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tied to petroleum processing. Curricula should be revised and then implemented that use examples from and illustrate large-scale processing of renewable materials, including unit operations. Increased curricular flexibility would allow chemical engineers to become better acquainted with the principles and terminology of the biological sciences that are essential to understanding renewable materials. Conversely, the principles and terminology of process engineering also need to be taught to biologists, biochemists, and microbiologists so that engineers and life scientists can better work together to develop the technical infrastructure for developing, manufacturing, and using biobased products.

Improved communication of process engineers with plant breeders and molecular biologists would help tailor various raw materials to specific processing needs. Today innovations for industrial applications are not the focus of most plant breeders because industrial use of plant material is small relative to its use as food and feed. Corn breeders, for example, focus mainly on developing the higher-yield cultivars desired by farmers rather than on modifying corn for industrial applications.

The pool of trained people is scant in certain vital areas, such as natural products chemistry and carbohydrate chemistry. Encouraging an expanded presence for these disciplines on university campuses and industry would speed the development of processes and products requiring such expertise.

Information and Databases

Readily accessible databases could help promote the development of biobased products. Some of the needed information resources are:

• bibliography covering the literature of this field as background to guide future research;

• lists of federal and state grants and funding sources for biobased product research;

• data on ongoing demonstration and precommercialization projects;

• lists of individuals and organizations in the public and private sectors who are active in developing these products and summaries of their facilities and expertise;

• electronic "bulletin boards" for people working in the area;

• statistics on the commercial penetration of biobased products and processes; and

• lists of key organizations promoting the development of these products, such as the New Uses Council Board, the AARCC, and the ATP.