National Biodiesel Board Grants $1.2 Million to
the Center to Increase Oil Production in Soybeans
As the demand for alternative fuels increases,
Danforth Center scientists have secured more
than $1.2 million in funding from the National
Biodiesel Board for a three-year research
project to enhance oil production in soybeans.
With support from the U.S. Department
of Transportation, their goal is to increase
America’s supply of renewable oil used in the
Jan Jaworski
production of biodiesel.
Danforth Center Principal Investigators Drs.
Ed Cahoon, Jan Jaworski, Joe Jez, and Sam
Wang (Wang is also the E. Desmond Lee and
Family Endowed Professor at the University of
Missouri-St. Louis) are conducting collaborative
research to increase oil production in soybean
seeds by altering specific biochemical pathways
that are embedded within the soybean plant.
Joe Jez
“This grant is yet another of the Danforth
Center’s unique partnerships for supporting
basic plant science research. In this case, the
partnership will address the pressing needs for
more efficient methods to produce fuels from
renewable plant sources,” said Danforth Center
President Dr. Roger Beachy.
Biodiesel is an environmentally safe fuel that
can reduce life cycle carbon emissions by 78
Sam Wang
percent. In 2007, biodiesel’s contribution to
reducing greenhouse gas emissions was the
equivalent of removing 700,000 passenger
vehicles from America’s roadways. Biodiesel
is also an efficient fuel, creating 3.5 units of
energy for each unit of energy consumed in
the production of the fuel. Using less energy
to produce more oil from the same acreage
is a fundamental step toward sustainability
and security.
8 2008 Annual Report
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