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	The University of Alabama in Huntsville

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	Dr. Michael H. Eley Emeritus Professor Department of Biological Sciences

Research Areas

Research Description

One major area of laboratory research is the biodegradation of lignocellulosic materials, which includes wood and woody biomass, pulp and paper products, yard wastes, and food wastes, including such materials contained in municipal solid waste. Using both microorganisms and their enzyme systems, these materials are biodegraded to sugars. The sugars are then fermented or digested by various microorganisms to produce a variety of alternative solid, liquid, and/or gaseous fuels and chemical substitutes for numerous petroleum products. The microorganisms include hypercellulolytic strains of fungi that secrete cell-free cellulases, hemicellulases, pectinases, and ligninases. We have also isolated a natural strain of the bacterium Serratia marcescens that has cell-associated cellulases and ligninases. The most interesting enzymes from this bacterium are in the lignin-degrading system, which appear to degrade the lignin into nutritional fragments that allow the bacteria to grow on lignin substrates alone. This appears to be unique since fungal ligninases only utilizes lignin as a reducing agent. Future research on the bacterial enzymes will include isolation of the cellulases and ligninases in cell-free systems and purification for further study on their catalytic and structural properties.

One major area of applied research focuses on methods for separation of the biomass components of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the non-biomass components. A process has been developed and patented for treatment of MSW with saturated steam under pressure and agitation. The process sterilizes the waste while simultaneously transforming the biomass components into a homogenous product that can be easily separated from the non-biomass components by size and density. In addition to producing sterile, steam-cleaned recyclable ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, and glass, the biomass product has been shown to be useful in the manufacture of many value-added products. Research continues to refine the process and develop more new value-added products from the biomass for commercial application of the technology in solving the MSW disposal problems of society. Click on Bio-Products International, Inc. for more details.

Selected Publications

Tim L. Rhoads, A. T. Mikell, and M. H. Eley, "Investigation of the Lignin Degrading Activity of Serratia marcescens: Biochemical Screening and Ultrastructural Evidence,"Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 41. 592-600 (1995).
M. H. Eley and J. M. Sebghati, “Thermo-Gasification of Steam Classified Municipal Solid Waste,” Bioenergy ’96 (1996) pp.830-837.
J. M. Sebghati and M. H. Eley, “Preliminary Study of the Pyrolysis of Steam Classified Municipal Solid Waste,” Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 63-65, 35-44 (1997).