Collectively the bioprocess projects address several of the major questions raised about grain-based biofuel production. New animal feeding methods, increased grain yields per acre and preprocessing of corn before fermentation have the potential to provide feedstuffs for all livestock species, generate a surplus of key nutrients, and reduce the drying/handling and quantity of less valuable distillers grains fractions. In addition to the outputs of the specific projects, it is our intent to pool information into a white-paper analysis offering a fresh scientific view of the long term sustainability of grain-based biofuels.
The IGQI is a multidisciplinary team that brings constructive solutions and balance to these often conflicting forces. The goal is a growing bioeconomy that does not expand one sector (e.g. energy) at the expense of another (e.g. animal production). This will require a steadily improving response to the inevitable natural and induced external problems (e.g. aflatoxin, bio-terrorism, pharmacrops, and incompletely approved GM events) without major disruption.