CB2E: Converting Cellulosic Biomass to Ethanol

This lab sequence guides students through the process of converting plant-based fuel sources (biomass) first into sugars then ethanol. "As biomass samples are pretreated, enzymatically digested, and fermented, students use glucose meters and ethanol probes to measure the key products of this chemical conversion." During this process, students will predict the effectiveness of different biomass sources and treatment methods. Resources for both students and instructors are available through .zip, 9.4 MB download, including teacher instructions and answer key, student activities and worksheets, presentation slides, and notes.