We engineer sustainable systems that integrate chemistry, biology, and physics to create materials and processes that advance both human well-being and planetary health. Biomanufacturing stands at the core of this mission, offering transformative solutions to global grand challenges by replacing fossil-based systems and accelerating the transition to a low-carbon future. By leveraging renewable feedstocks, CO₂, and biological pathways, biomanufacturing can deliver cleaner fuels, chemicals, and materials while enabling carbon capture and utilization. It also strengthens food and water security through precision agriculture, alternative proteins, efficient water use, and waste valorization, while improving air quality by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving these goals requires interdisciplinary collaboration, which we pursue by building a diverse team of engineers and scientists and forging partnerships across academia and industry. Through these efforts, biomanufacturing positions chemical engineering and allied fields at the forefront of driving climate solutions, resource resilience, and global sustainability.
Biomanufacturing as a Driver of Global Solutions
Biomanufacturing has the potential to transform the way society addresses some of the most pressing global challenges—climate change, resource scarcity, food security, and environmental sustainability. By leveraging advances in chemical engineering, biology, and systems-level design, it can enable sustainable alternatives to fossil-based systems while supporting the world’s growing needs for energy, water, and food.
Climate and Energy Transition
The mitigation of climate change hinges on reducing dependence on fossil fuels and decarbonizing the energy system. Biomanufacturing can complement renewable electricity by converting agricultural and biological feedstocks, CO₂, and other sustainable resources into low-carbon fuels, hydrogen, ammonia, and other energy carriers. This offers pathways to reimagine petroleum refineries, provide bridging hybrid energy systems, and ultimately align with net-zero ambitions. Biomanufacturing processes also contribute to carbon capture and utilization, reducing greenhouse gas emissions while producing valuable products.
Water and Environmental Systems
Water scarcity is intensifying with climate change and population growth. Biomanufacturing provides tools for more efficient water use through engineered processes that minimize freshwater consumption, integrate wastewater recycling, and develop novel separation and membrane technologies. It also supports sustainable agriculture and food systems by reducing the water footprint of production and offering circular approaches that valorize waste streams.
Food Security and Agriculture
Global population growth and shifting diets will require resilient food systems. Biomanufacturing supports precision agriculture, alternative proteins, and lab-grown foods, reducing reliance on energy- and resource-intensive animal farming. It also enables processes that minimize food waste, improve crop yields, and generate bio-based fertilizers, all while lowering carbon intensity and environmental burden.
Air Quality and Atmospheric Challenges
By reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, biomanufacturing directly contributes to improving air quality. Advances in microbial and enzymatic systems allow for efficient CO₂ fixation and conversion into fuels, chemicals, and materials. At a systems level, integration with atmospheric science can further address challenges related to aerosols and pollutants.
Collaboration and Scale-Up
Realizing these opportunities requires interdisciplinary collaboration—bringing together chemical engineers, biologists, economists, and social scientists, as well as partnerships between academia, industry, and governments. Pilot and demonstration projects, supported by public–private partnerships, will be critical for scaling sustainable technologies, ensuring they are cost-competitive, and deploying them globally.
In essence, biomanufacturing provides a unifying framework to decarbonize energy, secure sustainable food and water supplies, and improve air quality, while simultaneously creating new economic opportunities. It represents a key pathway for chemical engineering to expand beyond traditional domains and deliver integrated, scalable solutions to humanity’s grand challenges.