USDA announced on Tuesday it will invest $9.5 million in its Bioproduct Pilot Program (BPP), which will fund three bioproduct manufacturing projects.
The program was authorized under the Infrastructure Invest and Jobs Act in November 2021 in order to “better position” the U.S. for competition in the global economy.
“Adopting a more circular economy ensures that wealth and other economic benefits in the form of jobs and other opportunities are created, and stay, in rural communities,” said Tom Vilsack, Agriculture Secretary. “We must support and incentivize practices like these, because it’s what consumers want — and what farmers, and our planet, need.”
BPP provides USDA the opportunity to invest $5 million each of fiscal year 2022 and 2023. This year, the program will support three awardees that will convert:
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Food waste to bioplastics
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Pig manure and feedstock to an asphalt product
• Soylei Innovations, of Ames, Iowa, Soybean oil to rubber for pavements and shingles
Dr. Dionne Toombs, acting director of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) had a hand in administering the awards. She says all three projects have “compelling benefits” to America’s economy.
“Each of the recommended projects includes collaborations with universities and companies that can bridge the gap between invention and the marketplace as well as produce stronger and more effective outcomes,” said Toombs in the press release.
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