It Began with the Amoeba

This month's cover story is devoted to a discussion on the concept of biorefining. Interestingly, many scientists do not consider biorefining a new concept, but rather a return to processing biobased products – in place of petroleum – for fuel, industrial products, valuable chemical intermediates and food nutrients. Biorefining, the ability to break biomass down into its most essential components, is as old as life itself. In fact, we are all, in a sense, miniature biorefineries, processing food into hundreds of different nutrients and chemicals that power our bodies, helping us fight disease and giving us energy and good health. Perhaps the amoeba was the world's first biorefinery. So while Mother Nature has been biorefining for ages, the trick is to recreate this natural process on a commercial scale and make it economically viable. The Cargill/Dow facility in Nebraska is a great example of converting corn to higher value products through the biorefinery concept. Genencor, Novozymes, Alltech and Iogen of Canada have made tremendous strides in helping develop enzymes that make the biorefinery process more efficient and cost effective. The Department of Energy (DOE), through their regional laboratories such as NREL, has made the biorefinery issue a top research priority.

Fuel ethanol is produced in a biorefinery, but as a relatively low-value, mass-produced product. There are hundreds of other higher-value products that can be produced from the same grain feedstocks. We are on the brink of major advances in the field of biorefining and, in the years ahead, farmers around the world will reap the benefits of a new era of value-added agriculture.

USDA Task Force Underway

I was fortunate to have been selected to serve on a nine-person task force appointed by Congress to investigate the possible creation of a United States Department of Agriculture Research Institute. Our charge is to review the research opportunities such an institute may provide and to examine the possible pitfalls as well. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has some of the brightest and best researchers in the world, yet does not receive federal research funding proportional to their capabilities. Earmarks and special interests are sopping up more and more research dollars and agencies like the USDA are often hamstrung to do anything about it. The creation of a National Research Institute may help to provide a more focused research effort on the part of USDA and, in doing so, secure an appropriate amount of federal funding. The challenge before us is formidable, but we are committed to delivering to Congress our very best effort.

Have a great month!


Mike Bryan
President, BBI International
mike@bbiethanol.com