Biobased Products

Resource, Sep 2008 by Buchanan, Gale A, Dunn, Joseph A, Fischer, James R, Johnson, Stanley R, Finnell, Janine A

Achieving greater energy security for the United States and the rest of the word means utilizing multiple approaches. In the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), giving greater visibility and relevance to biobased products has been an area of focus for many years. This effort was a major research priority during World War II in the search for alternative natural sources for rubber. Today, some of the research initiated more than a half century ago is paying off with commercial production of natural latex from guayule. Recent advances in science, and in particular, molecular biology and plant genetics, can and will shorten the time to develop significant new agricultural and forestry "crops" that will produce the cost-effective products the world needs to ensure sustainable energy security. This third feature in the energy series describes some of the advances in research that are currently being used to develop improved bioproducts for years to come.

Biobased products derived from renewable biologically based feedstocks are garnering attention as a way to create new industries, employment, and income; provide new markets for farm commodities; increase national security by lessening dependence on foreign oil; and improve the environment through the use of non-toxic, usually biodegradable or recyclable, products that can minimize our country's carbon footprint. Their unique attributes can help to enhance their market value and compete in both conventional and niche markets. For example, fabrics made with DuPont(TM) Sorona� corn-based polymer resist sun bleaching and are used in apparel such as swimwear to help colors retain clarity. Natureworks� polylactic acid (PLA) bottles use a revolutionary type of plastic made from corn that biodegrades in a commercial composting facility. One organic dairy, Naturally Iowa, Inc., packages its milk in PLA containers and uses the slogan "We Milk the Cows and Grow the Bottles" to increase its competitive advantage among increasingly environmentally conscious consumers. Biodegradable films made from Mirel(TM) bioplastic (Metabolix, Inc.) have properties unique to this class of fat-based polymers.

The USDA has a long history of applying agricultural research and development to expand value-added food and nonfood products from commodities and undervalued products of agriculture into domestic and international markets. The USDA has contributed to the research and development and/or purchase of numerous bioproducts, such as soy lubricants and corn-based absorbents, through its Energy Alternatives National Program (NP 307), Quality and Utilization of Agricultural Products National Program (NP 306), and BioPreferred Program, elaborated on below.

Adding value to biofuels' production

Research under the auspices of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), NP 307 is expanding the bioproducts that can be derived from biofuels production. Whereas petroleum refineries produce dozens of fuels and chemical intermediates, most biorefineries are dedicated to a single primary product and by-product such as ethanol and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and biodiesel and crude glycerol. Petroleum refineries have a higher profit margin on the specialty co-products that are made along with commodity fuels. Furthermore, they can shift production to make one product versus another, if the price is right. This model can be replicated with biobased fuels and products. USDA researchers are examining how bioproducts from corn-based ethanol, biodiesel, as well as "next generation" biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol and bio-oil, can aid in the successful commercialization of the biofuels industry by enabling high-value products that can significantly and positively impact the economics of bioenergy production.

Corn-based ethanol

The ethanol industry is growing rapidly, and better utilization of the co-products of the manufacture can help to make ethanol production more economically feasible with less reliance on government subsidy. Co-products from processing corn grain into ethanol include enriched protein and fat products for livestock feed, high-value corn oil, phytosterols (plant sterols structurally similar to cholesterol that act in the intestine to lower cholesterol absorption), sweeteners, adhesives, and environmentally sensitive materials.

Researchers at ARS's Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC), Wyndmoor, Penn., have been working on ethanol co-products for more than 15 years. Researchers have turned ethanol byproducts into a valuable food emulsifier that can be used in hundreds of food products and can replace imported and expensive gum arabic. Other researchers have developed a method to produce a healthy corn oil from the ethanol process that contains the natural pigments zeaxanthin and lutein, which are necessary for eye health and preventing age-related macular degeneration. In addition, several processes have been developed to make cholesterollowering oils from corn byproducts. These cholesterol-lowering products are now used in foods and dietary supplements around the world.