Biomanufacturing of Aligned Cellulose Growth

Cellulose is a highly versatile and renewable material used in applications ranging from textiles to food additives, but plant-derived cellulose requires significant growth time, and is time- and labor-intensive to process. Bacterial-derived cellulose presents a viable, efficient alternative, but this method currently still requires significant downstream processing to improve materials properties for many applications. We are researching methods to improve bacterial growth conditions to generate aligned cellulosic materials which outperform statically grown, amorphous cellulose.

Intern: Madeline Hale

Mentor: Cecelia Kinane (REDD/R2A)