About the Center for Crops Utilization Research at Iowa State University
In the 1980s a crisis existed in American farming—a crisis of overproduction, underutilization, and decreasing international market share for raw commodities. Also, the United States’ growing dependence on imported oil and long-term forecasts for increasing oil prices put America at risk. To address this crisis, Center for Crops Utilization Research (CCUR) was established in 1984 through a special appropriation from the Iowa legislature. The center was tasked to respond to the urgent need to improve America’s agricultural competitiveness.
Four decades later, there are new opportunities to increase demand for Iowa’s crops. Consumer demand is increasing for new healthful food ingredients, biobased alternatives to petroleum-based products, and sustainable and environmentally friendly industrial processes. The rapid advancement of new food processing technologies and industrial biotechnology enable those demands to be met in an economically viable way.
While CCUR’s core mission of increasing demand for Iowa crops remains relevant, the center is also taking these opportunities to grow our connection with companies and entrepreneurs to help them to test, troubleshoot, and optimize their ideas in an industrial-friendly setting.
Mission
Assist private and public researchers to develop new food processing and industrial fermentation technologies by providing bench- and pilot-scale capabilities.
Vision
Iowa remains the world’s primary source of food and feed ingredients, biofuels and biobased products, and Iowa State University becomes the internationally recognized research and development center for industry to develop new food processing and industry fermentation technologies.
Strategic Areas
Industrial biotechnology
Food processing technology
The History of ISU Center for Crops Utilization Research
On July 1, 1984, the Iowa Legislature appropriated $200,000 to establish the Center for Crops Utilization Research (CCUR) at Iowa State University. Since its inception, CCUR has been focused on successful technology transfer to industry by utilizing pilot plant facilities designed to demonstrate proof-of-concept by scaling up lab studies into commercially viable processes and products. In 1989 to 1993, CCUR raised $18 million to build new pilot-scale processing plants, the first-in-its-kind state of art pilot plant facilities in the state of Iowa. In 2009 to 2010, CCUR raised $15 million to build the BioCentury Research Farm (BCRF), the first-in-the-nation integrated research and demonstration facility dedicated to biomass production and processing.
1984 – 1993: Inception
The Iowa Legislature established the Center for Crops Utilization Research (CCUR). Dr. Lawrence Johnson was named as the center director. During this period, the center established its research infrastructures in the Food Science Building. New offices, labs and pilot plants were added. The center focused on research and development on utilization of Midwest crops such as corn and soybeans.
1993 – 2009: Expansion
CCUR was expanding rapidly during this period by adding new programs. For example, the Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research Team (BBRT) was established in 1995 to promote production of biorenewable polymers, plastics, films, and composites from agricultural feedstocks. The Iow Grain Quality Initiative was established in 1997 to provide services to grain industry, and educational and legal resources to the public. The Baking lab was established in 2002 to support baking research and development and studying baking properties of doughs and flours.
2009 – 2018: Reset
CCUR began to pivot its focus to renewable fuel production and sustainability related research and development. During this period, a complete dry-grinding based corn ethanol production process including fermentation, ethanol distillation and DDGS production was established. An algae production greenhouse facility was built to support algae-based wastewater treatment research. The Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research Team established the Bioplastics and Biocomposites (CB2) center to develop bioplastic containers as alternatives to petroleum-based products. In 2015, Lawence John retired and Kevin Keener was hired as new director for CCUR. In 2018, Zhiyou Wen, professor of food science and Human Nutrition, was named the director of CCUR by succeeding Kevin Keener.
2019 – Present: Rapid growth
CCUR re-exams its mission and re-position itself as a research and service center for private and public researchers to develop new food processing and industrial fermentation technologies. CCUR currently focuses on two strategic areas: (1) Food processing technologies, and (2) Industrial biotechnology. During this period of time, CCUR has been investing heavily on increasing fermentation and downstream processing capabilities, expanding the customer base in the private sector, reorganizing the staff team, and improving facility infractures.
