The Bioeconomy Institute drives innovation through experimentation and analysis to invent and improve products and processes for the bioeconomy.
What the Bioeconomy Institute does
- Develops, tests, and builds bioproducts and bioprocessing pathways
- Invests in interdisciplinary research teams working at the intersection of energy, bioproducts, critical materials, and artificial intelligence
- Serves as an incubator, foundry, and innovation hub that accelerates commercialization
- Strengthens research, workforce development, and industry engagement through fee-for-service testing and strategic partnerships with ISU Centers, industry leaders, and regional and national organizations
Resources supported through the Bioeconomy Institute
We host world-class bioprocessing facilities, including an anaerobic digestion lab, hydrotreaters, and a pilot pyrolysis unit.
Recent publications on Processing Systems
- Bandara, K, M Mohandessi, H Radhakrishnan, SUI Uday, X Bai, C Wan. 2026. Upcycling plastic waste into polyhydroxyalkanoates with high carbon conversion via CO2 plasma-enabled deconstruction. Green Chemistry, 28(29): 12286–12296.
- Coffman, I, X Ge, T Pham, S Tyree, Y Li, K Vorst, T Daugaard, X Bai. 2027. An integrated anaerobic digestion–pyrolysis strategy for valorizing highly contaminated, co–mingled municipal solid waste. Fuel, 428, 140356.
- Noroozi, K, H Chen, VM Hupp, MA Blenner, RC Brown, Z Wen, LR Jarboe. 2026. Nitrogen management in the optimization of microbial plastic waste upcycling. Bioresources and Bioprocessing, 13(1), 51.
- Rahic, E, CJ Hess, RC Brown, Z Wen. 2026. Biomass pyrolysis-derived aqueous phase as a laccase inducer in Pleurotus ostreatus: laccase production, properties, and applications. Bioresources and Bioprocessing, 13(1), 41.
- Rodriguez-Ocasio, E, K Noroozi, A Khalid, J Brown, RC Brown, MA Blenner, LR Jarboe. 2026. Adaptive evolution of Candida maltosa improves the bioconversion of depolymerized plastic feedstock by targeting biosurfactant production. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 92(4), e02056-25.
- Uday, SUI, X Bai. 2026. Valorization of waste polyolefins to butene, unsaturated fatty alcohols, and branched alkenes using CO2 and plasma catalyst. Journal of Cleaner Production, 554, 148134.