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Vision

South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã is growing as a national leader in applied research focused on solar-powered biological nitrogen fixation and developing a new BioNitrogen Economy.

Mission

BNERC is integrating research activities with workforce training and STEM education to accelerate the development of BioNitrogen Economies. BNERC’ research is facilitating a transition from the fossil fuel-driven Chemo-Nitrogen Economy to a solar-powered BioNitrogen Economy in which many bioproducts can be eventually 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 AI/ML to build jurisdictional research capacity in biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and its practical applications. BNERC 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 cyanobacteria and plant symbioses in natural ecosystems, (2) comparative multi-omics study of uniquely sunlight-driven, oxic N₂-fixation, (3) BNF-driven biomanufacturing, and (4) exploring reconstruction of N₂-fixing cyanobacteria and plants as a bridge toward creating many novel N₂-fixing crops.