BESSD 2025 Calendar

The U.S. could triple its bioeconomy with more than 1 billion tons/yr of readily available plant-based fuels, according to the DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office’s 2023 Billion-Ton Report produced by ORNL.

Scientists used molecular dynamics simulations and exascale computing to advance the fundamental understanding needed to develop an energy-saving method of producing nanocellulosic fibers. This strong, lightweight material is ideal for 3D-printing housing and energy components.

A highly accurate flood prediction model developed by ORNL scientists better assesses long-term risk to humans and infrastructure from severe storms.  

EPA approved a gasoline blendstock developed by ORNL and Vertimass that can increase domestic fuel production.  

Scientists are improving Earth system predictive models with data gathered on the natural cycles of life, earth and chemistry in the areas where America’s rivers and lands meet the sea. 

A plant science revolution is underway in the Advanced Plant Phenotyping Lab at ORNL, where robotics and multimodal sensors capture near-real-time data on plant properties to facilitate scientific breakthroughs that propel the bioeconomy.

ORNL researchers won an R&D 100 award for a system that stacks and analyzes multiple genes simultaneously in plants, significantly advancing researchers' ability to understand and bioengineer improved plants.

The Hydropower Market Report led by ORNL with support from the DOE Water Power Technologies Office provides industry with a data-driven baseline of the status, distribution and capabilities of the US hydropower fleet.

The ORNL Distributed Active Archive Center is stewarding data from NASA’s first biodiversity-focused airborne campaign, BioScape, getting crucial information into the hands of scientists and resource managers from one of the world’s ecological hotspots.  

An ORNL-led team developed the first-ever dataset of its kind, bridging molecular information about the poplar microbiome to ecosystem-level processes—contributing to a predictive understanding of this complex system.

The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments in the Arctic project has captured key data to shape Alaska tundra models, and scientists are now applying their research to better understand and predict change across the pan-Arctic.  

Researchers identified a gene “hotspot” in the poplar tree that triggers dramatically increased root growth, supporting development of better bioenergy crops and other plants that can thrive in difficult conditions.