New Product Made of Soybean Oil Could Yield Benefits for Farmers

Iowa Soybean Association's The Bean Blog - April 18, 2013

BBRT members Chris Williams and Eric Cochran give an overview of biobased polymers research happening at Iowa State University. More >>

Pardon Me, But There’s a Bioplastic in My Froyo

Iowa Science Interface - March 5, 2013

Research conducted by the Biopolymers & Biocomposites Research Team was featured in Iowa Science Interface, a blog that highlights science developments in Iowa. The post also included the announcement of the proposed Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites. More >>

Game-Changing Research - Putting a Spin on Biocomposites

Composites Manufacturing Magazine - September/October 2012: Page 16

Biopolymers & Biocomposites Research Team member Michael Kessler's research on developing low-cost carbon fibers from lignin was featured in the September-October issue of Composites Manufacturing magazine as one of “six projects conducted on three continents that could one day affect billions of people.” More on Page 16>>

Bioplastics from Proteins

Bioplastics Magazine - July/August 2012: SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

The concept of using protein as a plastic is not novel. While nature has been using protein for structural purposes, Henry Ford was one of the first to make automotive components, such as body panels, from soy protein plastics. Proteins are naturally occurring polymers that consist of amino acids linked together to form a long globular molecular structure. More>> (subscription only)

MacDonald Receives ASME Young Investigator Award

Iowa State University College of Engineering Research News - August 30, 2012

Biopolymers & Biocomposites Research Team member Erin MacDonald recently received the ASME Design Automation Young Investigator Award. More>>

Iowa State University Expanding Bio-container Research

Plastics News - May 8, 2012: Featured article from NPE 2012 coverage

After displaying its bio-based plant containers at NPE2012 in Orlando, Iowa State University biopolymers and biocomposites researchers returned home to make up another 6,000 pots for beta testing this summer. More>>

Software to Compare Bioplastics, Traditional Resins Coming Online Soon

SPI - In the Hopper - April 16, 2012

The Polymers Environmental Calculator was featured in SPI's In the Hopper business blog. More>>

Researchers at Iowa State University Explore Method of Making Carbon Fiber from Lignin-based Polymer Blends

SpecialChem - April 10, 2012

The Iowa State University Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research Team is investigating the production of carbon fibers from low-cost, lignin-based polymer blends for use in wind turbine blades. More>>

Green Matter: Let the Numbers Tell the Tale

Plastics Today - April 5, 2012

Finally, help is at hand to sort through the "green" claims and virtues of plastics materials of different origin. More>>

NPE2012 Preview

Bioplastics Magazine - January/February 2012: SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

The Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research Team was listed in Bioplastics Magazine NPE2012 Preview. More>>

Iowa State to Develop Plant-based Containers

Plastic News - October 25, 2011

Iowa State University has been awarded a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop bioplastic containers for specialty crops including bedding plants, tomatoes and shrubs. More>>

Researching Biorenewable Plastics and Self-Healing Composites

LiveScience.com - August 11, 2011

LiveScience.com interviews Iowa State University professor and Biopolymers & Biocomposites Research Team member Michael Kessler. More>>

Richard Larock Retires

Center for Crops Utilization Research Newsletter - May/June 2011

Richard Larock, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Iowa State University, retired on May 13. Larock has been a long-time member of the Center for Crops Utilization Research's Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research Team. More>>

Iowa State, Ames Lab Researcher Developing Bio-based Polymers that Heal Cracks

Iowa State University News Service - January 6, 2011

Michael Kessler has worked with polymers that repair themselves when they crack. And he's worked with polymers made from vegetable oils. Now he's working to combine the two technologies. More>>

Kessler's CAREER Award Combines Quests for Self-healing, Biorenewable Polymers

Iowa State University College of Engineering News - June 1, 2010

The successful pursuit of polymer research along two separate lines brought Associate Professor Michael Kessler to a simple yet unexpected confluence of ideas that raised a straightforward question: Why not combine them? More>>

Iowa State Professor Turns Crops Into Composites

Composites Manufacturing - January 12, 2012

An interview with David Grewell. More>>

Iowa State Researchers Focus on Harvesting Bioplastics

Plastic News - July 27, 2009

If researchers at Iowa State University have their way, bioplastics soon will join corn, soybeans and oats as one of the state's top agricultural exports. More>>