NSF Award
2435227
This award is funded by NSF Global Centers program, an innovative partnership with funding agencies in Canada, Finland, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom, to jointly support use-inspired research addressing global challenges through the bioeconomy. These partnerships leverage resources to tackle challenges at a larger scale than would be possible for one funding agency alone. This Center is jointly supported by NSF, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the National Research Foundation of Korea, and UK Research and Innovation.<br/><br/>One pressing challenge is the development of environmentally and economically sustainable bio-derived composites and plastics. The Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts (GCSB) tackles this challenge. It leverages expertise from the US, Canada, Republic of Korea, and the UK. Scientists from Japan and Finland also participate to this effort, together with collaborators from the global industrial sectors. The international team fosters innovative approaches aiming at converting and utilizing waste biomass for bioplastics. The research focuses on four thrusts: (i) sustainable bio-utilization of high-volume bioresources; (ii) intrinsic carbon negativity of the conversion process; (iii) economic sustainability and development of products compatible with the environment; (iv) fundamental science and engineering of biorefining. The Center also promotes an innovative educational program, reaching out to a large body of students across borders, from K-12 to graduate students. <br/><br/>The GCSB advances the chemistry of biomass pre-processing to reduce recalcitrance factors and genetically manipulate microbes to maximize polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) productivity and properties. PHA is incorporated into composites with biofillers such as nanocellulose and nanolignin, for 3D/4D printing. The program approach is guided by life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) which validate the biorefinery platform approach. All components of the starting bioresources are fully utilized with consistent sustainability requirements. A targeted 3D/4D printing studies is directed toward preparing functional structures/sensors that respond to environmental pressures and are inspired by biodesign. The GCSB integrates these activities to achieve technological breakthroughs. It also provides a robust learning platform for future centers and traditional and non-traditional international students. Educational thrusts in biorefining and sustainability include: (a) hybrid STEM outreach programs for K-12 students with international experts for next-generation professionals; (b) research opportunities in biorefinery, biomanufacturing, genetic engineering, synthetic biology, modeling, and LCA and TEA at international collaborators’ institutions; (c) technical sessions at international conferences on the theme of GCSB; (d) summer research opportunities in STEM fields for underrepresented students; (e) an interdisciplinary bioeconomy course; (f) an educational book on bioeconomy and biorefining.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
