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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →On December 20, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $9.5 million through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Bioproduct Pilot Program for three early-stage research and development projects. The teams proposed turning food waste, swine manure and other organic feedstocks, and high-oleic soybean oil into materials for packaging and road construction. The announcement describes plans, not finished products; USDA’s later program summary does not establish that they are commercially available.
What the three USDA-funded projects proposed
The projects pair agricultural or organic inputs with potential consumer or construction uses. USDA announced them as proposals in 2022, so the descriptions below are intended applications rather than evidence of completed products or proven performance. USDA’s award announcement provides the project details.
| Project team | Feedstock | Proposed product and use |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Food waste | Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-based biodegradable bioplastics for possible consumer uses, including flexible and rigid packaging and food and beverage containers. |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Swine manure and other organic feedstocks | Biobinders for asphalt, intended to improve the quality of recycled asphalt pavements. |
| Soylei Innovations, Ames, Iowa | High-oleic soybean oil | Thermoplastic rubber for pavements, with the potential to extend repair longevity. |
What the funding announcement does—and does not—show
The $9.5 million was the announced investment for the three projects, not a stated award amount for each team. USDA said the Bioproduct Pilot Program was authorized and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The program supports research and development of value-added products derived from agricultural commodities.
NIFA’s November 2024 climate change accomplishments report describes the program as supporting early-stage innovation R&D and summarizes approximately $9.5 million for three projects in FY2022–FY2023. It says the program attends to cost-competitive products that reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and waste relative to conventional products. That is the program’s objective, not evidence that these three projects achieved those outcomes.
Similarly, USDA’s 2022 science highlights describe the investment as intended to support scale-up of sustainable bioproduct manufacturing and study materials from covered agricultural commodities for construction and consumer products. The award announcement lists possible benefits, including reduced landfill waste and disposal costs for asphalt and food waste, and potentially longer-lasting pavement repairs. Those are projected benefits, not demonstrated results reported in the announcement.
Are the bioproducts available to buy?
The cited USDA materials establish the awards and early-stage R&D, but they do not establish that any of the proposed materials have since been produced, tested in the field, commercialized, or made available for purchase. A project’s proposed application should not be treated as a product claim or as proof of performance. Current progress would require newer project-level information.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why USDA linked the projects to rural opportunity
The announcement presented the projects as a way to develop value-added uses for agricultural commodities and organic materials, with potential economic opportunities in rural and underserved communities. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “Adopting a more circular economy ensures that wealth and other economic benefits in the form of jobs and other opportunities are created, and stay, in rural communities.”
Dr. Dionne Toombs, then acting director of USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, said the projects included university-company collaborations that could help bridge invention and the marketplace. She also said the projects had “compelling benefits that advance environmental justice and spur economic opportunity for underserved communities.” These statements express USDA officials’ rationale and expectations; they are not independently measured findings about jobs, environmental effects, or community outcomes.
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