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Vision

SDSU is leading an National Science Foundation-awarded $7 million project (2024-2028 with a renewable $4.5 million for three more years) titled BioNitrogen Economy Research Center. This project enables South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã to grow as a national leader in applied research on solar-powered, oxic biological nitrogen fixation and developing novel bionitrogen industries.

Mission

The BioNitrogen Economy Research Center is integrating research activities with workforce training and STEM education to accelerate the development of bionitrogen economies. The BioNitrogen Economy Research Center research is facilitating a transition from the fossil fuel-driven chemo-nitrogen economy to a solar-powered bionitrogen economy in which many bioproducts can eventually be produced by genetically engineered N₂-fixing cyanobacteria and novel N₂-fixing crops, using abundant sunlight, atmospheric dinitrogen gas (N₂) and carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Project Description

To help pioneer a new nitrogen bioeconomy, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã State University, Oglala Lakota College, South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Mines and the University of South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã, along with Houdek, an industry partner, has established the BioNitrogen Economy Research Center, leveraging artificial intelligence/machine learning to build jurisdictional research capacity in biological nitrogen fixation and its practical applications. The BioNitrogen Economy Research Center will build sustainable capacity to leverage abundant atmospheric N₂ gas to create commercially viable, solar-powered bionitrogen industries. This will be achieved by (1) study of N₂-fixing bugs and plant symbioses in natural ecosystems, (2) comparative multi-omics study of a uniquely sunlight-powered, oxic N₂-fixation, (3) biological nitrogen fixation-driven biomanufacturing, and (4) exploring the reconstruction of N₂-fixing cyanobacteria and plants as a bridge toward creating many novel N₂-fixing crops.