Kamya Malhotra L&S Math & Physical Sciences
Unlocking Lignin's Potential:Screening Catalysts to Upgrade Byproducts
Less than 1% of the corn grown in America is eaten as corn. Over 95% is field corn, grown for livestock feed and fuel, and it consumes roughly 800,000 gallons of water per acre each season, which is enough to fill nearly two Olympic swimming pools. Corn ethanol, often marketed as a green alternative to fossil fuels, barely breaks even on its energy balance once farming inputs are accounted for. Smarter biofuels start with different feedstocks: grasses, woody crops, and agricultural residues that don’t compete with food or demand the same water. These plants can be broken down into sugars for fuel, but the process leaves behind lignin, a structural polymer that makes up 15–30% of all plants. Today, biorefineries simply burn it for low-grade heat. This summer, I am screening catalysts to convert these diverse lignin streams into actual useful things, from adhesives and polymers to biochemical building blocks, while using oxygen as an accessible and low-cost oxidant. By connecting feedstock origin to catalyst performance, this work aims to unlock lignin as a resource rather than a waste product, improving both the economics and environmental footprint of next-generation biofuels.
Message To Sponsor
My interest in bioenergy began by listening to Hank Green discuss American agriculture, and what I learned was so intriguing that it sent me down a rabbit hole. That curiosity led me to do research at JBEI, and your generosity is enabling me to continue this research into the summer. I hope to build on the foundational work being done here, and I do not take lightly the role your contribution plays in enabling this kind of innovation, and I am deeply grateful for your support.