Bioeconomy Institute

The objective of this project is to develop a genetically engineered biomass crop (switchgrass) that can be processed in a biorefinery to produce a family of biodegradable, biobased polymers, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and energy. The project focuses on developing transgenic plants that produce PHAs at economic levels and retain robust agronomic characteristics. This project will apply recent advances in plant gene expression technology coupled with high-throughput metabolic profiling.

Principal Investigators:

Eve Wurtele, Iowa State University

Basil Nikolau, Iowa State University

Associated Contracts or Grants:

Advanced Biorefinery Feedstocks (US Department of Agriculture)

Participating and/or Sponsoring Organizations:

USDA
United State Department of Energy
Metabolix, Inc.