The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) announced their 2024 class of fellows, including Blake Simmons, Director of the Biological Systems and Engineering (BSE) Division and Chief Science & Technology Officer at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI). Blake was recognized for his technology developments related to using ionic liquids, or molten salts, to break down the structural portions of plants to access sugars that can be converted into biofuels and bioproducts.
The NAI was founded in 2012 to recognize and encourage inventors with U.S. patents. The 2024 cohort of 170 Fellows exemplifies the Academy’s belief that groundbreaking innovation knows no bounds and inventors can be found everywhere. The 2024 Fellows hail from 135 research universities, governmental and non-profit research institutions worldwide and their work spans across multiple disciplines.
The process Simmons and his team has developed is able to efficiently convert hardwoods, softwoods, agricultural residues, and dedicated bioenergy crops such as switchgrass and sorghum. The key to their breakthrough was the discovery of ionic liquids as a way to pretreat and deconstruct the dense plant material. Simmons’ group has also made significant advances in developing enzymes and microbes that are able to complement the ionic liquid biomass conversion technology. This is a critical advancement in the development of a cost-effective technology suitable for commercialization. This work culminated into the first major advancement in the field in over 50 years, where conventional approaches were previously unable to meet commercial demands.
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