Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI)

Welcome to RBI

Georgia Tech’s Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI) champions innovation in converting biomass into value-added products, developing advanced chemical and bio-based refining technologies, and advancing excellence in manufacturing processes. Our three strategic thrusts are circular materials; bioindustrial manufacturing; and paper, packaging, and tissue. The Renewable Bioproducts Institute was formerly named the Institute of Paper Science and Technology.

We serve as a campus conduit for industry-university partnerships and provide a portal to Georgia Tech core laboratories, faculty, and students whose work and expertise is focused on biomass, bioproducts, and circular materials. RBI is one of ten campus interdisciplinary research institutes.

2023 RBI Activities and Engagement Report

Fiscal year 2023 was a year of record achievements for the Renewable Bioproducts Institute. Read our report to know more about the workshops and events we had, experiences of our students, RBI's core facilities and a listing of our Ph.D. Fellows.

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Erin Philips with her poster during the RBI Spring Workshop

Series on Student Experiences at the RBI Spring Workshop

This is the third of a series of Q&As from PSE students who share their experience at the 2023 RBI Spring Workshop on Packaging Innovation and the Circular Economy Elyssa Ferguson, a Mechanical Engineering graduate student shares her experience here.

Professional Master's in Manufacturing Leadership

Transform your career with our Professional Master's in Manufacturing Leadership (Online). You'll learn how to propel your organization forward by working on real-world problems to build your skills in operations and personnel management.

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Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Biorefining

Bioindustrial manufacturing and biorefining is focused on biobased products and chemical bioprocessing. Bioproducts research at RBI builds on decades of experience collaborating with pulp and paper manufacturers – extending today into a broad array of industries interested in creating value from forest and agricultural materials. We are also interested in addressing the fundamental and manufacturing challenges for future high margin/high volume products from biomass, with a traditional focus on forest biomaterials.

Learn more about our Biobased Products and Chemical Bioprocessing research >>

Paper, Packaging and Tissue

We continue to explore the seemingly limitless possibilities of paper. From tree to tissue, or to package, or to stationery, magazine or newspaper or thousands of other products—pulping liberates fibers from woody plants and rearranges them into a consistently formed end products. The science rests in efficient processes that conserve energy and raw materials while producing the desired product.

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Circular Materials

Our “Circular Materials” research focuses on polymer-based materials, including composites, with the ultimate goal of identifying materials and/or processes that can minimize the use of non-sustainable resources (fossil fuels) as feedstocks or energy sources. This is a complex challenge that demands a multidisciplinary approach combining fundamental science and engineering to create the necessary materials and technologies to underpin circular systems but also policy and economics to enable society to make the transition to a circular economy.

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Research Services

The research services team was created to oversee all activities related to research services for both internal and external customers. RBI's Testing Services include chemical analysis; corrosion; microscopy; paper, board and box testing; pulp analysis; and recovery. The multidisciplinary capabilities of the team make it uniquely qualified to address customers' technical needs in the areas of process and product development and quality control.

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Activities and Engagement Report for 2021

RBI's Activities and Engagement Report covering the 2023 calendar year shows impactful research publications, workshops, and supported Ph.D. fellows. There are links in the table of contents to the publications, and title pages of each paper published through RBI.

2023 Activities and Engagement Report

Research

Renewable Bioproducts Institute

Welcome to RBI

2023 RBI Activities and Engagement Report

Series on Student Experiences at the RBI Spring Workshop

Professional Master's in Manufacturing Leadership

Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Biorefining

Paper, Packaging and Tissue

Circular Materials

Research Services

Activities and Engagement Report for 2021

News

RBI Releases 2024-25 Fellowship Request for Proposals

A Day’s Work at the RBI Chemical Analysis Lab

$3M NSF Investment Will Create New Semiconductor, 3D Printing Materials

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Events

Georgia Institute of Technology