Project Grant DESC0022429

Visolis, Inc. received a $256,500 project grant award from the Department of Energy Office of Science on February 22, 2021 to support production of renewable aromatic compounds from lignocellulosic feedstocks. The project was conducted in Hayward, California under the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA #81.049), which aims to transform understanding of nature and advance U.S. energy and economic security through scientific discoveries and tools. Specifically, the award funded...

This $300,000 Project Grant awarded by the USDA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) aims to demonstrate the feasibility of producing chirally pure (R)-3-hydroxybutyrate (R-3HB) from plant waste materials, such as wood and crop leftovers, by modifying Clostridium pathways. The research will create and test two different R-3HB production pathways in Clostridium, then combine and further optimize the approaches to boost R-3HB yields in the bacterium. If successful, this work...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) awarded a $649,556 project grant to the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, doing business as the University of Nebraska, to develop processes for converting lignin, a byproduct of lignocellulosic biofuel production, into value-added chemicals. The goal is to engineer a specific microorganism to produce high-value chemicals, such as monomers for nylon 6,6 production, from aromatic compounds...

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, awarded $175,000 under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program to KSE, Inc. of Sunderland, Massachusetts. The award will support KSE's efforts to develop and scale an integrated process for converting lignocellulosic waste streams into 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) at high selectivity without pre-treatment of biomass compounds. Key activities include improving reactive...

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program (CFDA 10.212) supports the development of a novel bioprocess to produce n-butanol, an industrial solvent and advanced biofuel, from low-cost agricultural residues such as corn stalk. The $175,000 award to Bio-Missions LLC, a for-profit, veteran-owned limited liability company, aims to...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator Track M award of $649,990 to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) supports the development and commercialization of a family of sustainable bio-based plastics derived from hydroxy fatty acids. Key activities include scaling up monomer synthesis, conducting polymer characterization and recycling assessments, and performing techno-economic and life cycle analyses. RPI is collaborating with Danimer Scientific, a bioplastics...

Lakril Technologies Corporation received a $256,000 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation to develop and commercialize a process for producing bio-based acrylic acid and acrylates using lactic acid derived from corn and sugar crops. The grant falls under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program, which seeks to advance science, engineering, and innovation leading to breakthrough technologies and solutions to national challenges. Specifically, Lakril will...

This $1,000,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemistry, under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049), supports research at New York University to develop methods for converting lignin from pulp and paper waste into useful chemical feedstocks. Principal Investigator Tianning Diao aims to establish a microscopic reverse biosynthesis process using titanium-mediated depolymerization and electrocatalytic methods, drawing inspiration from...

This National Science Foundation Project Grant of $198,114 supports collaborative research at Michigan State University to develop a low-energy tandem process for fractionating and reversibly preserving lignocellulose using multifunctional aldehyde sulfonic acids. The research will test the hypothesis that aldehyde sulfonic acids can more effectively and selectively fractionate lignocellulose than current mineral/organic acid and aldehyde combinations under mild conditions. It aims to maximize...

This $650,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (CFDA 10.212) to Kse, Inc. (dba KSE Inc.), a self-certified small disadvantaged business, aims to evaluate, optimize, and demonstrate novel technology to selectively convert lignocellulose waste streams into the value-added chemical 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) at pilot-scale. The project involves improving processes for converting...