In the heart of Iowa, scientists are building a sustainable future, one biomass pellet and drone scan at a time.
Nestled on over 1,100 acres in Boone County, Iowa, the BioCentury Research Farm (BCRF) is more than just farmland. It is a living laboratory where the entire future of the bioeconomy is being built, tested, and scaled 3 4 .
Established in 2009 as the first-in-the-nation integrated facility dedicated to biomass production and processing, the BCRF operates on a powerful premise: to tackle the challenge of renewable energy and bioproducts, you must innovate across the entire system, from the soil to the fuel tank 1 5 .
This unique approach brings together agronomists, engineers, and economists to solve one of our time's most pressing questions: how to meet global energy and material needs sustainably.
Grant-Funded Research
Undergraduate Students
Cost Reduction in Stover Production
Year Established
The BCRF's genius lies in its integrated model that allows for continuous innovation across the entire biomass value chain.
Scientists work on making biomass harvesting, storage, and transportation more efficient, having already reduced the cost of corn stover production by 40% compared to early benchmarks 2 .
The farm boasts a specialized building for drying, grinding, and sizing biomass, providing clean, high-quality material for researchers across the nation 2 .
This is where the magic happens, using both thermochemical and biological methods to transform raw biomass into valuable products 2 .
The backbone of the BCRF's research into creating energy and products from biomass
| Technology | Process Description | Key Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Thermochemical Autothermal Pyrolysis 2 | Rapidly heats biomass in the absence of oxygen using a novel 100% air fluidization system. | Bio-oil, fermentable sugars, phenolic oil, biochar |
| Thermochemical Biomass Gasification 2 | Converts biomass into a synthetic gas (syngas) at high temperatures, with a sophisticated cleaning system. | Clean syngas for power, fuels, or fermentation |
| Thermochemical Solvent Liquefaction 2 | Uses a proprietary solvent under moderate heat and pressure to break down woody or herbaceous biomass. | Bio-oil for refinery-ready biocrude |
| Biological Biochemical Processing 2 | Employs industrial-scale fermentation and downstream processing to create products using microorganisms. | Industrial chemicals, bioplastics |
The work at the BCRF is powered by a combination of cutting-edge physical infrastructure and digital technologies
| Item | Function in Research |
|---|---|
| Biomass Feedstocks (e.g., Corn Stover, Switchgrass, Miscanthus) 2 | The primary raw material; different feedstocks are tested for their optimal yield of sugars, oils, or other chemical building blocks. |
| Lignocellulosic Enzymes 2 | Biological catalysts used to break down tough plant cell walls into fermentable sugars during biochemical processing. |
| Proprietary Solvents 2 | Used in processes like solvent liquefaction to efficiently break down biomass into bio-oil with low oxygen content. |
| Fluidization Media (e.g., Sand, Catalysts) 2 | Provides a heated, fluid-like medium in pyrolysis and gasification reactors for uniform and efficient heat transfer to biomass. |
| Engineered Microorganisms (e.g., E. coli, Yeast) 2 | Whole-cell biocatalysts designed and optimized to consume biomass-derived sugars or syngas and produce target chemicals like itaconic acid. |
| Limestone Sorbent 2 | Injected into gasifiers to capture contaminants like sulfur, ensuring the produced syngas is clean and suitable for downstream use. |
The farm is a hub for drone research, using UAVs for crop health assessment and yield monitoring. This data supports precise variable rate management, boosting both profitability and environmental stewardship 6 .
A specialized unit that can process 22 kg of biomass per hour, allowing researchers to test pyrolysis processes at a meaningful scale before commercial deployment.
This gasification system enables researchers to convert biomass into clean syngas at a pilot scale, facilitating research into syngas applications for power, fuels, and fermentation.
The BCRF utilizes advanced drone technology for precision agriculture, enabling detailed crop monitoring and analysis that informs sustainable farming practices.
Understanding how the BCRF's biochemical platform works through a landmark experiment
Scientists first mined biological databases to find the most effective enzyme variants for the two key reactions: aconitase (ACN), which converts citrate to cis-aconitate, and cis-aconitate decarboxylase (CAD), which transforms cis-aconitate into itaconic acid 7 .
The genes for the selected enzymes (ACN from Corynebacterium glutamicum and CAD from Aspergillus terreus) were synthesized and inserted into a single pHCC-Duet plasmid vector, designed for coordinated expression in E. coli 7 .
The engineered plasmid was introduced into E. coli BL21(DE3) cells. These cells were then cultured, and their expression was induced to produce large quantities of the ACN and CAD enzymes 7 .
The cells were harvested and used as whole-cell biocatalysts in a reaction buffer containing the substrate, trisodium citrate, and magnesium chloride (MgCl₂). To maximize yield, researchers systematically optimized key parameters using a statistical Taguchi L9 array 7 .
Itaconic acid (IA) is a top platform chemical recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy. It can replace petroleum-based acrylic and methacrylic acids in:
| Optimization Parameter | Optimal Condition | Resulting Output |
|---|---|---|
| Reaction pH | 7.5 | Maximized enzyme activity and stability |
| Substrate Concentration | 400 mM | Balanced reaction speed and product yield |
| Cell Optical Density | 20 | Provided sufficient catalytic power |
| Reaction Temperature | 37°C | Ideal for enzyme and cell membrane function |
| Aconitase (ACN) Source | Cis-Aconitate Decarboxylase (CAD) Source | Relative Itaconic Acid Production (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Corynebacterium glutamicum | Aspergillus terreus | 100.0 (Baseline) |
| Escherichia coli | Aspergillus terreus | 62.5 |
| Bacillus subtilis | Aspergillus terreus | 58.3 |
| Pseudomonas putida | Aspergillus terreus | 45.8 |
Integrating breakthroughs into a cohesive, sustainable system
Integrating strip-till management with stover harvesting for more sustainable biomass production 2 .
Developing "just-in-time" delivery scheduling for biorefineries to optimize logistics and reduce costs 2 .
Pioneering modular pyrolysis refineries that can be deployed at various scales to meet local needs 2 .
The BCRF stands as a powerful testament to a collaborative, systems-thinking approach to the world's energy and environmental challenges. It is a place where the boundaries between farm and lab, between agronomist and engineer, are blurred to create a new, circular vision for industry—one that begins with a seed and has the potential to power a cleaner, more sustainable world.