Simon McQueen-Mason

　　Centre for Novel Agricultural Products

　　University of York, UK

　　Breaking our dependence on petroleum for the provision of liquid transportation fuels, chemicals and materials is important if we are to significantly reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and avoid the worst consequences of global warming. Using renewable biological feedstock provides the most obvious route to achieve this. Biofuels are currently produced from commodities also used for food and further expansion is incompatible with world food security. Lignocellulosic (woody) plant biomass represents the most abundant underutilized feedstock available for the production of renewable, low carbon, fuels, chemicals and materials without negatively impacting food security. In this talk I will give an overview of my group’s research in the areas of biomass improvement through plant genetics, and the discovery and characterization of lignocellulolytic enzymes.