THE TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR

PLANT/CROP-BASED

RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

RESEARCH PRIORITIES FOR F ULFILLING

A VISION TO E NHANCE U.S. ECONOMIC SECURITY

T HROUGH RENEWABLE PLANT /CROP-BASED RESOURCE US E

RENEWABLES VISION 2020

E XECUTIVE S TEERING GROUP
A broad range of private and public sector groups contributed to 

production of this document. This "roadmap" sets forth research 

priorities for fulfilling goals previously identified in the Plant/CropBased Renewable Resources 2020 vision document. The vision was

also the product of input from representatives from a wide range of

industries. The effort started under the leadership of the National

Corn Growers Association in 1996. Many other organizations subsequently joined the collaboration and signed the Vision Compact at 

the 1998 Commodity Classic Convention. The U.S. Department of

Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy are supportive of this

multi-industry effort.

Coordination and analysis of the inputs, organization of the workshops, and preparation of this roadmap document were carried out

by Inverizon International Inc. on behalf of the Executive Steering

Group (Appendix 1). The recent workshops were hosted by Dow

AgroSciences LLC and facilitated by Energetics Inc. (Appendices 4

and 5). Direction for the continuing Vision activities is provided by the

Executive Steering Group. 

ABOUT THIS ROADMAP
2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

5 INTRODUCTION

10 DIRECTION, GOALS, AND TARGETS

12 TECHNICAL AND MARKET BARRIERS

20 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS

27 COORDINATED APPROACH

30 APPENDICES

1. Executive Steering Group

2. Agricultural and Forestry Statistics

3. Petrochemical Statistics

4. Workshop Results: Research Needs and Priorities

5. Attendees at Renewable Resources Workshops

1 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

THE TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP

FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE

RESOURCES 2020

CONTENTS
2

The technological success of the petrochemical industry is a tough act to follow. Industry and consumers have come to expect an unending stream 

of new and improved plastics and other materials to be provided in unlimited

quantities. The fossil fuels from which the industry works, however, are finite—

and often imported—so we need an additional source of durable, highperformance materials. Renewable materials from home-grown crops, trees,

and agricultural wastes can provide many of the same chemical building

blocks—plus others that petrochemicals cannot.

Despite the expertise and ingenuity of U.S. industry and tremendous productivity of U.S. agriculture and forestry, plant-based sources cannot automatically

shoulder a major share of our chemical feedstock demand. Today, U.S. 

industry only makes minor portions of some classes of chemical products 

from plant-derived materials. Important scientific and commercial development

breakthroughs are needed. Petrochemicals, agriculture, forestry, and other

industries—as well as government—must make major coordinated efforts to

most effectively increase the use of plant-derived chemicals. This document

evaluates research, development, and other priorities for surmounting these

technological challenges and sets out a technology roadmap for increasing the

use of plant-derived materials for chemical building blocks. 

Plant/Crop-Based Renewable Resources 2020: A Vision to Enhance U.S.

Economic Security Through Renewable Plant/Crop-Based Resource Use was

published in January 1998 (see Directions, Goals, and Targets on page 10 and

back cover for print and electronic availability information). Among other things

the vision document set a target of using plant-derived materials to meet 10% of

chemical feedstock demand by 2020—a fivefold increase. The vision document

generated widespread support and led to the formation of the multi-industry

Executive Steering Group (see Appendix 1), which authored this roadmap for

meeting that target. 

Several industries will need to contribute to successfully achieve this renewable

resources vision. The Executive Steering Group therefore turned to a broad

range of disciplines, including crop production, forestry, genomics, chemical

processing, fermentation, industrial enzymes, materials science, biotechnology,

plant physiology, and product manufacturing. The steering group sought input

on key barriers, research goals, and interactions among related areas from

more than 120 scientific experts and marketing professionals. The workshops,

personal interviews, and feedback sessions provided the base for the research

and development priorities set by this 2020 vision roadmap.

TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Currently, with the exception of lumber for wood products, trees for pulp and

paper products, and cotton for garments, a very low volume of renewable

resources is used to manufacture consumer goods. Key opportunities to

increase the use of renewable resources can be grouped into four main areas: 

1. Basic plant science — e.g., altering plant metabolic pathways to produce 

certain carbon molecules with valuable functional properties

2. Production — e.g., lowering unit production costs for consistent-quality 

raw materials

3. Processing — e.g., more economically separating diverse materials

4. Utilization — e.g., improving material performance through better understanding structure-function relationships for plant constituents.

Within each of these opportunity areas, the Steering Group selected specific

goals and priorities for focused attention. Research areas with high-priority

rankings include:

■ Engineered metabolic pathways to enhance the yield of specific molecules

■ Design, production, and handling of dedicated crops

■ New separations technologies to better handle heterogeneous plant 

components

■ Advanced (bio)catalysts for monomeric and polymeric conversions

■ Elucidation of structure-function relationships for plant constituents

■ Rural development to support production, marketing, and utilization of

plants.

Balanced and coordinated advances within these research areas will pave 

the way to meeting the 2020 vision target of a fivefold increase in renewable

resource use. Figures 11A to 11D detail goals for these priority research areas.

Cost of materials surfaced many times as a major issue during the steering

group’s investigations. Lowering unit costs is critical for sustainable economic

growth. Because the best products will be those with the greatest difference

between value created and cost to produce, it is very important to understand

the true costs and values of alternative chemical feedstocks. Clearly defining

market value segments for different product types is also very valuable, as it

allows identification of high-value uses for plant-derived chemicals and 

materials. 

Improving product performance is also a key to success. Plant-based 

materials are now often viewed as inferior, especially when compared to 

highly evolved materials designed for specific uses. It is true that today’s 

renewable resource chemicals do not compete well in certain areas. 

3 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020
Starch- and plant-protein-based glues, for example, do not have the strength of

petrochemical-derived superglues. 

On the other hand, plant-derived chemicals have unique advantages for other

uses. Recombinant proteins, for example, can be designed and produced in

plants to provide tissue glues analogous to the fibrinogen that naturally forms

around a flesh wound. Emerging technologies offer dramatic new capabilities 

to alter plant metabolic pathways, opening up unprecedented opportunities to

produce high-value chemicals from renewable resources.

No one industry alone can provide the basis for major gains in renewable

resource chemical use. Although exciting research opportunities exist in areas

such as biopolymers, stereospecific molecules, new enzymes, novel materials,

and transgenic design, progress in isolated technical areas will not be sufficient.

We must take a broad view of future consumer needs and emphasize interrelated research projects conducted in a parallel and coordinated manner.

Reaching the vision target for the use of renewable resources requires focus 

in direction, integration of disciplines, application of the best scientific minds, 

utilization of the most advanced technologies, and continuing discussions at 

the highest intellectual levels. 

The long-term well-being of the nation and maintenance of a sustainable leadership position in agriculture, forestry, and manufacturing, clearly depend on current and near-term support of multidisciplinary research for the development of

a reliable renewable resource base. This document sets a roadmap and 

priorities for that research.

4 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020
This document provides a roadmap for advancing the Plant/Crop-Based

Renewable Resources 2020 vision. It was written to:

■ Support the vision direction

■ Identify the major barriers to progress

■ Focus attention on priority research areas. 

The process used to reach this defining point included the coordination of 

concept development, collection of expert testimony, organization of multidisciplinary workshops, listening sessions, priority ranking exercises, and teambased action planning. A unique aspect of the process has been the breadth of

professional experts involved, from growers to chemists, to biotechnologists, 

to petroleum-derived material scientists, to marketers of renewable and nonrenewable products. Further details are given in the appendices.

The approach taken for this roadmap

was to use the Renewable Resources

2020 vision high level view as a starting

point and work through incremental layers of focus (Fig. 1) until results-oriented

priorities were defined. These priorities

are the areas where research will provide maximum leverage for sustainable

growth in the use of renewables.

The breadth of experts in use of 

bio-based feedstocks in chemical 

manufacturing involved in developing

this roadmap reflects the extent of the

science required to understand and

address the issues. However, there are

three main industries today (Fig. 2) that

are central to the issues, each of which employs several diverse sciences: 

agriculture, forestry, and the petrochemical industry.

5 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

INTRODUCTION

Coordination

Expert Inputs

Communication

Cycle of

Progress

Advances in the

Use of Renewables

Public & Private

Sector Funding

02594201m

Topographical View

(Main Barriers)

Terra-Forming View

(R&D Areas)

Vision

Results Site Development View

(R&D Priorities)

Satellite View

(Global Problem)

Figure 1. The approach taken for

the roadmap was to sharpen the

focus until priority areas for action

were defined.
AGRICULTURE/FORESTRY

Agriculture is taken in a broad sense to include crop production, range, and 

pasture lands. The output materials from these land areas, and forestry, are

"bio-based" and are renewable through primary production from solar energy,

atmospheric carbon dioxide, and terrestrial nutrients. The United States has 

significant resources in good soils, extensive natural water distribution, and a

technology base that allows both resource protection and resource use to 

generate a wealth of renewable production every year.

Crops are produced at high levels of efficiency on more than 400 million acres 

in the United States, with corn, wheat, and soybeans accounting for the majority

on both area and volume bases. Basic agricultural production provides 22 million jobs in output processing, handling, and selling feed, food, and fiber. It 

generates around $1 trillion in economic activity and makes up over 15% of

GDP. Everyone in the United States benefits through a safe and secure food

supply, more than adequate levels of nutrition, and a shopping bill that is less

than 10% of average disposable income. Although there are fewer than 2 million

farmers, the quantity and quality of crop production continues to

improve due to the efficient utilization of inputs and the effective application of new technologies. For example, in 1998, there were more

than 50 million acres of major crops that had genetically engineered

varieties or hybrids planted (Appendix 2). 

Pastures and range cover about 800 million acres in the United

States and are typically used for grazing cattle, sheep, or other ruminants. In many areas, the intensity of production is limited by relatively

low annual rainfall. However, in recent years there have been genetic

improvements in the varieties grown allowing higher yields under

restrictive conditions. 

Forestry occupies more than 650 million acres in the United States,

employs 1.4 million people, and generates $200 billion per year in

products. Wood itself is highly versatile and has many uses from furniture to energy-efficient building materials. In addition, U.S. forestry is

the source of about 100 million tons/year of paper, paperboard, and

pulp. Over the past 10 years the paper segment has increased faster than the

lumber use segment (Fig. 3). Wood and paper products have the highest recycle rate with some 40 million tons of paper per year being reused. 

The U.S. forestry industry has already developed its "Agenda 2020" vision 

and associated research pathways. Among other things, that vision calls for

additional research to improve sustainable forest productivity through advances

in biotechnology, tree physiology, soil science, and remote sensing. This 

renewable resources roadmap covers agriculture as well as forestry and seeks

6 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Petrochemical

Industry Agriculture

& Forestry

Building

Blocks

Consumer

Products

Engineering Processing

Recycling

Manufacturing

Chemistry Biotech Agronomy

02594202m

Figure 2. The majority of

consumer goods are currently

made from hydrocarbons

produced by the petrochemical

industry. Forestry contributes a

significant portion of materials

via lumber and pulp, while

agriculture is primarily focused

on feed and food provision.

Scientific developments will

allow changes in the relative

contributions of these two

industries and the chemical

industry, leading to increased use

of renewable inputs.
to complement the forestry Agenda 2020 effort, focusing in particular on use of

both agriculture and forestry materials for chemical production.

Agriculture and forestry are poised on the brink of a quantum leap forward

through the further application of exciting new tools such as genomics and

transgenic plants. In the near future, it will be possible to produce a higher

quantity of improved quality crops than even imagined just a few years ago. 

In addition to feed and food, it will be possible to provide raw materials for

industrial uses. For example, cotton fibers, wood ligno-celluloses, corn 

carbohydrates, soybean oils, and other plant constituents will be altered via

designed changes in metabolic pathways. Moreover, with the insertion of 

specific enzyme-coding genes, it will be possible to create completely novel

polymers in plants at volumes sufficient for the economic production of new 

consumer goods. 

The rate of application of technological advances to plants and crops in the

United States will play a major role in maintaining a sustainable leadership 

position in agriculture, forestry, and manufacturing. The long-term well-being 

of the nation clearly depends on near-term support of the research necessary

for developing a renewable resource base. The justification for such an intense

focus and the priorities for immediate research are contained in this roadmap

for plant/crop-based renewable resources.

PETROCHEMICALS

Chemistry, engineering, physics, and geology are just a few of the sciences that

have been applied in the petrochemical industry to impact our lives in ways that

were difficult to imagine just

50 years ago. This industry has

been very successful in creating

a range of products: from high

performance jet fuel to basic

building blocks and petropolymers such as polypropylene, styrene, acrylonitrile,

polyvinylidene chloride, and

polycarbonate.

The petrochemical industry is

capital intensive and has built a

considerable infrastructure to

handle and process fossil fuels.

The United States uses approximately 13.9 million barrels per

day of hydrocarbon inputs,

mostly for various types of fuel.

7 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

250

200

150

100

50

0

Primary Source Production Manufacturing Production

$Billion (Real)

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

$Billion (Shipment Values)

02594203m

Oil & Gas

Extraction

Crop

Production

Plastics

Chemicals

Paper

Lumber

1987 1995 1980 1990 1997

Source: DOE-EIA. USDA

Figure 3. Comparison of change in

economic contribution (current $)

for selected segments of the U.S.

economy. On the production side,

crop production (excluding animal

production) has increased

significantly more than oil and

gas extraction. On the

manufacturing side, wood and

lumber products have shown

relatively flat growth, although

paper has increased. The increase

in plastics and chemicals reflects

our current reliance on

hydrocarbon-based products.
About 2.6 million barrels per day petroleum equivalent are used for the creation

of chemicals and industrial building blocks. (See details in Appendix 3.)

The production of industrial chemicals and plastics has increased considerably

in recent years (Fig. 3). The plastics industry alone directly employs 1.2 million

people, and supports 20,000 facilities that produce plastic goods for sale. Without the billions of dollars on research and development in plastics we would be

without many of the now commonly accepted objects that we tend to take for

granted. Without a renewable source of building blocks for plastic goods, a time

will come when petrochemical-derived plastic becomes too expensive for widespread consumptive use at the levels enjoyed today. 

On the one hand, some estimates suggest that there are a trillion barrels of 

oil yet to be extracted and with current prices close to $10/barrel, why should

anyone be concerned? There are many estimates, however, as to the actual

quantity of reserves, and many assumptions for and against various figures.

The world of crude oil production is also changing rapidly (Fig. 4) and additional

uncertainty is expected.

On the other hand, the fact that fossil fuel resources are finite cannot be disputed. It may be more important to consider the potential for price sensitivity as

supply peaks, rather than to debate a theoretical time point when the oil will run

out. Any finite source follows a

bell-shaped curve in supply, with

the price being a reverse image of

the "bell." Many can remember the

"oil crisis" of the 1970's, but we

recovered from that warning shot.

Recently, several independent

sources indicate that the top of the

"bell" in terms of incremental production increase will be reached

within 20 years (Appendix 3). 

In any case, we should keep in

mind that the United States is

already reliant on crude oil

imports. We now import about

50% of our oil (Appendix 3). If

imports of crude oil were to cease

today, the proven fossil fuel

reserves in North America would

be sufficient for 14 years of consumption at current rates. With

8 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Mobil

Gulf

Chevron

Texaco

R. Dutch/Shell

Brit Petrol

Exxon

0 123 4 5

1972

Top 7 Companies = ~60% total

Total = 46 MM bls/d

Kuwalt Petro

R. Dutch/Shell

Pet Mexicanos

China Nat Petro

P. De Venezuela

Nat Iran Oil

Saudi Arab Oil

0 246 8 10

1995

Top 7 Companies = ~40% total

Total = 62 MM bls/d

The Changing

Landscape of

Oil Production

Million barrels/day

Million barrels/day

02594204m

Figure 4. Top companies in crude

oil production in 1972 versus

1995, in million barrels per day.

Original data taken from DOEEnergy Information

Administration.
existing levels of import and no increase in use, the indigenous proven reserves

would last about 28 years. Of course, there will be new and improved extraction

technologies, such as horizontal drilling and nuclear magnetic resonance borehole imaging. Yet, even with a few more years added to the extractable supply,

the margin of error here is very slim. 

Supplementing the use of petrochemicals with renewable resources in more

than minor volumes must start soon. The research to accomplish that must start

immediately.

Irrespective of the debate on the timing of a supply-side decline in fossil fuels,

demand continues as the population expands and standards of living in the

emerging nations increase. It is projected that long before renewable resources

become a replacement for fossil fuels, they will become necessary as a supplement. Thus, for any one of several reasons, it is important that the United States

devotes attention to the development of a renewable resource base for industrial raw materials. 

9 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020
I

n the "Plant/Crop-Based Renewable Resources 2000" vision publication—

see back cover of this document for ordering information), the directional 

targets for success included "achieve at least 10% of basic chemical building

blocks arising from plant-derived renewables by 2020, with development 

concepts in place by then to achieve a further increase to 50% by 2050."

Also note that total resource consumption is increasing rapidly—certainly in

global terms but also within the United States. Because the 10% goal by 2020 

is relative to total production—a fourfold to fivefold

increase relative to consumption levels today—it

will likely be much greater in absolute terms. If consumption levels themselves double by 2020, then

the absolute volume target for renewables will also

double (Fig. 5).

In other words, it is not expected that renewable

resources will completely replace hydrocarbon

sources within a static demand environment. It is

expected that as demand for consumable goods

increases, renewables sources will have to be

developed to meet an ever-increasing portion of

the incremental demand. Over a 20-30 year timeframe, the target level for renewables should stabilize the use of fossil fuels at approximately the

levels consumed today. This concept has major

implications in that:

a) Renewables are not competing directly with nonrenewables—this is

not a competitive replacement strategy.

b) Both renewable resources and nonrenewable resources will be needed

to meet demands in the 20-year timeframe.

10 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

DIRECTION, GOALS, AND TARGETS

The "Vision" is to provide continued economic growth, healthy standards

of living, and strong national security through the development of

plant/crop-based renewable resources that are a viable alternative to the

current dependence on nonrenewable, diminishing fossil resources.

Chemical & Material Demand

02594205m

Today 2020 2050

Fossil Fuel Use

Is Kept About Flat

Supplied from

Renewables

Supplied from

Fossil Fuels

Fivefold Fivefold

again

Figure 5. Directional

representation of chemical and

material needs and the portion

fulfilled by plant/crop-based

renewable resources. Note that

the vision for a fivefold increase

by 2020 is expected to set the

stage for another fivefold increase

by 2050, and that at that point,

renewable resource inputs begin

to match the use of fossil fuels to

meet the projected growth in

demand for consumer goods. 
Beyond the 30-year timeframe, it may be necessary to rely more on renewable

resources as fossil fuels become expensive and limiting. Fortunately, the 

support and research required to meet the near-term targets is entirely consistent with requirements for longer-term progress. These are directional targets

and state clearly that the challenge ahead is significant, that actions are

required today, and that we must begin building the road that leads to increased

utilization of renewable resources.

In addition to an operational renewable resource base, certain other targets

have been viewed as being important; these include:

■ Establishing systems that integrate the supply, manufacturing, and distribution activities through supporting infrastructure to enhance economic 

viability

■ Improving the understanding of plant metabolism, via functional genomics,

to optimize the design or use for specific value-added processes; in addition

to the use of current inherent components, exploring novel polymer production and use

■ Ensuring the development of new processes with more than 95% efficiency,

plus co-processes that use all by-products to eliminate waste stream

issues; making sure the new platform is consistent with goals for particular

environmental circumstances

■ Crosschecking that specific goals and research targets are consistent with

the goals for renewable fuels/energy needs

■ Developing approaches to ensure a consistency in supply whether in production or distribution; keeping factors such as price/volume, performance,

geographical location, quality, etc. within defined limits on an annual production basis; developing standards for these factors

■ Building further collaborative partnerships to improve vertical integration; 

supporting success via enhanced rural development. 

Success in achieving the vision target of a fivefold increase in renewable

resource use by 2020 will require that the majority of the goals outlined in 

this roadmap are achieved. Genetically modifying plants to produce specific

metabolic products and developing complementary chemical modifications are

expected to allow success with the fivefold target. These advances will also set

the stage for further achievements beyond 2020.

11 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020
Given that the accepted global view is that there must eventually be an

increase in the use of renewable resources, it is useful to sharpen the

focus to areas where progress is slow or limiting. Situational analysis of the

manufacture of consumer goods, and the current relatively low use of renewable inputs, indicates that significant barriers (Fig. 6) exist in several key areas. 

In addition to each of the individual barrier areas, an additional complication

arises due to the large degree of interaction among the areas shown in Figure 6.

For example, if we assume that altering the biological composition of a particular source crop would be beneficial, then this may have consequences on the

process required, the type and performance of materials to be utilized, the infrastructure required to support this use, and the scientific education of students

who may be subsequently employed within such a system. The dynamics are

such that a change in one part of the "barrier topography" has a considerable

ripple effect throughout the system.

The degree of interactive impact is an issue to manage, rather than an absolute

restriction. The petrochemical industry has effectively managed such issues

over the years by funding the required research and adapting to each advance.

For example, crude oil is actually heterogeneous and comes in sourcedependent light and heavy grades which impacts refining fractions. Advances 

in catalysis and polymer chemistry, as well 

as in refining, have played a major role in the

current status of plastic material utilization.

Together these factors have interacted positively, and have positively impacted the overall

national industrial economy.

For each of the four main barrier topic areas,

current technical and market barriers to the

expanded use of plant-derived renewable

resources were determined from various

inputs, including two workshops with multidisciplinary experts. The major barrier topics

are outlined in Figure 7 and the major barriers

are discussed below. 

12 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

TECHNICAL AND MARKET BARRIERS

Barrier

Topics Impacting Areas

02594206m

Education, Training,

Infrastructure and Rural Development

Economics and

Sustainable Practices Research Consumer

Preferences

Basic Science Applied Science Product

Marketing

Plant/Crop

Production

Plant

Science Processing Utilization

Figure 6. The identified barriers

can be segmented into four main

topic areas covering basic plant

science through to utilization. The

main disciplines and activities

affecting the barriers are also

shown. 
Utilization (Materials): Economics: Unit Costs

An imposing barrier to entry for current plant-derived materials, and the issue

most often debated, is the competitive cost situation. In many cases, the current

cost of using plant-based materials is viewed as being relatively high, and not

competitive with hydrocarbon-based processes. However, the cost-competitive

situation contains several highly complex interactions among the key factors:

value of product, cost of materials, volume of throughput, degree of processing

required, and performance of the building blocks used. Thus, strategies for the

future will not be successful if based on cost reduction alone. 

The most important economic driver is not cost per se, but rather the differential

between price obtained and cost to manufacture (Fig 8). Price obtained is a

function of factors such as product utility, performance, and consumer preference and demand. Cost to manufacture is a function of factors such as raw

material cost, supply consistency, process required, waste handling cost, and

investment.

In cases where plant-derived material is processed into molecular constituents

that are to be utilized in a conventional hydrocarbon processing system, the

cost of the component parts will be critical—for example, when grains are

processed into C6 skeletons. This approach fits with the lower cost driver that

exists in competitive commodity industries, and applies to a segment of the

potential uses for plant-derived materials. However, in the longer term, using

"cost only" comparison is problematic due to the factors discussed here and an

inability to accurately predict the future cost of fossil fuels. 

Performance and processing efficiency is relatively high for hydrocarbons in the

current world of consumer goods. However, this is not an inherent characteristic

13 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Genomics

Enzymes

Metabolism

Composition

Unit costs

Yield

Consistency

Infrastructure

Designer plants

Economics

Separations

Conversion

Bio-catalysts

Infrastructure

Economics

Functionality

Performance

Novel uses

Price/value

Performance

Perception

Market 

 development

Plant

02594207m

Science Production Processing Utilization

(Materials)

Utilization

(Demand)

Key Barriers

Figure 7. Top ranked major

barriers identified within each

barrier topic grouping within the

overall system for conversion 

of renewable resources into

consumer goods. "Utilization" 

has been subdivided to draw 

a distinction between technical/

materials driven barriers, and

market/demand driven barriers.

Maybe

Product

Best

Product

Problem

Product

Maybe

Product

HIGH

HIGH

LOW

LOW

Cost to Manufacture

Value Added

02594208m

Figure 8. Segment chart indicating

the viable product options relative

to cost of manufacture (cost of

materials and/or processing) and

value added features (price).
of fossil fuels. The industry has had a hundred years of research, three generations of trained scientists, and millions of government dollars in support, to

reach the current level of performance. 

Plant-based materials are often viewed as being of inferior performance when

compared to highly researched materials that have been designed specifically

for effective manufacture from hydrocarbon sources. Exploring how plantderived materials fit into this situation is only one approach, and the current 

volume use in this way is limited. Other complementary approaches are related

to technical developments in understanding the performance of plant-derived

materials, and/or genetically altering plants to provide constituents with the

desired functionality.

Utilization (Demand): Cost of Market Development

A key barrier to the use of plant-derived materials is the high cost of developing

the market, even when unique new products have been created. As in many

emerging product markets, research in new products begins in small companies

that are under-capitalized and lack the resources needed to go beyond the 

laboratory scale. The success rate for commercialization is low and promising

products often languish through lack of volume generation. A major effort is

needed to examine improved approaches for product development, support

mechanisms, and market development in relation to products that utilize 

renewable resources. 

The entrenchment of standards based on petrochemical products, and the lack

of standards derived from bio-based products, creates another barrier to successful competition with petrochemical products, particularly in areas in which

direct competition occurs.

Processing: Infrastructure: Distribution

Over many years, the petrochemical industry has built up an effective infrastructure for processing and distributing hydrocarbon-based products. Due to

reliance on imported crude oil, much of the U.S. infrastructure is geographically

located around the coastline (Fig. 9). Thus, many current processing facilities

are not well situated for the collection of large volumes of plant-derived material.

Where plant materials are processed in lumber mills, oil crushers, or corn wet

mills, these are situated adjacent to areas of supply. A transition to more plantderived materials will require further integration of supply and processing/

manufacturing. An example of the new infrastructure is the manufacturing facility being built in Nebraska, by the Cargill-Dow joint venture, to process corn

starch into the biodegradable polymer, polylactic acid. Strategies and actions

should be explored to determine the priorities and focus for rural development

that would best encourage the increasing use of renewable resources. 

14 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020
Production:Yield,

Consistency, and

Infrastructure

Since large volumes of

plant-derived materials are

not used today, outside of

the lumber and pulp industries, the concerns over

supply and distribution 

are future potential issues

rather than existing facts.

Nevertheless, these are

important and must be

addressed as part of the

progress toward the goals

for renewables.

Consistency of supply is

an unknown in terms of

quantity and quality. When

plant-derived materials are processed to simple carbon molecules, the consistency may be less critical. For example, fermentation today can handle seasonal differences in components, and commodity grains can generally be used.

However, when specific components (e.g. polymers) are designed and methods

developed to extract those directly, then the quality and quantity will become

important. 

In some ways, the uncertainty over supply consistency is really a form of risk

management. In the future, both petrochemical supply and renewable supply

will carry increased risk. For petrochemicals, further supply uncertainty may

arise from political changes in other world areas. For plant-derived materials,

weather may be an uncertain factor locally, while specialty plants with less 

commodity type production may result in more trading uncertainty. These are

not necessarily "killer" issues but will require considerable attention to ensure

economic viability within the evolving infrastructure.

There is another aspect of uncertainty that surfaces as a potential threat to consistent supply and that is the "food versus industrial" use of crops in the future.

One side of the debate is the shortage of supply theory. "How can agriculture

feed a burgeoning population and supply raw materials for consumer goods?"

"Won't crops used for feed-stocks be redirected to the food supply in times of

world famine or drought?" Good questions. However, the implied assumption 

is that we have a choice. The demand side is growing for both food and raw

materials and even if we do not develop renewable industrial resources then

food itself will still run out at some point in time. A solution to the food problem

15 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Top States in Corn, Wheat,

and Soybean Production

02594209m

Source: DOE-EIA. USDA

F

F

F

F

F 17%

23%

18%

9%

Major Forestry Regions

% Total U.S. Oil Refining

Figure 9. U.S. distribution of oil

refining compared to crop/forest

production.
may also be a solution to the raw material problem. Thus it is imperative that

new technologies, such as biotechnology, be applied to the supply side to maintain the types of productivity increases that agriculture has achieved previously. 

Utilization (Demand): Perception

Plant-derived materials carry an inferior image: possibly based on the use of

materials prior to the "petrochemical age." Of course, for some manufacturers

the performance is inferior because it has never been optimized—this tends to

reinforce the inferior perception in general. 

Despite extensive publicity about environmental issues, consumer demand 

for plant-based products is not sufficient to create a market pull for technology

development. Despite a desire for more environmentally friendly products, 

the average U.S. consumer does not typically pay extra for "green" products.

Thus, current progress in renewables is based primarily on technology push.

Increased market pull would create more powerful incentives for companies to

invest in plant-based building blocks, especially when industry acceptance is

lagging due to entrenched petrochemical products. 

Without impetus for change, there is not much change. Thus, with no financial

incentives one way or another, the status quo is likely to be maintained.

Processing: Separations

The lack of techniques for separating plant components constitutes a critical

barrier to the use of plants for industrial purposes. Trees have high levels of

complex materials such as lignocellulose. These materials make for good

strength, but are difficult to separate into useful molecular components. The

harvested portion of most crops is the seed, which contains carbohydrate, protein, oil, and hundreds of different components. Thus, conventional grains are

well designed to support germination and growth but are difficult to manage as

sources of individual materials. Processes have developed to remove crude

fractions, such as oil crushing or sugar extraction, but it remains difficult to 

isolate particular protein types or pure carbon skeletons. 

The high cost and technical difficulty of dealing with very dilute aqueous

streams is a problem that must be addressed before economic plant-based

processes can be established. Processing systems that integrate the reaction

with product separations (e.g. catalytic distillation) might be a viable solution,

but such systems are limited and have not been explored for plant-based 

applications.

Even when new constituents are added via insertion of specific genes, there 

will be a need for advanced separations to recover the material of interest. For

example, biopolymer development is currently limited by the lack of clean, 

16 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020
economically viable fractionation processes. If plant components cannot be

separated effectively, it may not be possible to control the characteristics and

quality of the final product. 

Processing: Conversion

One way to deal with the different components in plants is to convert these 

heterogeneous materials into simpler molecules—in much the same way that

fossil fuels are converted—that can be used in other reactions. For plant-based

materials, viable processes may require high performance multifunctional biocatalysts or heterogeneous catalysts that can perform multiple tasks and are

recyclable as well.

Another key barrier is the lack of knowledge on how to deal with natural differences in plant components and characteristics from one plant to the next within

the same species. Compounding the problem is the lack of tools for measuring

plant variability to the level needed for feedstock considerations.

Fermentation is used with some crops to convert crude heterogeneous inputs,

for example, commodity yellow corn into desired materials such as dextrose or

ethanol. The types of conversions, utilization of by-products, and separations

remain areas for improvement.

In general, the complex chemistry of plant systems makes the design of new or

modified plant-based processes more difficult. There is also an abundance of

oxidative chemistry already developed to support hydrocarbon-based chemical

manufacturing, but little focus on the reduction chemistry needed for plantbased systems. Closely related to this is the lack of practical co-factor systems

for reductive biocatalysts.

An additional significant barrier to the development of processing for plantderived materials is the lack of current technical education and training. While

some chemical engineering curricula offer a biochemical focus, most graduating

chemical engineers have only a very basic knowledge of bioprocesses and a

limited knowledge of important bio-separations. For many years, the training of

process chemists and engineers has been focused on hydrocarbon chemistry,

with little consideration of the needs for processing plant-derived renewables.

17 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020
Utilization (Materials): Functionality 

An alternative way to deal with the different components in plants is to take

advantage of their functionality. Petrochemicals are degraded into simpler molecules which are then used to resynthesize more complex materials, including

polymers (Fig. 10). Plants already contain several types of polymers that are

used in many products. For example, cellulosic fibers from wood pulp and

starch from potatoes and corn are used for many industrial processes. However, with the exception of paper and vegetable oils, only a few of these are

used at any significant volume in the current processing system. While several

reasons exist for limited volume uses, a major restriction is lack of understanding of the functionality (performance) in relation to cost.

Recently, experimental plastic films have been made from plant-derived protein

polymers, demonstrating the potential for such uses. Also, plants have specific

stereochemistry resulting in chiral molecules of

value (sugars, vitamins, amino acids). However, 

in general, the reactivity and functionality of plant

building blocks are not well understood, which 

has been a limitation to the generation of ideas 

for new uses.

Production: Designer Plants 

Plant Science: Genomics

Recent developments in transgenic plants have

demonstrated the high potential for specific manipulation via genetic engineering. While transgenics

offer exciting possibilities, much research remains

to be done to fully utilize this approach. 

A major barrier is the lack of understanding of 

inherent metabolic pathways in plants to the degree

required for design of particular polymers and other

materials. Biosynthesis utilizing solar energy—

captured via chloroplasts—may be highly efficient,

plus such designs must also avoid disruption of vital pathways. Thus, plant

metabolism and regulation of carbon flow are limiting factors with our current

level of knowledge.

It is expected that recent advances in functional genomics will begin to contribute the understanding required for designer materials. However, this area of

science is just beginning and receives limited support compared to analogous

efforts in the medical area. Additional progress in genetic transformation is also

required to allow more specific gene insertion and routine transformation of

plastids as well as nuclear events.

18 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Renewables Petrochemicals

Bio-based

Sustainable Finite

Transport

(If Needed)

Extract and

Modify Materials

Manufacture

Consumer Goods

Transport

Synthesize More

Complex Molecules

Manufacture

Consumer Goods

Breakdown to

Simple Molecules

Transport

02594210m

Developing/Evolving

Bio-based System

Specifically Evolved

Hydrocarbon System

Opportunities

for Low Cost and/or

High Performance

Low Cost

Driven

Opportunities

for Existing or

Modified Low

Cost Inputs

Figure 10. Comparison of the

utilization systems for

petrochemicals and renewable

resources. The petrochemical

chain is largely driven by low cost

of inputs, while the renewable use

chain can be driven by either low

cost of inputs or added value (for

new uses or for feeding into the

existing petro-stream) or by

added value via designed high

performance functionality.
While there is now widespread research in plant transformation, genomics, and

bioinformatics, there is very little direct investigation of the application of these

emerging technologies for specific research on renewable resources. 

To some extent, an upward spiral of scientific knowledge is required to remove

the major barriers. Typically, others have called for multi-disciplinary research to

address this issue. However, there must be a focused and coordinated effort to

provide the appropriate progress to overcome existing barriers in a timely manner. In other words, the study of gene regulation must be closely interrelated

with the study of functionality of inherent polymers, and these with separations

engineering, and so on. 

19 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020
Following identification of the main barrier topics and specific barriers within

each of those areas, attention was focused on determining the research

and development actions required to overcome those barriers. 

The overall roadmap has been divided into four sections in alignment with the

four major barrier topics:

20 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

REASEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS

02594230m

Plant/Crop

Production

Plant

Science Figure 11A. Goals for PLANT Processing Utilization

SCIENCE research. 

Near-Term Impact

(0-3 years)

Medium-Term Impact

(by 2010)

Long-Term Impact

(by 2020) Priority

Utilize functional genomics to 

understand plant metabolism 

and components: link to at 

least 1 major crop genomics 

project.

Develop tools to allow real-time 

quantitative assay of plant 

constituents.

Improve transgenic methods, 

especially for specific insertion 

of stacked genes, with a 10-fold 

success rate over 1998 

efficiency.

Develop a genetic marker set 

for 1-2 major crops that allows 

marker assisted breeding for 

higher content of useable 

renewables.

Catalogue 80% of existing 

germplasm base for useful 

variation in starch, protein, 

and oils.

Find ways to utilize developing 

bioinformatics for leverage of 

renewable resources R&D.

Understand nuclear-plastid 

interactions.

Understand >50 key rate-limiting 

steps in metabolic pathways and 

carbon flow.

Utilize functional genomics to 

understand regulation at 

molecular, cellular, and whole 

plant levels.

Establish standards for the 

main plant constituents used 

as renewable resources.

Generate a carbon pool storage 

map and identify the control 

points for cellular compartmentalization, in 2 plant types.

Create methods for >90% 

effectiveness in plastid 

transformation.

Create a demonstration plant 

with >60% of a key component 

(e.g. oil or starch), or >30% 

of a particular carbon chain 

(e.g. C5 molecular pool).

Utilize methods for gene switching.

Build bioinformatics base 

specifically focused on plant 

renewable resources.

Redesign metabolic pathways 

to provide carbon skeletons of 

interest.

Apply directed evolution 

techniques to generate a 

100 member library of 

potential raw materials.

Design new molecules or 

modified existing compounds 

to fit functional needs.

Create 2 new plant types 

specifically focused on the 

provision of industrial raw 

materials.

Evaluate the cost and energyeffectiveness of utilizing 

simple cellular organisms.

Apply computational techniques 

to the design of plant 

constituents.

HIGH

MEDIUM

02594211a
Figures 11A–11D contain details of the quantitative research goals ranked by

priority for each of these barrier topics. Within each topic the research goals are

also aligned by expected timeframe for impact. Arrows depict the main relationships and linkages among goals. 

The nearer-term goals indicate achievements and projects that can be used to

measure progress toward the advances required to meet the vision target of 

a fivefold increase in renewable resource use by 2020.

The research goals (Figs 11A-D) were condensed into a one-page summary

overview of the types of research expected to have major impact on achieving

the vision (Fig. 12). 

21 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Near-Term Impact

(0-3 years)

Medium-Term Impact

(by 2010)

Long-Term Impact

(by 2020) Priority

HIGH

MEDIUM

CO2 fixation in excess of 

generated emissions from 

fossil fuel uses.

Zero carbon material waste 

from existing plant/crop 

production.

Design new crops/plants and 

growing systems to optimize 

raw materials percent and 

recovery (>95% use).

Improve photosynthetic 

efficiency for primary energy 

trapping and fixation.

Design plants for pre-harvest 

events and partial field 

processing.

Design and evaluate continuous 

production systems.

Enhance yield to provide a 2-fold 

(vs 98) increase in carbon output 

per unit input.

Develop systems approaches to 

minimize impact on land, air, and 

water use, for long-term 

sustainability (neutral impact).

Establish standards for harvested 

parts and main plant constituents.

Specifically designed harvesting 

equipment to maximize carbon 

capture.

Develop methods to utilize the 

45% of current crops that are 

left in the field.

Breed crops for specific 

land/soil types.

Build an agroinformatics base 

focused on plant types, 

production values, quality, and 

unit costs for renewable 

resources from various sources 

and systems.

Improve yield per acre by 

10-15% to decrease unit cost 

of raw materials.

Improved agronomy and 

management: e.g. precision 

agriculture, fertilizer-use 

efficiency, and pest protection.

Identify >10 key factors 

affecting consistency and 

quality of raw materials.

Benchmark the relative 

efficiencies of production/acre 

for >10 potential systems and 

plant types (e.g. major crops, 

forestry, perennial grasses, etc.).

Neutralize the impact of 

weather conditions on 

production.

Evaluate potential for 2 crops/

year or other methods for unit 

production/acre.

Improve the use of waste in 

current agricultural processing 

by 5-fold. 

Improve marginal land output 

by 2-fold on a unit input basis.

02594211b

Figure 11B. Goals for

PRODUCTION research. 
Several projects exist today that are considered leading edge forerunners in the

development of renewable resources for industrial raw materials. We can "test"

the robustness of the proposed research activities by exploring the linkages

between examples of these leading projects and the research summary map. 

Figure 13 shows the linkage with polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) which is being

developed in transgenic plants. Figure 14 shows the linkage with polylactic acid

(PLA) which is being produced from corn starch through enzymatic reactions.

The Cargill-Dow joint venture has already undertaken sufficient research to

move PLA into commercial development with multi-million dollar investment in

manufacturing facilities.

22 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Near-Term Impact

(0-3 years)

Medium-Term Impact

(by 2010)

Long-Term Impact

(by 2020) Priority

HIGH

MEDIUM

02594211c

Implement continuous zero 

waste processing of plant 

inputs with multi-output 

streams of raw materials. 

New equipment designed for 

processing of modified plants 

and components. 

Novel mechanisms designed 

for >3 novel products (e.g. 

conversion enzymes engineered 

into the plant and activated at 

harvest).

Solid state enzymatic 

conversions.

Design 1-2 hybrid chemical 

and bio-conversion reactors: 

chemifermentation.

Evaluate role of plant 

compartments as an in situ 

pre-separation phase.

Implement >5 advanced 

separations (e.g. self-cleaning 

membranes, ion exchange, 

distillation, other) systems.

Develop improved isolation/

purification techniques for 

cost-effective capture of plant 

monomers and polymers.

Establish cost-effective 

co-generation systems for > 2 

major plant types.

Design and create 50 new 

enzymes via molecular evolution 

techniques.

Develop >100 member library of 

novel/extreme enzymes with 

known performance-cost features.

Investigate reactive fractionation 

systems.

Build informatics base on 

performance of microbe, 

enzyme, and chemical libraries 

for particular conversions: 

unit rate and cost effectiveness.

Improve separation technology 

to handle >95% of the 

heterogenous plant material.

Improved (bio)catalysts for 

inter-change (>85%) of 

monomeric building blocks.

Develop 3 new robust catalysts 

with high selectivity and fast 

conversions.

Identify and evaluate novel 

and superior enzymes for the 

conversion of plant polymers 

to useful monomers and 

oligomers (e.g. cellulose to 

glucose at 10X activity). 

Engineered microbes to better 

handle fermentation of 

heterogenous plants.

Improve waste stream use 

by 2-fold.

Develop more effective water 

removal techniques, and 

evaluate improved non-aqueous 

solvent reaction systems. 

Evaluate methods to utilize 

natural stereochemistry in 

plant materials.

Figure 11C. Goals for

PROCESSING research. 
23 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Near-Term Impact

(0-3 years)

Medium-Term Impact

(by 2010)

Long-Term Impact

(by 2020) Priority

HIGH

MEDIUM

02594211d

Detailed knowledge of structurefunction relationships for >10 

major constituents and carbon 

chain metabolites in plants.

Develop 100% identity 

preservation system for high 

quality raw materials.

Implement a marketing system 

to allow value-driven production 

and contracting.

Evaluate synergies for 

multi-purpose utilization areas 

in one location.

Real-time (<3 min /sample) 

analytical tools to quantify 

composition of raw materials 

and process intermediates.

Develop production prediction 

tools, with >95% accuracy.

Build informatics base on 

performance of an array of 

plant-derived materials: unit cost, 

performance, functionality, 

optimum source, use ranges, etc.

Evaluate structure-function 

relationships for carbohydrates, 

proteins, and oils.

Develop mechanism to capture 

value for plant-based 

renewables: function-price.

Identify 3 opportunities to 

expand the use of plants around 

current processing facilities 

(e.g corn wet mill, pulp mill).

Assays and measuring systems: 

quantify >90% of major plant 

components.

Methods to evaluate real cost 

per unit performance, and any 

added-value.

Evaluate transport systems 

and costs.

Estimate needs for input-output 

flow and storage for 100% 

year-round processing. 

Create infrastructure to expand 

the use of agricultural waste 

streams: zero waste. 

Design >10 plant compounds 

with particular molecular 

structure based on desired 

functionality.

Develop >5 manufacturing 

utilization centers within the 

geography of plant production: 

rural development.

Develop >3 novel materials 

with new attributes and 

advantages. 

Address education needs for 

the required increase in 

utilization of renewable 

resources: multi-disciplinary 

functions.

Utilize synergies among plant 

component functionalities.

Design storage and transport 

for finished goods to centers 

of sale, and export.

Create >90% risk mitigation 

strategies for supply-demand 

control.

Figure 11D. Goals for UTILIZATION

(and Infrastructure) research. 
24 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Figure 12. Summary of key

research and development

activities, based on the individual

goals shown previously. These

have been ranked from top to

bottom within each of the four

barrier areas according to

expected impact on progress

toward the vision for renewable

resources. 

02594212m

Better understand gene regulation 

and control of plant metabolic 

pathways.

Better understand functional 

genomics to improve gene 

manipulation.

Develop analytical tools for 

compounds of interest, and 

functionality screening systems.

Improve biotech methods for 

gene stacking, organelle 

transformation, and molecular 

evolution. 

Better understand carbon flow 

at molecular level.

Investigate new mechanisms for 

gene switching.

Develop broad bioinformatics.

Better develop structural genomics 

(markers, sequencing)

Alter plants to produce 

components of interest rather than 

heterogeneous seeds.

Improve yield via plant 

productivity and harvestable parts.

Identify optimized agronomic 

practices for materials of interest.

Build viable identity preservation 

and marketing systems.

Generate roadmaps for crop 

productivity improvement.

Explore factors impacting the 

consistency of plant components.

Improve harvesting machinery 

for biomass collection.

Improve marginal land use.

Develop new separations methods: 

membranes, distillation, etc.

Improve conversion methods for 

plant components: chem- and 

bio-catalysts.

Find and develop new/optimized 

enzymes from novel sources or 

design.

Improved conversion methods for 

carbon skeletons.

Improve hybrid (bio and chemical) 

systems.

Explore new fermentation methods 

or reactor types.

Explore reactive enzymes within 

plants.

Explore on site, at harvest, 

processing.

Better understand structure 

function relationships for plant 

constituents (protein, starch, etc).

Design novel materials from a 

need base and back-integrate 

to plants.

Study infrastructure and 

distribution systems to optimize 

impact on rural economies.

Develop materials standards and 

analytical methods to support 

product quality.

Build matrix of value for plant 

components and support via 

policy decisions.

Plant Science Production Processing Utilization
25 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

02594213m

Better understand gene regulation 

and control of plant metabolic 

pathways.

Better understand functional 

genomics to improve gene 

manipulation.

Develop analytical tools for 

compounds of interest, and 

functionality screening systems.

Improve biotech methods for 

gene stacking, organelle 

transformation, and molecular 

evolution. 

Better understand carbon flow 

at molecular level.

Investigate new mechanisms for 

gene switching.

Develop broad bioinformatics.

Better develop structural genomics 

(markers, sequencing)

Alter plants to produce 

components of interest rather than 

heterogeneous seeds.

Improve yield via plant 

productivity and harvestable parts.

Identify optimized agronomic 

practices for materials of interest.

Build viable identity preservation 

and marketing systems.

Generate roadmaps for crop 

productivity improvement.

Explore factors impacting the 

consistency of plant components.

Improve harvesting machinery 

for biomass collection.

Improve marginal land use.

Develop new separations methods: 

membranes, distillation, etc.

Improve conversion methods for 

plant components: chem- and 

bio-catalysts.

Find and develop new/optimized 

enzymes from novel sources or 

design.

Improved conversion methods for 

carbon skeletons.

Improve hybrid (bio and chemical) 

systems.

Explore new fermentation methods 

or reactor types.

Explore reactive enzymes within 

plants.

Explore on site, at harvest, 

processing.

Better understand structure 

function relationships for plant 

constituents (protein, starch, etc).

Design novel materials from a 

need base and back-integrate 

to plants.

Study infrastructure and 

distribution systems to optimize 

impact on rural economies.

Develop materials standards and 

analytical methods to support 

product quality.

Build matrix of value for plant 

components and support via 

policy decisions.

Plant Science Production Processing Utilization

Example project: Polyhydroxy alkanoates

Polyhydroxybutyrate can be produced in plants as a 

raw material for the manufacture of biodegradable

plastic. This involves identification of the appropriate

bacterial genes, transformation, and understanding 

of endogenous plant metabolic pathways so that 

viable linkage can be made. Expression levels,

separations, and standards of production are

ongoing projects today. Figure 13. The new material

polyhydroxybutyrate (a

biodegradable plastic material)

mapped on the renewable

resources research areas shows

excellent linkage to several high

level priorities, indicating that

these are indeed relevant goals

for research on the leading edge.
26 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Figure 14. The linkage between

the proposed summary research

activities and the commercial

development of polylactic acid

(PLA). Again, the key areas for

successful PLA production match

the leading priorities in our

research activities summary

table. Thus, the research activities

described here, and the individual

goals underlying these activities

(described previously) appear to

be "on target" with advanced

projects in renewable resource

development.

02594214m

Better understand gene regulation 

and control of plant metabolic 

pathways.

Better understand functional 

genomics to improve gene 

manipulation.

Develop analytical tools for 

compounds of interest, and 

functionality screening systems.

Improve biotech methods for 

gene stacking, organelle 

transformation, and molecular 

evolution. 

Better understand carbon flow 

at molecular level.

Investigate new mechanisms for 

gene switching.

Develop broad bioinformatics.

Better develop structural genomics 

(markers, sequencing)

Alter plants to produce 

components of interest rather than 

heterogeneous seeds.

Improve yield via plant 

productivity and harvestable parts.

Identify optimized agronomic 

practices for materials of interest.

Build viable identity preservation 

and marketing systems.

Generate roadmaps for crop 

productivity improvement.

Explore factors impacting the 

consistency of plant components.

Improve harvesting machinery 

for biomass collection.

Improve marginal land use.

Develop new separations methods: 

membranes, distillation, etc.

Improve conversion methods for 

plant components: chem- and 

bio-catalysts.

Find and develop new/optimized 

enzymes from novel sources or 

design.

Improved conversion methods for 

carbon skeletons.

Improve hybrid (bio and chemical) 

systems.

Explore new fermentation methods 

or reactor types.

Explore reactive enzymes within 

plants.

Explore on site, at harvest, 

processing.

Better understand structure 

function relationships for plant 

constituents (protein, starch, etc).

Design novel materials from a 

need base and back-integrate 

to plants.

Study infrastructure and 

distribution systems to optimize 

impact on rural economies.

Develop materials standards and 

analytical methods to support 

product quality.

Build matrix of value for plant 

components and support via 

policy decisions.

Plant Science Production Processing Utilization

Example project: Polylactic acid (PLA)

Polylactic acid is a biodegradable polymer made from

dextrose that is derived from the corn wet milling

process. Fermentation and enzyme activities are

important. The final PLA resins are varied to meet

customer requirements for films, fibers, rigid 

materials, and coatings. PLA has the functionality

of styrenics, olefins, and cellulosics, yet can be 

produced at a cost-competitive price. 
The future utilization of renewable resources will require a multidisciplinary, cross-industry approach. While exciting opportunities 

exist for research achievements in many areas such as biopolymers, 

stereospecific molecules, new enzymes, novel materials, and transgenic

design, a major consideration is that progress in single isolated technical

areas will not be sufficient. It will be much more powerful to have interrelated research projects conducted in a parallel and coordinated manner.

The outcome should produce improved fit and flow through the development

cycle (Fig. 15), and avoid progress in one area that results in a "surprise" at

another point in the system.

Clearly, a multi-disciplinary approach is required to achieve effective

progress. However, it is doubtful that any one organization can provide 

the breadth and depth of research skills required for the overall needs. 

Thus, research support may be given to one part of the cycle but this 

should be done in concert with other projects within the cross-industry 

system.

27 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

COORDINATED APPROACH

02594215m

Basic Plant Science

Functional Genomics

Metabolism and Constituents

Plant Design and Breeding

Production

Land Use and Crop Types

Agronomy, Yield (Cost)

Harvesting Methods

Utilization

Functionality

Current System

New Materials

New Systems

Value

Demand

Real Cost

Performance

Sustainability

Optimum Progress

Requires Coordination

Among the Diverse

Research Areas

Processing

Post-harvest Handling

Conversions

Separation and Purification

Infrastructure

Rural Development

Figure 15. Representation of the

interrelated multi-tasks required

to be in alignment for the

optimization of renewable

resource utilization. Based on the

main barriers identified from a

broad range of inputs.
This need was mentioned in the original "Plant/Crop-Based Renewable

Resources 2020" vision which called for simultaneous progress along a technology "front" with directed focus on limiting "hot spots" as required. Focusing on

the appropriate research—with correct timing and with communication to the

broad but related points in the system—will require coordinated direction. 

For example, a scientist may discover a whole new polymer with functional

potential to be the source for an advanced biodegradable plastic replacement.

However, the value of this research result is limited until: the appropriate gene is

found; it is expressed in the correct viable metabolic pathway; the optimum crop

type is grown with enough yield for cost-effective sourcing; a process is created

to separate the component polymer; and

a method is developed to utilize the

material in the manufacturing of the

novel product. 

Doing the research and development for

each of these steps in a sequential manner will take many years. The optimum

approach is to ensure coordinated, parallel processing of research results and

key target areas. Such an approach

should also encourage partnerships and

involvement of the private sector. 

In other words, it is important to move

the "technology front" forward in a balanced manner that takes into account

the fact that the production and utilization of renewable resources is not one

industry, but impacts many. 

Currently, plants/crops are used for biomass and a range of raw materials such 

as starch, protein, fatty acids, and isoprene-based compounds. Forestry is a

major contributor through pulp and paper. Soybeans are used in printing inks

and paints. Corn enters several industrial use channels via the wet mill fermentation process. However, the relative volume contribution remains low. A new

opportunity has been presented by genetic engineering which promises to allow

metabolic manipulation to produce desired functional materials. 

This roadmap has highlighted potential ways for progress and has identified

goals in specific components of the system. Achieving success with these goals

will provide the opportunity to hit the vision target of a fivefold increase in

renewable resource use by 2020—and will set the stage for a further ramp-up 

in use of sustainable renewable resources beyond 2020. 

28 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

02594231m

Year

2020

Technology

Front Today

Novel

Molecules

Current

Chemistry

Waste and

By-Products

Modified

Genetics Plant Input Processing Systems

Hot

spot

Hot

spot

Figure 16. Fulfilling the

renewable resources 2020 

vision requires research and

development advances both in 

the use of plant inputs and in

processing systems. "Hot spots"

are particular research priorities

that merit special attention

because they could be key to

moving the entire "technology

front" forward.
Addressing the issues and achieving success with the roadmap goals is not 

a matter of choice. We must be ready to meet the ever growing demand for 

consumer goods and energy by using all of our natural resources. Research

implemented today will allow choices in products tomorrow.

Renewable resources require focus in direction, application of the best scientific

minds, use of the most advanced technologies, and continued discussion at the

highest intellectual levels. The roadmap that has been generated here provides

a picture of the needs and requirements for research and development in order

to begin to implement a successful renewable resource strategy for the United

States. In addition, priority areas for support have been selected from among

several identified research and commercial development needs, to allow the

greatest return on investment in the critical arena of advanced renewable

resources. 

Within the next generation, the world will change in many irrevocable ways. 

Fortunately, we can envision the need and have the scientific intellect to keep

pace with these changes. America needs leadership that will continue to 

recognize, support, and move rapidly to meet the need to expand the use of

sustainable renewable resources. Continued scientific breakthroughs and 

technology progress—such as the roadmap outlined by this document—will 

be required to meet the resource use challenges that lie ahead for meeting

product demand.

29 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020
EXECUTIVE STEERING GROUP

In late 1996, the "Plant/Crop-Based Renewable Resources 2020" vision was

begun under the leadership of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA)

with support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Industrial Technologies Industries of the Future program. Soon after publication in early 1998,

widespread backing for the "vision" was demonstrated by many who signed a

supporting compact at the Commodity Classic convention. Today, more than 40

organizations have demonstrated support for the visionary platform that was

first started by the NCGA.

During 1998, the "vision" gained considerable momentum and an Executive

Steering Group (ESG) was formed from a coalition of industry and grower

groups. The ESG includes a range of organizations representing production of

crops and forests through to utilization of raw materials for industrial processing

and manufacturing. The ESG determined that it should focus on:

a) Building the roadmaps necessary to identify the priority areas for research

that would allow increased use of plants as renewable resources for 

industrial materials

b) Generating further support from the U.S. industrial base, for action in the

near-term that will help secure a sustainable and healthy economic future

c) Highlighting the areas within renewable resource research where the federal

government could use taxpayers’ dollars with maximum effect to aid rural

development and to ensure sustainable high standards of living across 

the nation.

30 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

APPENDIX 1

Earl Beaver — Monsanto Company

Scott Berg — American Forest & Paper Association 

Marion Bradford — A.E. Staley, Mfg. Co.

Kyd Brenner — Corn Refiners Association

Mark Dungan — United Soybean Board 

Mehmet Gencer — BF Goodrich Company

Bob Hovden — Cargill, Inc.

Donald Johnson — Grain Processing Corporation

Richard La Duca — Genencor International, Inc.

Jim McLaren [Chair] — Inverizon International, Inc.

Jim Miller — National Association of Wheat Growers

David Mobley — General Electric Corporate R&D

Bob Mustell — National Corn Growers Association 

Michael Pelowski — Great Lakes Chemical Corporation

David Rowe — Dow Chemical Company

Mary Kay Thatcher — American Farm Bureau

Tom Tillett — Rohm and Haas Company

THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE MEMBERS OF THE ESG:
AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY STATISTICS

Basic agricultural production provides 24 million jobs in production, output 

processing, handling, and selling feed, food, and fiber. The industry generates

around $1 trillion in economic activity and makes up more than 15% of GDP.

Everyone in the United States benefits through a safe and secure food supply,

more than adequate levels of nutrition, and a shopping bill that is less than 

10% of average disposable income.

Crops are produced at high levels of efficiency on more than 400 million acres

in the United States with corn, wheat, and soybeans accounting for the majority

on both area and volume bases. Typical annual production values for the main

crops grown are shown in the bar chart below.

Although there are fewer than 2 million farmers, the

quantity and quality of crop production continues to

improve due to the efficient utilization of inputs and 

the effective application of new technologies. Annual

production and primary economic inputs can be 

summarized as shown in the chart at the left.

31 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

APPENDIX 2

Rice

Cotton

Wheat

Fruits

Veggies

Soybean

Corn

0 5 10 15 20 25

$ Billion per Year, Farm Gate Level

02594216m

Source: USDA-ERS

115

105

95

85

75

65

55

$Billion

02594217m

Two Million

Farmers Use:

Crop Animal Source: USDA-ERS

$11 B in Fertilizers

$9 B in Pesticides

$6 B in Fuel and Oil

$3 B in Electricity
Crop production is a significant economic generator with almost $100 billion in

farm-gate level value and considerable leverage throughout the value added

chain. For example, corn is used in more than 3,500 products as shown below.

Despite the large number of products that corn eventually contributes to, there

is potential for improved utilization via both designed constituents and ways to

use the residue that flows through a combine but is left in the field. A field of

corn is very effective at capturing solar energy. The graphic below shows how 

a field of corn is used.

32 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Food Use Wet Milling

Oil

02594218m

Acid steep then

ground and separated.

Germ removed

3%

Germ

removed

Ground

Dry

Mill

3% 15%

Seed

2%

76%

Feed

Direct

Consumption

(sweet corn, etc.)

1%

Ethyl

Alcohol

Starch

Gluten

Syrups

Flours

Grits

Bran

Alkaline

cooked

Tortillas, chips

Source: USDA, Corn Refiners Association, NCGA

Fermented

Foods and Industrial Uses

02594219m

Seed

Source: FAPRI, NCGA, USDA

Residue Grain

Stays in

the field

On each acre,

~2,800 lbs dry

matter is left

in the field.

Poultry

Swine

Cattle

Feed for Livestock

Export (grain)

Export (food)

Food and Industrial

Ethanol

High Fructose

Corn Syrup
In a similar manner, soybeans are also used for many products. Primarily grown

for their protein and oil content, the processed materials find ways into many

industrial goods, from printing inks to glues. The illustration below shows uses

for a typical field of soybeans.

Other crops, such as wheat also have a considerable amount of residue that is 

left in the field or lost at various stages of processing into many products.

Improving the utilization of current crops is one way to begin moving toward the

renewable resource vision.

Another approach that will contribute significantly towards progress in renewables use is to understand the functionality of certain natural compounds and 

to design plants with altered content of the

desired materials. The use of transgenic

crops in the United States has increased

rapidly as shown in the chart at the left.

To date, commercial transgenics have been

related to crop protection traits—providing

advantages in production efficiency or unit

yield. Within the next few years, additional

traits related to plant composition will enter

the marketplace. Experiences with crop 

protection and quality traits will assist in

understanding how to grow, harvest, and

market future crops with traits for improved

industrial raw materials. 

33 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 202002594220m

Other

13%

Residue

Stays in

the field

Soybeans

Protein

38%

Export accounts for

around 35% of production

Typical Domestic Use

Typical Composition

Oil

19%

Carbohydrate

30%

Edible

Oil

32%

Food

8%

Feed

60%

Million Acres

02594221m

1995 1996 1997 1998

Estimated Sales Value

Herbicide

Resistant

Insect

Resistant

$350 MM

$200 MM

$50 MM First

Launches

50

40

30

20

10

0
As the map at the left shows, much 

of the United States is blessed with

available renewable resources.

Pastures and range cover about

800 million acres in the United States

and are typically used for grazing 

cattle, sheep, or other ruminants. In

many areas, the intensity of production

is limited by relatively low annual 

rainfall. However, in recent years there

have been genetic improvements in 

the varieties grown which allow higher 

yields under restricted conditions.

Forestry occupies more than 650 million acres in the United States, employs

1.4 million people, and generates

$200 billion per year. 

Different types of trees grow at different

rates and require different conditions.

However, in general, forests fix around

2 tons of carbon/acre/year which helps

sequester some of the atmospheric 

carbon dioxide. 

Wood itself is highly versatile and has many uses from furniture to energyefficient building materials. In addition, U.S. forestry is the source of around

100 million tons/year of paper, paperboard, and pulp. 

Over the past 10 years the paper segment has increased faster than the 

lumber-use segment. Despite the use of electronic communication via computers, the demand for paper has continued to increase. Wood and paper products

have the highest recycle rate with some 40 million tons of paper per year being

reused. 

In the future, it is expected that genetic engineering of trees will provide for 

easier manipulation of current constituents and/or allow the production of more

specific useful materials. In either case, trees will form an integral portion of the

future renewable resource base. 

34 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

U.S. Biomass Resources

Low Inventory

Agricultural Resources

Agricultural and Wood Resources

Wood Resources

02594232m
PETROCHEMICAL STATISTICS

The world has a finite supply of fossil fuels. Although significant coal and natural

gas reserves exist, crude oil is generally taken as an indicator of the supply side

for fossil fuels. Two aspects of the remaining global supply are important: total

amount and distribution among countries, as shown in map below.

There has been much debate about the

duration of supply of fossil fuels. Duration is an important question, but is not

as critical as the supply-demand balance. Over the past five years, supply

has been in balance with demand (at

the macro level) as shown in the chart 

at the left.

35 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

APPENDIX 3

02594224m

Source: DOE-Energy Information Administration

650

80

90

70

20

60

40

Billion Barrels of Known Oil Reserves 02594225m

74

69

64

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

Source: DOE-Energy Information Administration

Million Barrels/Day

Supply

Demand
There are two aspects of this supply-demand chart that are important:

1. Demand appears to be increasing. 

2. It is not possible to determine when supply will no longer be able to keep up

with this demand.

Regardless of the correct answer

to the question of how long fossil

fuels will last, the economics of the

petrochemical industry will change

whenever the supply-demand balance changes. It can reasonably

be expected that the balance will

change long before the supply is

compromised. Such a situation 

will result in large shifts in the price

of oil and basic industrial inputs,

much like the U.S. "oil crisis" of 

the 1970s.

We cannot accurately determine

whether the 2000-2020 time period

will be a crisis or not. However, we

can expect that the more renewable resources are used to supplement fossil

fuels, the further back the crisis period will be pushed.

The petrochemical industry has been hugely successful, with more than 70,000

different products. The sector will continue to develop and expand the use of

innovative products such as polycarbonate resins, polyvinylidene chloride, and

resin-compatible fiberglass. One out of every eight U.S. patents are awarded to

the chemical industry.

The successful trends of the petrochemical industry indicate that demand for

industrial raw material will continue, both worldwide and in the United States.

Even if the global situation were to remain in balance (and it will likely not), the

U.S. situation is that imports have already overtaken domestic supply. Thus,

there is a question of security as consumer goods rely more and more on an

uncertain supply—from aspects of total amount, price, and distribution of 

control.

The following page shows the source and utilization of petroleum-based 

products in the United States.

36 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020 02594226m

Price

Demand

Supply

2000-2020?

Time

Relative Value
37 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Crude Oil

Supply

Motor Gasoline

7.9

Distillate Fuel Oil

3.4

Liquefied Petroleum Gases

2.0 Jet Fuel

1.6

Other

2.6

Natural Gas

Liquids and

Field Production

of Gasoline

1.6

Refined Products Net Imports

0.4

Process Gain

0.8

Total Refinery

Output

16.3

Crude Oil Input

to Refineries

14.2

Crude Oil Stock Changes, Losses,

and Unaccounted for (Net)

0.3

Crude Oil Production

6.5

Unfinished Oils,

Blending Components, and

Oxygenate Inputs

0.8

Crude Oil Net Imports

7.4

Refined Products

Supplied

18.3

Other Inputs to

Refineries

0.5

Residual Fuel Oil

0.8

Total Refinery

Input

15.5 

U.S. Petroleum Flow, 1996

(Million Barrels per Day)

Adapted from Figure 1, Petroleum 1996: Issues and Trends.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Petroleum 

Supply Annual, DOE/EIA-0340 (June 1997), Table 3.

02594227m
38 TECHNOLOGY ROADMA P F OR PLANT/CROP-BASE D RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

APPENDIX 4

02594228m

Plant Science Production

Develop structural genomics (sequencing)

Develop functional genomics

Develop methods for information sharing and addressing 

intellectual property issues

Develop bioinformatics

Explore gene regulation and control of metabolic pathways

Study gene switching

Develop map of carbon flow

Improve primary energy flow in systems

Improve gene transformations

Investigate gene stacking

Apply gene shuffling and molecular evolution 

Develop plastid transformation

Explore plant mimics (CO2 fixation) 

Explore single cell organisms

Develop improved analytical tools

Enhance proteomics research

Generate model systems

Establish training centers

Identify key traits of interest

Improve yield via plant productivity

Explore factors impacting consistency

Lower losses to pests and diseases

Characterize germplasm

Improve precision farming

Build market contract systems

Decrease costs

Develop fast growing species

Improve harvesting machinery for biomass

Improve agronomic practices to protect soil and water 

Alter plants to contain one major component of interest 

Study double cropping

Investigate perennials versus annual plants

Improve use of marginal land

Enhance photosynthetic efficiency

Develop methods for improved residue use 

Generate roadmaps for crop productivity improvement

WORKSHOP RESULTS: RESEARCH NEEDS AND PRIORITIES

The research and development requirements mentioned in eight different 

working groups* were condensed into the following topic areas (not ranked):

* The workshops were held in Indianapolis, Indiana, in August and September 1998.
39 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

02594229m

Processing Utilization

Use non-aqueous solvents

Use extremophiles as a source of novel enzymes

Develop new membrane technologies for separations

Develop water removal methods

Find ways to use known targets more effectively (e.g. starch)

Search for new catalysts

Improve conversion methods

Decrease costs

Improve hybrid (bio and chemical) systems

Explore enzymes within plants

Design new microbes for fermentation

Develop biochips for process control 

Improve distillation

Design new reactors to suit plant material

Explore partial processing in the field

Develop more selective catalysts via screening

Establish multi-functional facilities

Investigate reactive fractionation

Find novel reaction media

Develop improved microbes 

Research performance needs

Improve materials standards and analytical methods

Better understand structure function relationships for plant 

constituents (protein, starch, etc)

Structure taxes to encourage use of renewables

Explore value of natural stereochemistry

Define added value

Develop novel materials and uses

Build matrix of value for plant components

Generate a plant polymer economy

Study infrastructure and distribution systems

Explore impact on rural economies

Develop improved analytical tools for product value

Identify export opportunities

Develop bio-material array for combo uses

Compare life-cycle analysis costs/value

Develop comparative risk analysis for bio-based economy
40 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

APPENDIX 5

ATTENDEES AT RENEWABLE RESOURCES WORKSHOPS

Charles Abbas Archer Daniels Midland Company

Thomas Abbott U.S. Department of Agriculture, ARS — National 

Center for Agricultural Utilization Research

Irshad Ahmed Pure Energy Corporation

Kerr Anderson Dow Chemical Company

William Apel Idaho National Engineering and Environmental 

Laboratory/Lockheed Martin Idaho 

Technology Company

Robert Bloksberg- Department of Commerce, NIST-Advanced 

Fireovid Technology Program

Marta Bourke Calgon Carbon Corporation

Joe Bozell National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Kyd Brenner Corn Refiners Association

Robert Brown Iowa State University

Ting Carlson Cargill, Inc.

Helena Chum National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Jeff Conrad U.S. Department of Agriculture, Biobased 

Products Coordinating Council

Al Cotter National Corn Growers Association

Clark Cummins Dow Chemical Company

Brian Davison Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Mark Dungan United Soybean Board

Ron Erikson Great Lakes Chemical Company

Kellye Eversole Eversole & Associates

Doug Faulkner U.S. Department of Energy, OIT

Frank Flora U.S. Department of Agriculture, ARS — National 

Program Leader

Tom Foglia U.S. Department of Agriculture, ARS — Eastern 

Regional Research Center

Jim Frank Argonne National Laboratory

Mehmet Gencer B.F.Goodrich Company

David Glassner National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Melinda Hamilton Idaho National Engineering and Environmental 

Laboratory/Lockheed Martin Idaho 

Technology Company

Milford Hanna Industrial Agricultural Products Center

Bob Harris New Uses Council
41 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR PLANT/CROP-BASED RENEWABLE RESOURCES 2020

Richard Herrett Agricultural Research Institute

Lou Higgs Milestone Technology Inc.

Don Holt University of Illinois

Judy Jarnefeld New York State Energy Research and 

Development Authority

Peter Johnsen U.S. Department of Agriculture, ARS — National 

Center for Agricultural Utilization Research

Larry Johnson Center for Crops Utilization, Iowa State 

University

Don Johnson Grain Processing Corporation

Gerhard Knothe U.S. Department of Agriculture, ARS — National 

Center for Agricultural Utilization Research

Gloria Kulesa U.S. Department of Energy, OIT

Rich La Duca Genencor International, Inc.

Dennis Lamb Great Lakes Chemical Company

Zennon Lysenko Dow Chemical Company

James McLaren Inverizon International, Inc.

Dennis Miller Michigan State University

Jim Murry Pendleton Flour Mills

Robert Mustell National Corn Growers Association

Christine Nieland National Corn Growers Association

Norm Olson Iowa Energy Center

Mark Paster Monsanto Company

Vic Patton UOP LLC 

Gene Petersen National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Paul Reep Milestone Technology Inc.

David Rowe Dow Chemical Company

Colin Scanes Iowa State University

Tom Schechinger Iron Horse Custom Farming LLC

Sharon Shoemaker California Institute of Food & Agriculture 

Research, University of CA-Davis

Merrill Smith U.S. Department of Energy, OIT

Graham Swift Rohm & Haas Company

Denise Swink Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department 

of Energy, OIT

Mary Kay Thatcher American Farm Bureau Federation

Tom Tillett Rohm & Haas

Mitch Tvinstra Kansas State University

Suellen Van Ooteghem U.S. Department of Energy, FETC

Bhima Vijayendran Battelle

Ingrid Watson U.S. Department of Energy, OIT

Todd Werpy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Clay Williams OmniTech International Inc.
Please direct comments or questions about this document to either:

James McLaren, President, Inverizon International, Inc. and Chair,

Executive Steering Group, 314-530-6943, ‘mclaren@inverizon.com’

or

Doug Faulkner, Agriculture Team Leader, Office of Industrial Technologies, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, 202-586-2119, 'doug.faulkner@ee.doe.gov'

This document and its predecessor "Vision" document Plant/

Crop-Based Renewable Resources 2020: A Vision to Enhance 

U.S. Economic Security Through Renewable Plant/Crop-Based

Resource Use can be found on the Internet at

http://www.oit.doe.gov/agriculture/

For printed copies of this "Roadmap" document or the "Vision" 

DOE/GO-10098-385 call (800)-363-EREC.

DOE/GO-10099-706

February 1999

Printed with a renewable-source ink on 

paper containing at least 50% wastepaper, 

including 20% postconsumer waste.