USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded the said grants as part of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI).
The initiative seeks to develop regional systems for generating sustainable bioenergy that are compatible with existing agricultural systems.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack remarked that as per an Iowa State University study bio-based products were increasingly employed in automobile manufacturing.
"USDA and President Obama are committed to producing clean energy right here at home, to not only break our dependence on foreign oil, but also boost rural economies.
"These projects will give us the scientific information needed to support biofuel production and create co-products that will enhance the overall value of a biobased economy.
Today, with a strong and diversified U.S. agricultural sector, the American automobile industry has a greater incentive for expanding use of biobased products while supporting good-paying jobs here in the United States," Vilsack added.
