Bioeconomy Institute

Biocomplexity in the BioEconomy

The overall objective of Biocomplexity in the BioEconomy: The Natural and Industrial Ecology of Biobased Products is to assess the potential ecological, economic, and social impacts of a large-scale transition to the use of biomass-derived feedstock for the production of energy, fuels and products. Considerable emphasis is being placed on shifting bioproduction from a function that is largely food-based to one in which a variety of chemical feedstocks are generated. Most studies to date suggest that products made from biomass have lower net greenhouse gas emissions than similar petroleum-based products. However, there are several important unknowns, such as changes in nutrient flows through agricultural and environmental systems and the societal impacts of a shift from petroleum-based to biobased products, and the economic impacts and resultant policy implications are uncertain.

This research comprises a set of interdisciplinary studies to improve our understanding of the interactions between the economic, social, biological and environmental components important to producers, society, and rural economic development.

Principal Investigators:

Robert Anex, Iowa State University

Joe Colletti, Iowa State University

Tom Richard, Penn State University

Clare Hinrichs, Penn State University

Suzie Greenhalgh, World Resources Institute

Lee Lynd, Dartmouth College

Associated Contracts or Grants:

Understanding Biocomplexity: Developing Methods of Defining Sustainable Uses for Agricultural Products, National Science Foundation, Grant No. BES-0407854 Potential Benefits and Risks of the Production of Bulk Chemicals from Renewable Resources, U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), through a grant to Professor Tillman Gerngross of Dartmouth College

Participating and/or Sponsoring Organizations:

National Science Foundation - Material Use: Science, Engineering and Society (MUSES)
World Resources Institute
Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College