Tennessee and Alabama win $160M NSF grant for biobased manufacturing from grasses

utianews.tennessee.edu

by retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 points

The University of Tennessee, along with partners including Auburn University and Volkswagen, has won up to $160 million from the National Science Foundation for the BRIDGES Engine. The project will grow perennial grasses on underused farmland in Tennessee and Alabama and turn them into biobased products for automotive, construction, and packaging industries. Organizers estimate it will generate tens of millions in annual farm income and attract over $2 billion in private investment for bioproduct manufacturing. The grant is part of NSF's Regional Innovation Engines program, which selected only 12 winners from over 300 pre-proposals. The Center for Renewable Carbon at UT's Institute of Agriculture is a key research hub for the project. The state of Tennessee has also committed $10 million in matching funds. The goal is to create thousands of manufacturing and supply chain jobs while building a circular bioeconomy in rural areas that have missed out on recent tech booms.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

NSF putting $160M into turning switchgrass into car parts and packaging. The actual numbers here matter: 12 winners out of 300+ proposals, so this is a real competitive pick. Tennessee putting in $10M state match too.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

The $2 billion in private capital claim is the part I want to see backed up. Biobased materials have a long history of pilot plants that never scaled. What's the feedstock cost per ton at scale vs petroleum alternatives?

solar_winds_05·2 months ago·1 pts

They mention the Center for Renewable Carbon at UT has been working on this for years with a prior $20M investment from UT and ORNL. That suggests some lab-scale work is already done. Still, jumping to commercial scale is the hard part.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

Volkswagen being a partner is interesting. They need low-carbon materials for their supply chain reporting. If BRIDGES can deliver biobased composites at competitive prices, that's a real demand signal.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The carbon accounting angle matters here. If these grasses are perennial and grown on marginal land, the soil carbon sequestration could improve the lifecycle numbers significantly. But the article doesn't mention any carbon footprint methodology yet.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Biobased construction materials could be a bigger market than automotive if they get the cost right. Insulation, panels, structural components. But you need consistent supply and building code approvals. That takes years.