Two Minutes

The engineer who's writing the books on biorenewable resources

Robert C. Brown, author of Biorenewable Resources: Engineering New Products from Agriculture and the upcoming Why are we Producing Biofuels, leads Iowa State University's Bioeconomy Institute. The new Biorenewables Research Laboratory going up on the west side of campus is a good indication of the strength and growth of biorenewables research and education at Iowa State.

Recent research: Brown is part of a team of Iowa State researchers working to produce clean, renewable energy by developing a new low-emissions burner and a new catalyst for ethanol production. The project is supported by a two-year, $2.37 million grant from the Iowa Power Fund.

Congressional testimony: Brown testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry a few years back. He told senators the country's bioeconomy should have four goals: reduce America's reliance on imported oil, improve environmental quality, expand markets for U.S. agricultural products and improve the economy of rural America.

On sustainability: Biorenewable fuels have been criticized in recent months for diverting crops from food production and encouraging the destruction of natural ecosystems. Brown addresses those criticisms in the Bioeconomy Institute's most recent annual report: "We recognize that few technologies are inherently benign, whether automobiles or iPods. It is our responsibility, as scientists and engineers, to make sure new technologies developed in the service of today's society do not compromise future generations."

-- Mike Krapfl