to 1000 Ohm) should not be used.
Multimeter or voltmeter 1. Fill the bucket with a few centimeters of mud (about 10 cm).
Wire cutters, wire strippers 2. Place one of the graphite electrodes on the mud. This will be the
“anode” of the sediment battery. Make sure to keep the free
Electrode Assembly end of the wire dry and out of the mud.
1. Cut insulated wire to desired length and strip about 4 mm of 3. Add a few more centimeters of mud (about 5–7 cm) over the
insulation from the wire using wire strippers or a razor blade. anode. The anode should be completely covered with at least
2. Drill a small hole in each electrode. This hole may be in the top or a couple centimeters of mud.
side, depending on where the wire will be connected. This hole 4. Carefully pour water (preferably water from the same body of
SHOULD NOT go through the graphite. It should be only deep water where the mud was collected) over the mud and anode.
enough to cover the exposed part of the newly exposed wire Be sure not to uncover the anode or disturb the mud very
and a few millimeters of the insulation itself (approximately 8 much. Add enough water to be at least 10 cm deep over the
mm). The diameter of the hole should be large enough that the mud. Allow the particles to settle overnight.
insulated wire may fit. 5. The next day, place or suspend the other electrode in the
3. Drip enough electrically conductive epoxy in the bottom of the water lying above the anode. This electrode is now called
hole to cover the exposed wire. Insert the wire so that the the cathode. As with the anode, keep the wires dry.
exposed wire is in the epoxy, and allow it to dry. After the epoxy 6. Connect the anode and cathode wires together with the
has dried, test the electrode to make sure that a good connection resistor in between.
exists between the graphite and the free end of the wire. This can 7. Using the multimeter or voltmeter, measure the voltage.
be done with a multimeter. Place the red wire from the multimeter on the cathode side
4. After the conductive epoxy has dried, fill the remainder of the of the resistor and the black wire on the anode side. Record
hole generously with nonconductive epoxy. This will protect the the voltage. Measure the voltage daily or more frequently.
electrical connection as well as give some mechanical
stability to it. Allow epoxy to dry.
5. Repeat the above steps to make the second electrode.
6. Before assembling the sediment battery, test each electrode
for good electrical connections between the graphite and the
free end of the wire using a multimeter or other method.
Notes about Materials
For a diagram, see http://www.geobacter.org/research/ 1. Graphite electrodes serve as the anode and cathode of
microbial/Sediment%20Battery%20Preparation%20copy.pdf. the sediment battery. One is buried in the mud and the
other suspended in the water above.
2. Insulated wire: A separate piece of insulated wire is
affixed to each of the two electrodes so that current may
pass from the electrode through the wire. The gauge of
wire is not important.
3. Electrically conductive epoxy ensures a low-resistance
connection between the graphite electrodes and the wire.
Hints + Tips 4. Non-electrically conductive epoxy protects the conduc-
The current (amps) may be determined by using Ohm’s tive epoxy and any exposed wire from contacting water
law. Make sure to add fresh water occasionally so that or sediment.
the cathode does not become dry (it does not need to be 5. A resistor acts as a simulated load to the battery and
completely submerged.) Try not to disturb the sediment allows the measurement of current by Ohm’s Law:
by moving the sediment battery. V = I x R where: V = voltage (volts), I = current (amps),
R = resistance (Ohms).
6. A multimeter or voltmeter is an electrical instrument that
measures voltage. The advantage of a multimeter is that
it will measure current, resistance, and voltage as well.
Whatever instrument is chosen, it must be able to
measure mV accurately.
Your World 15
 The Biotechnology Institute Would Like to Thank its
2006-2007 Donors Giving $5,000 or More:
Abbott Genzyme Corporation
Abgenix Gilead Sciences, Inc. Resources Links to Learn More
Amgen, Inc. Hoffman-La Roche Overview
Timothy Barberich Illinois Department of Commerce & Web Sites on Biofuels
Baxter Healthcare Corporation Economic Opportunity http://www.nalusda.gov/ttic/biofuels/nonusda.htm
Biotechnology Industry Organization Illinois State Department of Education Nature Biotechnology, July 2006: Five articles on
Biotechnology Institute Board of Directors Invitrogen biofuels.
Burrill & Co. Lehman Brothers http://www.bio.org/ind/biofuel/
Centocor, Inc. Metabolix
Powering Up
Cephalon MdBio
“Ethanol at the Indianapolis 500”:
Ceres Merck Institute for Science Education
http://www.indy500.com/news/story.php?story_id=
Chiron Foundation Monsanto Fund
4105http://www.indy500.com/news/story.php?story
Codexis Nektar Therapeutics
_id=4105
Connetics Corporation Noble Foundation
CV Therapeutics, Inc. Ortho Biotech, Inc. Environment
Department of Energy PDL BioPharma Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Biomass
Dow AgroSciences Pfizer Foundation Program, “Environmental Benefits”:
Dupont Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/environmen
Ernst & Young LLP sanofi-aventis tal.html
Exelixis Inc. Syngenta Biotechnology Inc. Department of Energy, “Ethanol: The Complete
Genencor Wyeth Energy Lifecycle Picture,” 2005: http://www.trans
General Motors portation.anl.gov/pdfs/TA/345.pdf
The Power of Mud
The Biotechnology Institute acknowledges with deep gratitude the financial support of Geobacter: http://www.geobacter.org/
Comprehensive Web site, with pictures and links.
A. K. Shukla, “Biological Fuel Cells and Their
Applications,” Current Science 87, no. 4
(August 25, 2004).
“Biodiesel Airplanes?”
2006 BioDreaming Poster Competition Winner http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/08/q_a_biodi
esel_a.php

VISIT YOUR WORLD ONLINE

You’ll find
❚ Entire contents of current issue
❚ Teacher’s guide
❚ Links to online resources
❚ Information on subscriptions and previous issues
Back issues, including these, are available for
free online:
❚ A World of Change
❚ Obesity
❚ Microbes: Parts and Potential
❚ Emerging Diseases
❚ Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology
Visit us online at
www.biotechinstitute.org/resources/your_world_
magazine.html.
Partial funding for this issue was provided by the United States Department of
Energy, Codexis, Dupont, Genencor, General Motors, Metabolix, and Ceres.
First-Place Winner: Jarynn Lowe
Category: Grades 4 to 6, Teacher: Jeremy Peters
Kissimmee Elementary School, Kissimmee, Florida

REMEMBER TO ENTER!
students: Be sure to enter the 2007 Biodreaming Poster Competition.
Top prize in each age category is $500. To learn how to enter, visit our Web site
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teachers: Be sure to apply for our 2007 National Biotechnology Teacher-Leader
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Visit www.biotechinstitute.org/programs/t_leader_program.html for application
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