Why do we need a biobased chemical industry in the United States?
The current U.S. chemical industry is primarily petroleum-based and is the largest dollar value US exporter in the U. S. economy. This industry is moving offshore, making it less politically and economically stable. With more than half of the petroleum plants in the US being shut down, and chemicals being the base for major exports, the development of a new “green” environmentally friendly and sustainable chemical industry could help offset the loss of petrochemical dollars. Where should a biobased chemical industry be located? The center for this industry should be in the Midwest, which is the heartland for agriculture and much of the chemical industry. To achieve this, a strong technical base for innovation and education, coupled to an investment climate that encourages creativity, is needed. This new industry will require coordinated efforts in a number of scientific and engineering fields: molecular and structural biology, computational sciences and agricultural and material scienc
