In 2007 the Taylor family, owners of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, joined forces with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, one of the leading plant science research facilities in the world, to create the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels. Established with a generous $25 million dollar grant from the Taylor family, the Institute is dedicated to the development of the next generation of alternative fuel technologies, with the goal of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on non-renewable resources. "For 50 years, this company that my father built from the ground up has relied on the availability of vehicles and fuel. Today, more than ever, it is essential that we pursue new energy sources that will sustain not only our business, but also the environment around us for future generations.” -- Andy Taylor, chairman and chief executive officer of Enterprise RAC Dr. Richard Sayre, one of the nation’s leading biofuels researchers, joined the Danforth Center in September of 2008 as the director of the Institute. Dr. Sayre and his team of 10 researchers are primarily focused on using algae to produce "third-generation" biofuels that someday could be used on a large scale to power cars, trucks, and aircraft. This complements the larger body of biofuels research underway at the Danforth Center.
	“Extracting oil from algae to produce a more sustainable biofuel is one of the most promising and exciting areas of biofuels research today,” said Sayre, “Algae have significant potential as a clean, renewable, and economical fuel source. And, because algae are not used as food, they are a biofuel source that does not compete with the food supply.” Photosynthesis and Biofuels The focus of Sayre’s photosynthesis research program is the characterization of energy transfer processes in photosystem II (PSII) reaction center complexes. Researchers working in the Sayre lab use recombinant DNA techniques to generate site-directed mutations in chloroplast genes encoding proteins of the PSII complex. The mutants are characterized using a variety of biochemical and biophysical techniques. Presently, we are testing models for alternate electron and energy transfer pathways among the PSII reaction center electron transfer cofactors. Recently, new research programs on microalgal biofuel production have been initiated in the Sayre lab that focus on the development of commercially viable biofuel production systems using transgenic microalgae. Scientists are engineering algae to have increased photosynthetic efficiency as well as for enhanced oil production. They are also developing novel oil extraction technologies that reduce the costs of biofuel production. News Headlines
	- ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR INSTITUTE FOR RENEWABLE FUELS TAPS DR. RICHARD SAYRE, LEADING BIOFUELS RESEARCHER, AS DIRECTOR - DANFORTH PLANT SCIENCE CENTER AWARDED $15 MILLION FROM US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY TO ESTABLISH ENERGY FRONTIER RESEARCH CENTER - Domestic Fuel Cast: Midwest a Good Place for Algae Biodiesel
	Institute Researchers
	Dr. Richard Sayre, PI Dr. Shayani Pieris Dr. Daniel Coury Dr. Clayton Stroff Dr. Brad Postier Dr. Vanessa Falcao Dr. Peizhen Yang Ms. Zoee Gokhale Mr. Anil Kumar