Center for Renewable Carbon

The Center for Renewable Carbon was established by the UT Institute of Agriculture in July 2010 in response to the perceived societal shift from a hydrocarbon-based economy to one based on the economic importance of carbohydrates grown as part of agricultural and forestry practices. The center consolidates UTIA programs related to bioenergy production and biomaterials processing into one cohesive unit. The mission of the center is to research bio-based solutions for four fundamental economic drivers of industry and society: power, fuels, chemicals, and materials. The Office of Bioenergy Programs, the Forest Products Center, the Sun Grant Initiative, and the Carbon Sequestration Program formed the original core center groups. Dr. Tim Rials, who had been serving as the director of the Forest Products Center and director of Research and Development for the Office of Bioenergy Programs, was named the first director. On February 4, 2011, the center’s new Bioenergy Science and Technology Laboratory was opened in renovated space in the Forest Products Center.