Thomas Clemente and Edgar Cahoon lead Nebraska’s participation in the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, a U.S. Department of Energy-funded initiative focused on development and marketing of bioenergy crops, biofuels and other bioproducts. Clemente, Eugene W. Price Distinguished Professor of Biotechnology, and Cahoon, George W. Holmes Professor of Biochemistry, pursue work to transform sorghum into a sustainable feedstock for the bioeconomy, particularly for renewable diesel and jet fuel. To accomplish this, the researchers are using biotechnology tools to develop sorghum germplasm that accumulates vegetable oils in the plant’s stems and leaves. The research center is based at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and unites 20 partner institutions.
