Renewable Bioproducts Institute Sankar Nair, associate professor, chemical and biomolecular engineering, works with students at his lab in the Tricentennial Building. (Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech)

The types and scope of materials needed by printing, packaging and other paper-related industries pose vital questions to manufacturers and scientists alike. How can technology help these industries improve their processes, compete in the global marketplace and improve their sustainability? The place that likely will have the answers is the Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI) at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

RBI, successor to the Institute of Paper Science and Technology, is today's foremost research institute for the development of biomaterials into new and sustainable products, including renewable energy, traditional and new forest products, advanced materials chemicals, and pharmaceuticals.

Kelly Smith, manager of marketing & communication at RBI, states: "Our relationship to the pulp and paper industry is longstanding--more than 85 years as a matter of fact. Since the beginning, we have worked hand in hand with company leaders and decision makers. There are certain product lines we believe represent the future and are key to growth in the industry, including renewable forest biomaterials, the focus of much of our research."

This focus has led to innovative technologies resulting in new products, materials and applications created from renewable and sustainable forest biomass. Meanwhile RBI continues to focus on various fundamental challenges in paper physics and fiber engineering while creating "a step-change in paper/packaging product performance."

RBI's current areas of expertise and exploration include:
● Advanced Packaging Technology
• Coatings & Barriers
• Dissolving Pulp & Regenerated Cellulose
• Paper & Board Mechanics
• Printing Technology
• Tissue

History and Evolution

The Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST) research stream was initially founded as the Institute of Paper Chemistry in Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1929. The goal of the organization was to marry science, education and technology to support the pulp and paper industry, a rapidly changing sector of the economy. Executives realized there was a need to have employees trained in the art and science of papermaking. That need fostered the creation of an undergraduate program designed to provide much needed technical training to the employees at a local mill. The faculty at the IPST encouraged its students to apply a liberal arts philosophy to science and technology using creative thinking grounded in fundamental research procedures. This philosophy remains a focus at RBI today.

The information technology boom of the 1970s and early 1980s inspired the IPST's board of trustees to move the organization to the Georgia Institute of Technology campus. The move would allow the IPST to align itself with Georgia Tech's research facility and programs focused on science, engineering, and computer science and technology.

All was not smooth sailing. Social issues and economic struggles affected the pulp and paper industry in ways that could not have been imagined. By the early 2000s, it became apparent that IPST would have to form an alliance if it had a chance at survival. In 2003, IPST permanently joined forces with Georgia Tech and became one of the university's four large interdisciplinary research institutes.

Name Change and Endowment

The next decade brought tremendous change for IPST. The institute strived to keep ahead of economic changes, environmental policies, manufacturing, and industry goals, as technology opened new doors and offered new opportunities in the paper industry.

In May 2014, the evolution of IPST's research led to an expanded scope of research. The broadened focus permitted IPST to expand its program to include the potential of biomass materials related to many industries in addition to the manufacture of paper. A name change was inevitable. The Renewable Bioproducts Institute was born.

Dr. Norman Marsolan, director of RB, states: "Our institute has experienced an evolution in the past decade, building upon the rich history of the Institute of Paper Science and Technology while positioning ourselves to serve the needs of the new bioeconomy.

"Bioproducts and bioprocessing research has also undergone an evolution," Marsolan adds. "It now includes technologies that produce chemicals, biofuels and new material products from forest raw materials. We are committed to enhancing the global competitiveness of companies operating in wide-ranging bioproducts markets."

May 2014 would prove to be a banner month for RBI. That same month, the Institute of Paper Chemistry Foundation (IPCF) gave RBI a grant of $43.6 million. The grant, one of the largest gifts in Georgia Tech's history, allows RBI to support over 50 paper science and engineering students and faculty responsible for advancing the research mission of RBI.

Smith says, "Always looking to the future, RBI has partnered with Georgia Tech's professional education office to offer post-graduate manufacturing leadership courses. Strong operations and facility leaders are vital to a manufacturing company's success. Professionals who aspire to these roles must acquire leadership skills and also get exposure to industry challenges and best practices. We are looking to prepare the next generation of leaders through a unique series of graduate courses that can build their leadership and business acumen, while also providing a manufacturing excellence and advanced technical education that will set them apart from their peers."

Typically, when an organization goes through changes as RBI has in the past few years, it is expected that the program's vision and focus also will change. Smith says that the heritage and focus of RBI is very much the same, merely expanded.

In regards to the Institute's name change, Smith says, "We believe in terms of our vision, it's slightly misleading to say there is a "new" vs. "old" institution. Every successful entity must evolve in its practices and strategic focus over time, especially in the realm of science and technology. Our focus remains on advancing both science and engineering in forest and agricultural biomass. We can do this by creating new bioproducts and biochemicals as well as enhancing existing ones."