The New Agriculture

Amar Mohanty has a radical vision of the future global economy. Plants are an integral part of it.

Mohanty, the U of G's new research chair in biomaterials and transportation, and a professor in the department of plant agriculture, outlined a not-too-distant future scenario in which plants become the foundation of the economy.

Various crops will not only produce renewable biofuels to run our vehicles, they will be used to produce an array of "biomaterials" that can be turned to everything from car parts and furniture, to building materials and new kinds of rubber.

Mohanty, a world expert in the production of biomaterials, said the technology currently exists to turn plant materials into resins, polymers and tough fibres for the production of petroleum-free plastics. In fact, he said, that knowledge has been around for about a hundred years. Unlike the plastics we are currently dependent on, these plant-based plastics are biodegradable, and the crops that produce them are completely renewable.

Welcome to Dr. Amar Mohanty's Website

Introduction to Dr. Mohanty

Amar Mohanty, Professor and Ontario Premier's Research Chair in Biomaterials and Transportation at the University of Guelph, a former Michigan State University professor is an international leader in the field of biomaterials.

Dr. Mohanty's research interest comprises bioeconomy related to biobased materials, biofuels and biorefinery. He has more than 250 publications to his credit, including 138 peer-reviewed journal papers, four book chapters, three text books, two edited books, two magazine articles, and seven US Patents awarded.

Dr. Mohanty is an accomplished researcher and was the holder of the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany and received the Andrew Chase Forest Products Division Award in 2006 from the Forest Products Division of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He is one of the Directors of the Forest Product Division, American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Dr. Mohanty was the lead editor of a book "Natural Fibers, Biopolymers and Biocomposites" published by Taylor & Francis CRC Press in 2005. Dr. Mohanty serves as Editorial Board Member in the Journal of Polymers and Environment, Recent Patents on Material Science and Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. He is the "Editor-in-Chief" of the Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy.

Dr. Mohanty brings his expertise to Ontario, in collaboration with fellow researchers, at the University of Guelph, at select universities here in Ontario and with collaborating institutions and industry international, brings an exciting new approach to our future needs through plant based biomaterials.