NCERC Plays an Important Role in Decarbonizing Industry
Posted May 28, 2021
By Jackie Pohlman, Director of Business Development & Client Relations
May 2021
NCERC’s roots in the corn ethanol industry are strong and the role we’ve played over the years is something we’re proud of. Since 2003, the researchers at NCERC have assisted countless ingredient and technology providers with improving their processes and products, supporting the efficiency of the corn ethanol industry as a whole and bringing down its carbon intensity.
In fact, every single corn ethanol facility in the United States is using a technology that has passed through NCERC’s doors on its way to commercialization. Moreover, the use of corn ethanol in the United States’ fuel supply is a significant step in reducing the transportation sector’s carbon intensity as its carbon intensity is 46% lower than gasoline’s. Experts expect that number to grow as the ethanol industry continues to innovate and lower its own carbon intensity.
Through its support of the ethanol industry, NCERC has contributed directly to decarbonizing the transportation sector. We plan to continue to have a hand in corn-to-biofuel and even corn-to-bioproduct production as biorefineries continue to expand and diversify their product portfolios. In fact, we now think of biorefineries as “bio-campuses”, as the alcohol products and coproducts that these facilities produce continue to evolve.
Biofuels are at the heart of NCERC’s mission, and we’re excited about the novel ways we’re contributing to the advancement of biofuels and biotechnology. Our work in the conversion of municipal solid waste (MSW) to biofuel has made significant strides recently with the funding of a grant proposal that was submitted to SIUE’s Transitional and Exploratory Projects (STEP) grant program by Jie Dong, PhD, NCERC’s Director of Fermentation. NCERC is also continuing to improve the conversion of cellulosic materials and agricultural wastes to biofuel through contractual research and self-initiated research projects. The success of these projects will further contribute to the decarbonization of biofuels through robust conversion methods that allows biorefineries to diversify their feedstock streams.
The carbon economy we’ve entered into sets the stage for NCERC to continue to play a role in decarbonizing industries outside of the transportation sector. For example, many of the companies we work with are scaling up bio-based chemicals and products with intentions to replace products that are currently being manufactured using fossil fuel-based feedstocks. Not only will the success of these products mitigate the amount of fossil fuel industry relies on, but it will boost economies by finding new uses for renewable feedstocks, agricultural products, and even waste.
The USDA’s “An Economic Impact Analysis of the U.S. Biobased Products Industry” found that the value added to the U.S. economy by biobased products was $459 billion in 2016, resulting in 4.65 million jobs. USDA also found that the development of renewable chemicals and biobased products removed 12.7 mmt of CO2 from the manufacturing sector in 2016 alone.
Finding alternatives to fossil-based products is a critical component in the plan to decarbonize, and NCERC will continue to play an important role in assisting companies with this mission. Utilizing a variety of bio-based feedstocks and converting them to valuable products is what NCERC does best, and we’re eager to partner with companies who are committed to a greener path forward.
