Mission

The Sustainable Biofuels and CoProducts Research Unit develops methods for biorefining and crop production that support new markets and increased profitability for U.S. agriculture. We develop chemical, catalytic, thermal, enzymatic, and fermentative technologies to convert low value agricultural materials into novel high value bioproducts. We work with feedstocks including lignocellulosic biomass (e.g., fibrous crop residues, and energy crops) and lipids (e.g., vegetable oils, waste fats, oils, and greases) and produce products including advanced biofuels, antimicrobial biodegradable polymers, biosurfactants, lubricants, bio-chars, industrial carbons, food-grade emulsifiers and many others. We make crop production more sustainable via on-farm production and utilization of symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to enhance crop yields and the availability of mineral-nutrients.