**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** BUILDINGOPERATIONS AND MATERIALSACCOUNT FOR MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF GLOBAL CLIMATE EMISSIONS. HOWEVER, THE BUILDING INDUSTRYHAS THE POTENTIAL TO BETRANSFORMED FROM A SIGNIFICANTEMITTER INTO A CARBON SINK THROUGH THE USE OF HIGHLY-INSULATING, PLANT-BASED BUILDING MATERIALS. WE ESTIMATE THATABOVEGROUND BUILDING MATERIALSHAVE THE POTENTIAL TO AVOIDAND STORE AS MUCH AS 144 GIGATONNES OF CARBON DIOXIDE BETWEEN NOW AND 2050. THIS ESTIMATE EXCLUDES THE ADDITIONAL CLIMATE BENEFIT THAT WOULD RESULT FROMENERGY SAVINGS OF THE PROPOSED BIOGENICSTRUCTURAL INSULATION IN NEAR-ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS. THE POTENTIAL OF THE PROPOSED TECHNLOGYIS SIGNIFICANT GIVEN THAT GLOBAL CLIMATE EMISSIONS CURRENTLY TOTAL ~40 GIGATONNES CO2E PER YEAR.MOREOVER, CROP RESIDUES FROM GLOBAL SMALL AND COARSE GRAIN CROPS ANNUALLY PRODUCE MORE THAN FOUR TIMES THE BIOMASS NEEDED TO PROVIDE MATERIALS FOR ALL ABOVEGROUND PORTIONS OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION WORLDWIDE, EVEN WITHGLOBAL BUILDING STOCK EXPECTED TO DOUBLE INFLOOR AREABY 2060.THIS PHASE I PROJECT WILL RESEARCH A NOVEL BONDING METHOD TO MANUFACTURE A PLANT-BASED, STRUCTURAL INSULATION CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING TWO- TO FIVE-STORY BUILDINGS. THE RESEARCH AIMS TO DEMONSTRATE DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENTS INCOMPRESSION STRENGTH AND COST RELATIVE TO EXISTING BIOGENIC BUILDING MATERIALS.THE ANTICIPATED RESULT IS A BIOBASED, STRUCTURAL INSULATING COMPOSITE MATERIAL THAT IS FIRE-RESISTANT AND CARBON-STORING. IT WILL SIMPLIFY CONSTRUCTION OF ULTRA-LOW ENERGY BUILDINGS BY INTEGRATING MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS (STRUCTURE, SHEATHING, INSULATION, AND BACKING FOR AIR- AND WATER-CONTROL LAYERS) INTO HAND-LIFTABLE COMPONENTS. RESULTING SUPER-INSULATED WALL ASSEMBLIES ARE ANTICIPATED TO BE COST COMPETITIVE WITH CONVENTIONAL CONSTRUCTION AT SCALE. IF SUCCESSFUL, THE BIOCOMPOSITE WILL DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF BUILDINGS, CREATE NEW INCOME STREAMS FOR FARMERS THAT CAN SUPPORT THEIR TRANSITIONTO CLIMATE-SMART AGRONOMIC PRACTICES FORMILLIONS OF U.S. ACRES DEDICATED TO COMMODITY CROPS, AND CREATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES IN AGRICULTURALLY-RELATED MANUFACTURING THROUGH LOW MICROFACTORY STARTUP COSTS.