Office of Sustainability

CSES 5400/6400: Bioenergy and the Environment, offered through the College of Agriculture, focuses on teaching students the role of bioenergy in reducing the environmental problems related to the use of fossil fuels and addressing declining rural economies. The class summarizes the impacts of fossil fuel use on the environment and human populations with focuses on identifying bioenergy crop species and agricultural practices used in their production. Graduate students research new crops that could be used as bioenergy crops in the US or other parts of the world.

The Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts was established to bring bioenergy and bioproduct opportunities to the state of Alabama and the Southeast. Auburn University is surrounded by renewable forest and agricultural biomass resources, making it ideally suited to conduct research on renewable energy. The Center has identified several universal research gaps that are barriers to the development of alternative fuels and energy and strives to fill these gaps through targeted program objectives. The Center is a catalyst for the development of bioenergy and bioproduct ideas, which will enhance Alabama’s economy and the quality of life for all by providing jobs for Alabama residents and developing green energy solutions.

Methane is an important biofuel, the main component of natural gas, and a potent greenhouse gas. Therefore, a better understanding of how nature makes this energy-rich and relatively inert gas may lead to the development of strategies for the production and/or conversion of natural gas as well as reduction of natural greenhouse gas emissions. Steven Mansoorabadi of the College of Science and Mathematics conducts research that could help mitigate sources of greenhouse gas emissions through the development of technologies for methane capture and conversion. This research could also help identify new targets for inhibitors of the formation of methane.