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5 March 2018 -The Renewable Oil Generated with Ultra-productive Energycane (ROGUE) project has received $10.6 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to create energycane (enhanced sugarcane) and miscanthus (elephant grass) to increase production of alternative fuels, including bio-based alternative jet fuel. ROGUE consists of researchers from the University of Illinois, University of Florida, Mississippi State University and Brookhaven National Lab. The team will expand on work previously funded by DOE that achieved 8% oil content in these crops. The team will apply synthetic biology so the crops will reach up to 20% oil content by reducing sugar production potentially making them more productive and profitable than other feedstocks, such as corn and soybeans. The oil will be extracted with technology patented by the University of Illinois. The team also aims to improve photosynthetic efficiency to reduce water and nitrogen content to help offset the disadvantages of increasing oil content, such as lower yields and weaker plant defenses.
Read more about the project here.
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