OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

“We’re developing new biomass feedstocks, engineering 

microbes and catalysts to produce drop-in fuels from biomass, 

and creating microorganisms to convert lignin into highly 

valued products.”

—Center for Bioenergy Innovation CEO Jerry Tuskan

The Center for 

Bioenergy Innovation

15

CBI partners

15,594

Citations in 

the last 5 years

1 of 4

DOE Bioenergy

Research Centers

442

Publications 

250+

Scientists

The Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is custom engineering feedstock plants and 

microbes for a sustainable bioeconomy. CBI builds on a robust legacy of scientific understanding to provide breakthroughs for a new 

generation of cost-effective, environmentally positive, and industrially relevant bioproducts and biofuels, including sustainable aviation fuels. 

Moving toward Bioproducts from Biomass

The vision for CBI is to accelerate domestication of bioenergy-relevant plants and microbes to 

enable high-impact, value-added coproduct development at multiple points in the bioenergy 

supply chain. Our central, integrated focus areas are described below.

Plant genomics and bioengineering—Developing sustainable biomass crops, including 

perennial nonfood crops that thrive in the suboptimal environment of marginal lands; require 

less water, fertilizer, and pesticide; and are more easily broken down and converted to advanced 

biofuels and bioproducts

Conversion processes—Improving processes using microbes engineered to simultaneously 

break down and convert plant biomass into key molecules, which are then catalytically upgraded 

to create drop-in blendstocks for biofuels such as sustainable aviation fuels while increasing 

efficiency and lowering costs of production

Value-added products—Using new microbes and methods to convert the lignin residuals 

from bioprocessing into valuable products such as renewable chemicals that replace petroleumbased feedstocks

ORNL’s plant phenotyping system 

aids scientists in connecting plant 

gene functions to observable traits 

by performing automated, highthroughput measurement of key 

plant characteristics.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle LLC for the US Department of Energy January 2023

Research and Development Focus Areas

CONTACT:

Gerald A. Tuskan

Chief Executive Officer 

Center for Bioenergy Innovation

tuskanga@ornl.gov

865-576-8141

One Bethel Valley Road, 

Oak Ridge, TN 37830

cbi.ornl.gov

Sustainability—Harness natural diversity and beneficial 

plant–microbe interactions to realize bioenergy crops that 

are drought tolerant, use fertilizer more efficiently, and are 

resistant to pests and pathogens

Feedstock development—Use genomics-based 

approaches to rationally design biomass feedstocks with 

high yield, composition, and uniformity for biofuel and 

bioproduct production

Deconstruction and separation—Eliminate the high 

cost of chemical pretreatment and enzymes by using 

engineered microbes to simultaneously break down, 

refine, and convert biomass into key intermediates

Conversion to specialty biofuels and 

bioproducts—Achieve advanced fuels from biomass 

and value-added coproducts from lignin residues by using 

improved microbial and catalytic platforms

CBI Collaborations and Affiliates 

CBI has among its goals an effective, coordinated path toward successful technology 

commercialization across the bioenergy supply chain by licensing to companies pursuing biofuels 

development. The program is open to industry, academia, nonprofits, and individuals.

CBI Partners