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 The Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory, or IBRL, will
be a flexible, plug-and-play, pilot scale facility and
analytical laboratory that will bring faculty, students, and
industry together to develop efficient and economical strategies
for the production of renewable bio-based products. The facility
will be housed on the campus of the College of Agricultural,
Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES).
U of I President Robert Easter gave a brief history of the
project’s evolution, which began in 1998. After initial approval
of $20 million in finance construction by the General Assembly,
and support from the Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity (DCEO), an economic downturn put the project on
hold. Easter acknowledged the many people who kept a vision for
the facility, including Governor Pat Quinn.
“The governor has been a staunch supporter of this project for a
long time,”” said Easter. “Our deep appreciation goes to
Governor Quinn, the General Assembly, and the DCEO for their
confidence in the ability of the university to contribute
significantly through the work that will go on at this
facility.”
Easter said it is critical for the university to take the long
view in bioprocessing research. “Fossil fuel supplies are
geologically limited,” said Easter, “and it won’t be that far in
the future when that supply will be reduced and constrained.
Inevitably, the discussion will return again to plant-based
materials as a source of fuel, and also as a source of bio-based
products. It’s critical that the university continue to do the
work that will be the basis for that new economy.”
Hans-Peter Blaschek, director of the IBRL and professor emeritus
in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, said,
“The time it took to get the IBRL under way allowed us to design
a facility that will be both relevant and useful to faculty,
students, and industry partners for years to come. The facility
was designed to advance research and education focused on
renewable fuels, food co-products, and fiber-based processing
platforms.”
Blaschek gave examples of current work that demonstrate the need
for such a facility.
“This morning we had presentations from faculty teams describing
recent projects at the intersection of plant and microbial
genetics and bioprocessing. These projects brought together
faculty expertise not normally found working together. Another
example is a project we currently have with the Illinois
Department of Transportation, specifically looking at the
feasibility of incorporating energy crops along Illinois highway
right-of-ways,” Blaschek said. “The IBRL will provide the
infrastructure to support this type of team-based research and
builds off the existing programs and faculty expertise that we
already have.
“There is no question that Illinois has a long history of being
good at fundamental and basic research,” Blaschek continued.
“Moving from basic research discoveries in bioprocessing to
commercial products requires a unique facility where various
materials, including plant and plant co-products, can be tested
for their suitability for bioprocessing to value-added products.
The IBRL fills this gap in the channel from innovative research
to market application and commercial products.”
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Jim Underwood, executive director of the state of Illinois’s Capital
Development Board (CDB), also participated in the ceremony. The CDB
is the construction arm of the Illinois state government and the
organization that will oversee the project. Underwood said, “The
state funding for the $24 million project would not have been
available without the passage of the governor’s Illinois Jobs Now!
state capital bill in 2009.” Underwood also noted that the project
will be designed and constructed to the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification by the U.S. Green
Building Council in terms of sustainability and energy efficiency,
saving energy costs for many years to come.
Chancellor Phyllis Wise spoke to the many opportunities the IBRL
will provide the state and the university. “Through the IBRL, we
will be able to translate fundamental research into work that will
help ensure the economic prosperity of the state,” said Wise. “And
while we’re helping the state push agriculture industry forward,
IBRL will provide a great new education opportunity for our students
to experience research from its inception to its application.”
Robert Hauser, dean of the College of ACES, asked for comments from
representatives in industry to close the ceremony, saying successful
partnerships between the university and industry would be key to the
success of the new facility.
Chris Olsen, vice president of community and government affairs with
Tate & Lyle, said, “We’re tremendously excited about this
opportunity on campus. We believe it’s something that will lead to
technology transfer back into Illinois. We work on a regular basis
with companies developing bioproducts, and we believe that the
facility we’re celebrating here today is completing a package that
will make Illinois a leader in the sustainable bio-based economy.”
Construction of the IBRL is expected to begin next month and should
be completed in 2016.
Following the ceremony, the John W. Maitland Biotechnology
Leadership Award was presented to Robert Flider, director of the
Illinois Department of Agriculture. The award is given by the
Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization (iBIO) and goes to a
government official who has provided outstanding support to the
Illinois biotechnology community. The award was presented by David
Miller, president and chief executive officer of iBIO.
[Leanne Lucas, University of
Illinois] |
