A new greenhouse custom-designed to support research at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) is now open at the University of Illinois Research Park.

The Plant Biology Innovation Greenhouse (PBIG) features unique cutting-edge capabilities that are already benefiting plant and microbial science researchers on the U. of I. campus. It will propel research by CABBI — a $252M U.S. Department of Energy-funded Bioenergy Research Center – to develop an economically viable and ecologically sustainable domestic biofuel and bioproducts industry from dedicated bioenergy crops.

This innovative facility will allow CABBI researchers to monitor the growth and water use of next-generation bioenergy crops — automatically and in real time, said CABBI Director Andrew Leakey, Professor of Plant Biology at Illinois.

“This will accelerate development of crops that are more productive, sustainable, and resilient to climate extremes as part of our work to produce feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel and other bioproducts,” Leakey said at the Nov. 15 grand opening. “Second, it features special tracer-gas technology that can track how crops and microbes work together to sequester carbon and use nutrients in the soil.”

The greenhouse project was a team effort led by the U. of I. Provost’s Office, Department of Plant Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS), College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), School of Integrative Biology, and Department of Crop Sciences. Susan Martinis, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, and Research Park Executive Director Laura Appenzeller also provided key leadership in the facility’s development and construction.

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