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Biomass is No Longer Just Waste: How DARPA's Latest Program is Turning Lignin into a Strategic Resource.
Did you know that every year, gigatons of biomass from agricultural and forestry residues are discarded worldwide?
The culprit? Lignin—the energy-dense molecule that gives plants their structure but is so difficult to process it's often burned for low-value heat.
DARPA's new Fleetwood program is changing that narrative entirely.
Here's what makes this breakthrough significant:
Atomic-Level Precision – Developing novel catalysts to convert lignin into value-added chemicals, plastics, and adhesives.
Supply Chain Resilience – Reducing dependence on foreign oil by creating stateside-derived, on-demand resources.
Game-Changing Economics – Building on reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) to dramatically boost carbon conversion efficiency.
As Dr. William Mounfield, Fleetwood program manager, explains: "By making the carbon in lignin accessible, we can unlock a massive, untapped domestic resource."
The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense Threat Reduction Agency are already paying attention. Is your industry ready for a biomass-powered future?
