Inside Iowa State
June 30, 2000
ISU scientists join biobased consortium
by Teddi Barron
Scientists from six institutions, including Iowa State
and the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory, have
formed a consortium that will conduct research and technology
transfer on biobased products and energy.
Other members of the Midwest Consortium for Sustainable Biobased Products and Bioenergy are Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill.; University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign; Michigan State University, East Lansing; and Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
Scientists from Iowa State's Plant Sciences Institute and the Agricultural Experiment Station will participate in the consortium's research projects and technology transfer activities.
"The goal is to develop a new chemical industry in the Midwest based on agricultural feedstocks and biotechnology," said Colin Scanes, interim director of the Plant Sciences Institute. "This requires a strong technical base for innovation and education coupled to an investment climate that encourages creativity in transferring technologies to the private sector."
Bioproducts and bioenergy are made from renewable resources such as plants. Examples include plastics made from soybeans, building materials made from corn stalks and fuels made from switchgrass. Most fuels and chemicals used today could be made from plants rather than from non-renewable petroleum sources, Scanes said.
Ames Laboratory director Tom Barton said the consortium will provide a broad-based, multi-disciplinary approach to biobased research. Ames Lab scientists frequently collaborate with colleagues at ISU and throughout the nation in exploring alternative energy sources.
Last August, President Bill Clinton issued an executive order calling for a tripling of the nation's use of biobased products and bioenergy by the year 2010. The administration proposed an increase in funding for a biobased chemicals and energy program to be led by the DOE and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition, Congress is considering several bipartisan bills related to biobased products and bioenergy.
"The biobased area is attracting a great deal of interest and support," Scanes said. "The Midwestern consortium will have the necessary resources to integrate technologies, build technical infrastructures and link the private and public partners who will bring biobased chemicals to commercial reality."
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