This award is to Southern Illinois at Edwardsville to support the activity described below for 36 months. The proposal was submitted in response to the Partnerships for Innovation Program Solicitation (NSF-05566).
Partners Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the National Corn to Ethanol Research Center (NECRC), the USDA Fermentation Biochemistry Research Unit (Peoria, IL), the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and Emerson Process Management (a division of Emerson Electric Company).
The primary objective of the proposal follows. Its goal is to reduce the use of antibiotics in fuel ethanol production by developing new bacterial sensing technology. The project will conduct preliminary studies toward the development of a biosensor device to detect bacterial growth in dry-grind corn-to-ethanol fermentation processes. Specifically, reagents and methods will be developed and applied to detect bacterial growth using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methodology. The objectives are (1) to confirm the bacterial species published and identify additional species that commonly grow in yeast fermentations using standard microbiological methods; (2) to identify PCR primers that will uniquely identify each of the bacterial target species, using bioinformatics analysis supported by genomic DNA cloning and sequencing; (3) develop real-time PCR molecular beacon probes and methods to quantify the growth of the target bacteria using these PCR probes; (4) characterize the growth kinetics of target bacteria in laboratory scale fermentations of corn using the real-time PCR methods developed; and (5) perform studies to quantify antibiotic residues in distillers dried grains with solubles and to improve antibiotic treatment protocols in the dry-grind corn-to-ethanol manufacturing process, using laboratory scale fermentation model systems.
Potential Economic Impact
This project will develop technology to reduce the use of antibiotics in a major manufacturing process, and should develop methods of microorganism detection that are applicable to a wide variety of commercial and environmental settings.
The intellectual merit of the project follows. The proposed activity will develop and apply quantitative technology to the redesign of a manufacturing process with the explicit goal of reducing antibiotic use while maintaining or increasing the efficiency of fuel ethanol production. The project is organized sequentially to determine which organisms are significantly involved in reducing the efficiency of fuel ethanol production, followed by methods development to quantitatively detect the organisms, and then application of the results to scaled-down reactors generating fuel ethanol.
The broader impacts of the activity follow. Success of this project has applicability to a variety of commercial and environmental settings. The development of a biosensor probe will have applications in technologies beyond ethanol production. The project also addresses the global concerns of the dangers of antibiotic residues becoming present in animal feedstocks. The development of such a probe technology will allow ethanol manufacturers to minimize antibiotics in fermentation. The project promises to have a positive impact on the rural economic development. Domestic fuel availability is key in our current and future economic position. The proposal has a strong educational component in that it connects training in the lab to real world commercial learning opportunities. There is a stated emphasis on increased chances for minority participation and success.
