BE MUSES: Biocomplexity in the Bioeconomy: The Natural and Industrial Ecology of Biobased Products

环境/材料利用科学、工程和社会中的生物复杂性项目侧重于模拟大规模过渡到使用生物质衍生原料生产能源、燃料和产品的生态、经济和社会影响。美国已经制定了雄心勃勃的目标，到2030年，用生物质生产25%的化学品和材料，20%的运输燃料。这种向生物基生产的转变将对整个工业、农业和社会制度产生深远影响。关于设想的生物经济的物质流动周期的信息非常少，特别是关于这些周期如何联系在一起，以及这些周期的变化可能对资源可获得性、经济、环境和政府政策选择产生什么影响的信息。这项研究将使用一套综合的本地、区域和全球模型来研究近期和长期生物经济情景的影响。除了物理过程和物质流动建模外，还将使用农业部门经济和环境建模以及社会影响评估来探索市场结构、生产和社会驱动因素对生物经济中未来物质流动的影响。达特茅斯学院和世界资源研究所的研究人员将参与这一项目。与正宗教学联盟(ATA)合作，我们将利用对生物经济的兴趣，通过设计和测试高中科学课程的学习模块，围绕关键的基于生物的转化和生产概念来推动基础科学教育。预计该项目的结果将使我们能够更好地了解：(1)生物经济中的物质流动；(2)基于生物的生产是否需要与水质、气候变化和粮食生产进行权衡；如果是，这些权衡的性质和程度；(3)农业为大规模生物生产提供原料的能力；(4)由于氮和碳化合物流动的变化在生物经济中带来的水质和气候变化之间的耦合；(5)影响农民为生物经济生产的意愿的因素；以及(6)旨在促进生物经济发展的政策机制的影响。该奖项将由CMS/ENG、ECS/ENG和DMII/ENG的项目官员管理，反映了生物复杂性这一广泛的多学科主题所带来的专业知识的广度。

This Biocomplexity in the Environment/Materials Use Science, Engineering and Society project focuses on modeling the ecological, economic, and social impacts of a large-scale transition to the use of biomass-derived feedstock for the production of energy, fuel and products. The United States has set ambitious goals of producing from biomass 25% of its chemicals and materials, and 20% of its transportation fuel by 2030. Such a shift to biobased production will have profound impacts throughout the coupled industrial, agricultural and social systems. Very little information is available on the material flow cycles of the envisioned bioeconomy, especially on how those cycles are linked together, and on what the implications of changes in those cycles might be for resource availability, economics, the environment, and options for government policy. This research will use an integrated set of local, regional and global models to study the implications of near- and long-term bioeconomy scenarios. In parallel with physical process and substance flow modeling, agriculture sector economic and environmental modeling, and social impact assessment will be used to explore market structure, production, and social drivers as influences on future material flows in the bioeconomy. Researchers at Dartmouth College and the World Resources Institute will participate on this project. In partnership with the Authentic Teaching Alliance (ATA) we will use interest in the bioeconomy to motivate basic science education by designing and testing learning modules for high school science classes around key biobased conversion and production concepts. It is expected that results from this project will allow us to better understand: (1) The flows of materials in the bioeconomy; (2) if biobased production requires trade-offs with water quality, climate change, and food production; and if so, the nature and extent of those trade-offs; (3) the ability of agriculture to supply the feedstock needs of large-scale bioproduction; (4) the coupling within the bioeconomy between water quality and climate change brought about by changes in the flow of nitrogen and carbon compounds; (5) the factors that influence farmers' willingness to produce for the bioeconomy; and (6) the impacts of policy mechanisms designed to promote the development of a bioeconomy. This award will be managed by program officers in CMS / ENG, ECS / ENG and DMII / ENG, reflecting the breadth of expertise brought to this broad multidisciplinary topic in biocomplexity.