** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** HOW TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO ACHIEVE THE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION OF BIOFUEL FROM NONFOOD BIOMASS, SUCH AS THE LIGNOCELLULOSIC MATERIAL OR THE OTHER WASTE STREAMS FROM FOOD PRODUCTION, IS A GRAND CHALLENGE THAT FACES BOTH SCIENTISTS AND POLICY MAKERS. IN THE CENTER OF THIS CHALLENGE LIES THE QUESTION OF HOW TO MAXIMIZE THE ECONOMIC VALUES THAT CAN BE EXTRACTED FROM BIOMASS IN BIOFUEL PRODUCTION.LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS REPRESENTS THE PRIMARY FEEDSTOCK IN MODERN BIOREFINERIES FOR MAKING BIOFUELS. CELLULOSE (POLYMER OF C6 SUGAR), HEMICELLULOSE (POLYMER OF C5 AND C6 SUGAR), AND LIGNIN ARE THE THREE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF LIGNOCELLULOSE. IN THE PAST TWO DECADES, EXTENSIVE RESEARCH EFFORTS HAVE FOCUSED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROCESSES TO UTILIZE THE CELLULOSE AND THE HEMICELLULOSE COMPONENTS, WHILE LIGNIN, THE AROMATIC POLYMER COMPRISING 15-30% DRY WEIGHT OF THE LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS, HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN VIEWED AS A WASTE PRODUCT AND BURNED FOR HEAT AND POWER. WITH A FULL COMMERCIALIZATION OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOFUELS, THE INDUSTRY WOULD PRODUCE ESTIMATED 300 MILLION TONS OF LIGNIN-RICH MATERIAL. THE CURRENT MONEY EQUIVALENT OF LIGNIN IS $0.18/KG, WHILE THE APPROXIMATE VALUE OF LIGNIN USED IN CHEMICAL CONVERSION CAN BE HIGHER THAN $1.08/KG. PROCESSES THAT CAN CONVERT LIGNIN INTO VALUE-ADDED CHEMICALS WOULD DRASTICALLY BOOST THE ECONOMIC VALUES OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF BIOFUEL PRODUCTION.THIS PROJECT TAKES A 'FROM WASTES TO TREASURE' APPROACH THAT IS BUILT UPON A FDA HV1-CERTIFIED MICROORGANISM THAT WAS ORIGINALLY ISOLATED FROM GARDEN SOIL. THE GOAL IS TO ENGINEER PSEUDOMONAS PUTIDA KT2440 FOR THE BIOPRODUCTION OF VALUE-ADDED CHEMICALS, SUCH AS MONOMERS IN NYLON 6,6 PRODUCTION, FROM AROMATICS THAT CAN BE DERIVED FROM LIGNIN DEGRADATION. THE TEAM EXPECTS BROAD IMPACTS FROM THE RESEARCH OUTCOMES ON BOTH IMPROVING LIGNIN VALORIZATION AND ENHANCING KNOWLEDGE OF MICROBIALMETABOLISM.