Understanding Lignocellulose: Synergistic Computational and Analytic Methods

Combining Molecular Modeling and Experimental Analyses. Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant material, but fundamental questions remain about the microscopic origins of its properties. Recent multidisciplinary work has led to major advances in our understanding of connections between the structure of biomass and its mechanical properties and natural recalcitrance to chemical conversion. This work highlights how traditional and cutting-edge methods can be combined to obtain both fundamental insights and pathways to renewable bioproducts.