| New Biorefinery: Value added products from biomass and biotechnology of sustainable agriculture | 1026281 | Gu, ZhengRong | 10/01/2021 | 09/30/2026 | ACTIVE | BROOKINGS | Biochar, Lignin, anaerobic digestion, electrochemistry, food preservative, manure, oilseeds, graphene | Developing high value products from biomass is necessary to improve the economic sustainability and viability of future bioenergy processes. In this project, integrated biorefinery platforms and sustainable agricultural technologies will be investigated to generate value-added products and enable sustainable agricultural production. This effort will focus on development of three key objectives.Objective 1. Develop fresh produce and meat preservative from glucosinolates as a value added coproduct of oilseeds. Glucosinolates (GLS) and myrosinase (MYRS) will be extracted and isolated via selective adsorption. An adsorbent packet, in which GLS and MYRS are adsorbed on different materials, will enable controllable release of GLS and MYRS simultaneously. Subsequent hydrolysis of GLS by MYRS will release bioactive isothiocyanates in food packaging. The anti-microbial activity of isothiocyanates against food spoilage and poisoning microbes (grey mold, E. coli and Salmonella) will be quantified using FDA standard assay methods.Objective 2. Develop an electrochemical enhanced anaerobic process to convert urea in animal manure to controlled release nitrogen fertilizer and generate electricity for sustainable agriculture. An electrochemical enhanced anaerobic process, using biochar as microbial fuel cell electrodes, will be developed to enhance anaerobic digestion of manure, minimize loss of nutrients, and improve biogas quality. We will also evaluate innovative biochar electrodes to achieve complete mineralization of urea as well as immobilize nitrate in biochar as sustainable releasing fertilizer. We will optimize energy efficiency and conversion selectivity of the electrochemical anaerobic digestion to achieve simultaneously production of high quality bio-natural gas, recovery of sustainable releasing fertilizer, and production of electricity from manure wastes. Furthermore, we will evaluate N and P leaching from soil amended with biochar containing digestates to understand how biochar addition in anaerobic digestion impacts sustainable fertilization pratices.Objective 3. Develop an advanced thermochemical process to prepared graphene from lignin for use as electrodes for energy storge devices, such as Li batteries and supercapacitors. A new flash catalytic thermochemical process (FCTP), which is inspired by a recent success in high power flash graphene preparation including laser and joule heating processes, will be developed and optimized to produce 3D porous graphene from lignin. This project will also quantify how the composition and structure of different feedstocks, heating conditions, and catalysts (type and dosage) of thermochemical processes impact the resulting 3D porous graphene structure, surface chemical properties, and electric energy storage functions. Simultaneously, the reactions of FCTP will be monitored and disclosed through quantitatively analysis of volatile products. Furthermore, a deep understanding of the relationship between porous structure, surface properties of lignin based 3D porous graphene, and their functional performance of energy storage will be established. This project will also prepare bio-jet fuel from volatile co-products of FCTP. According to analysis results of FCTP's condensed volatile products, upgrading processes (such as catalytic hydrodeoxygenation) will be designed to convert the biooil of FCTP to drop-in jet fuel. Novel multifunctional catalysts will be developed. Regeneration of the spent catalysts will also be explored. | In the proposed hatch project, Dr. Gu will focus on the following objectives to enhance sustainable agriculture:Objective 1. Develop fresh produce and meat preservative from glucosinolates as a value added coproduct of oilseeds. Objective 2. Develop an electrochemical enhanced anaerobic process to convert urea in animal manure to controlled release nitrogen fertilizer and generate electricity for sustainable agriculture. Objective 3. Develop an advanced thermochemical process to prepared graphene from lignin for use as electrodes for energy storge devices, such as Li batteries and supercapacitors. |
| Thermal Regulation with Salt Hydrates for Biodigester Isothermality | 1025901 | Charles, Josh | 07/01/2021 | 07/31/2022 | COMPLETE | Lancaster | Anaerobic Digestion, Phase Change Material, Small Farms, Intermittent Heat Source, Isothermality | To solve the digester thermal control problem, Advanced Cooling Technologies (ACT) is developing an energy storage material that can be wrapped around a digester. This material will absorb thermal energy from the sun during the day and release it to the digestate at night. The energy storage materials are very inexpensive but there are some challenges related to their long-term use. Fortunately, the project team has successfully solved these issues during past projects. Laboratory testing will be used to demonstrate the life of the developed materials followed by testing on a small biodigester for several months. By the end of the project, ACT hopes to demonstrate a low-cost, small-scale, biodigester which will allow many more small farms to take advantage of this renewable energy source. This will accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources, helping to minimize the ecological damage created by our current energy generation mix.? | The goal of this Phase 1 project is to increase the biogas production potential of small-scale anaerobic digesters (AD) without significant increases in system cost and/or complexity. If successful, this technology has the potential to make AD technology economically viable for small farms, increasing utilization of this renewable energy source. The technical goal of this project is to develop and successfully test a working small-scale anaerobic digester (AD) with passive thermal control across multiple seasons - especially the winter. AD bacteria require a stable, relatively warm digestate temperature to maximize their biogas generation rate. This is a challenge in small ADs where rapid ambient temperature changes and cold wintertime temperatures can easily deactivate the efficacy of the bacteria. This project will fix this problem by adding a low-cost phase change material (PCM) around the AD, which will act as a thermal buffer to rapid temperature changes. The PCM also serves as a thermal energy store that can absorb solar thermal energy during the day and release it into the AD throughout the night, forming a passive solar heating system that can maintain the digestate temperature throughout the winter. The development and performance demonstration of this passively heated and temperature-controlled AD is the primary goal of the project.The following objectives present a pathway to achieving the Phase 1 goal:Selection and thermal reliability testing of a hydrated salt PCM. A PCM that demonstrates a pathway to 25+ year performance through accelerated freeze/thaw tests is targeted. The PCM has a material cost target of ~$0.1/kg.Model, design, and fabricate a sub-scale proof-of-concept AD utilizing the selected PCM for passive thermal control. A system design that can be easily fabricated from inexpensive and widely available components is targeted.Successfully test the sub-scale AD with PCM thermal control and simulated solar heating over several months during the coldest seasons of the year. A daily digestate temperature variation of no more than ±2°C is targeted during passive solar heating of the digestor with integrated PCM thermal storage.Prepare an economic assessment of the proposed AD with passive solar heating and PCM thermal control. If a pathway towards the LCOG goal of $0.30/m3 is not realized in the Phase I prototype system, variations to the current design will be proposed for additional cost reductions to be examined experimentally during Phase II. |
| Development of bio-platforms for efficient conversion of lignocellulosic biomass and greenhouse gas to fuels and chemicals | 1020980 | Ezeji, Thaddeus | 10/15/2019 | 09/30/2024 | COMPLETE | COLUMBUS | Lignocellulosic biomass, biofuel, agro-waste treatment, fermentation, anaerobic digestion | Numerous processes have been developed or are currently in development for the bioconversion of plant carbohydrates (sugars), especially lignocellulosic biomass (LB), to fuels and chemicals. Due to the diverse nature of LB, this feedstock has yet to be economically converted into fuels and commodity chemicals. The proposed research would focus on the biosynthesis of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD), hydrogen (H2), acetone, ethanol and butanol using compatible bacteria and waste products - anaerobic digestion effluents, biodiesel-derived glycerol and LB. Butanol and 2,3-BD yields from LB (e.g. glucose, xylose, starch) conversion is not optimal because a significant amount of the biomass is converted by these microorganisms into un-captured CO2 and H2. We, therefore, also propose to develop a viable strategy to capture released CO2 and H2 and convert CO2 to acetone, ethanol and butanol; and improve the usable energy yield from LB. In parallel, the generated CO2 may be used in the waste and water treatment plants as part of wastes treatment - biofuel production integrated process. Meanwhile, while H2 is an excellent fuel with no carbon footprint upon combustion, 2,3-BD can be used as a precursor in the manufacture of a range of chemical products such as perfumes, printing inks, moistening and softening agents, fumigants, explosives, plasticizers, and octane isomers. The 2,3-BD is also an essential feedstock chemical for the synthesis of 1,3-butadiene (1,3-BD), the monomer of synthetic rubber, currently produced by cracking petroleum. The majority of hyper-2,3-BD producing microorganisms are pathogens, and this may have considerable effects on why most ongoing research in this area is being conducted overseas (probably due to regulatory and liability issues in the US). The bacteria we proposed to use for the production of 2,3-BD is non-pathogenic. The downstream products of 2,3-BD is estimated to have a global market for around 32 million tons annually, valued at approximately $43 billion (US) in revenue. The other product of interest, butanol, currently manufactured with petroleum feedstocks, is also an important chemical with many applications in the production of solvents, plasticizers, butylamines, amino resins, butyl acetates, etc. Global butanol consumption is expected to reach 13 million tons by 2024. The current market value of butanol is about $6.4 billion and its downstream products is valued at well over $40 billion. With increasing efforts to develop LB-based biorefineries to produce fuels and chemicals on a commercial-scale, residual wastes such as fermentation effluents are expected to markedly increase. Consequently, the relatively large nitrogen (N) concentrations of fermentation wastes may pose a serious hazard to human health and biodiversity because wastewater disposal may contribute significantly to environmental N concentrations. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an attractive strategy for reducing the risks associated with large amounts of carbon and N in water bodies. Treatment (digestion) of protein-rich wastes, however, leads to the production of ammonia, which frequently compromises or abolishes the bio-digester reactions (stemming from multifaceted ammonia toxicity to the microorganisms involved in AD); a major economic challenge for the waste treatment industry. Our goal in this project, therefore, is to develop a viable strategy for generating butanol, 2,3-BD and H2 from agro-based wastes - LB, biodiesel-derived glycerol, and anaerobic digestion effluents along with development of effective N removal from solid and liquid wastes. This task has some challenges because biosynthesis reactions that result in the production of valuable fuels and chemicals do not generate compounds in amounts that are economically feasible for large-scale production because most fermentation processes are product limiting due to feedback inhibition and product toxicity to the fermentation microorganisms. We plan to develop or retrofit existing real-time product recovery technologies and adapt them for real-recovery of 2,3-BD, H2, acetone, ethanol and butanol during fermentation. Overall, we expect to develop platforms, which have the potential of becoming a part of the rubric of "green chemical" approaches that allow for conversion of LB and glycerol to valuable fuels and chemicals such as ethanol, acetone, H2, butanol and 2,3-BD. | Numerous processes have been developed or are currently in development for the bioconversion of plant carbohydrates (sugars), especially lignocellulosic biomass (LB), to fuels and chemicals. Due to the complex heterogeneous nature of LB, this feedstock has yet to be economically converted into fuels and commodity chemicals. The proposed research would focus on the biosynthesis of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD), hydrogen (H2) and butanol through microbial-assisted interdependent utilization of two different waste products - biodiesel-derived glycerol and LB. Butanol and 2,3-BD yields from LB (e.g. glucose, xylose, starch) conversion is not optimal because a significant amount of the biomass is converted by these microorganisms into un-captured CO2 and H2. We, therefore, also propose to develop a viable strategy to capture released CO2 and H2 and convert CO2 to fuels and chemicals; and improve the usable energy yield from LB. The overarchinggoal of the proposed study is to use synthetic biology and functional genomics techniques to potentiate C. beijerinckii (Cb), C. carboxidivorans (Cc), and P. polymyxa (Pp) with mechanisms to counter the adverse consequences of LDMICs and enhance fermentation of LBH to butanol, 2,3-BD and H2. Additionally, we will incorporate, as needed, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pseudomonas putida to our plan to facilitate valorization of wastewaters to fuels and chemicals. Our overall objectives are:?1) increase NADPH generation by enhancing glycerol metabolism by overexpression of glycerol dehydrogenase (GDH) and dihydroxyacetone kinase (DHAK) genes2) develop LDMIC tolerant Cb and Cc strains with an improved capacity to convert LBH (switchgrass, Miscanthus, and corn stover) and CO2 to H2, acetone and butanol, and improve the yield and economics of production of these compounds 3) elucidate a process of degeneration of Pp and increase 2,3-BD production from LBH4) develop a bioprocess that converts industrial and agricultural wastewaters to fuels and chemicals5) develop an efficient bioreactor system for butanol fermentation and in situ real-time product recovery |
| The Science and Engineering for a Biobased Industry and Economy | 1020193 | RUNGE, TROY | 10/01/2019 | 09/30/2021 | COMPLETE | MADISON | dairy manure, nanocellulose, paper coating | Agriculture faces a challenging future due to soil degradation, water quality, and scarcity problems, and climate change impacts driven by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Concurrently, growing populations will continue to drive food demand and, thus, land and farm productivity. Farmers historically responded to demand increases with expansion and intensification, often at the expense of environmental sustainability. The ongoing shift in livestock-crop systems toward consolidation, compounded by decreases in agricultural land has created local areas of imbalance between the cropping and animal systems. With rapidly depleting ecosystem services, it will be critical to adopt agricultural practices which can meet these demands more sustainably. One practice that is of interest is finding more valuable uses of dairy manure to improve profitability and improve nutrient management.The current value-added uses of dairy manure are largely limited to use biochemical processes such as anaerobic digestion and fermentation to produce biomethane and bioethanol and to use thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis and gasification to produce bio-oil, biochar and combustible gases. Moreover, the biochemical process can only utilize part of cellulose and hemicellulose in dairy manure; while the thermochemical process typically requires high temperature. In general, these processes primarily produce relatively low value-added products such as methane and ethanol. Therefore, there is a critical need for additional research devoted to developing new efficient, economically feasible and environmentally benign approaches to tackle the underutilization problem of dairy manure and help enhance farmer benefits and agricultural sustainability.Dairy manures (undigested and anaerobically digested) are abundant, aggregrated, and low-cost lignocellulosic resources as compared to others like wood. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inventory reported that the number of dairy cows is currently about 9.40 million. In average, dairy cattle can produce about 12 gal of manure per 1000 lb. live weight per day with 14.4 lb. total solids. It was estimated that more than 110 million tons of animal manure are annually produced in the United States. Dairy manure is enriched in cellulose (about 20% - 35%), depending on the diet of cow, separation, process method and conditions of anaerobic digestion if the manure is processed in a digester.Anaerobic digestion systems for dairy farms are growing in popularity across the United States, which can yield a significant mass of cellulose fibers. The anaerobically digested fiber typically contains about 35% cellulose, 9% hemicellulose (xylose, galactose, arabinose and mannose) and 28% lignin, which accounts for approximately 40% of the anaerobic digested effluent total solid.This fiber can be an important low-cost source for value-added products. However, most of the anaerobically digested cellulose fibers is currently underutilized as soil amendment or animal bedding.Previous studies have considered using the carbohydrates in dairy manure to produce monomeric sugars which can be further upgraded into fuel ethanol and other value-added chemicals. However, our studies and others have shown that enzymes can only partially convert cellulose fibers in dairy manure to fermentable sugars due to high levels of ash and lignin both which are enzymatic inhibitors. Instead this research looks to use the cellulose in the manure fibers to produce nanocellulose materials.Nanocellulose materials are nanometer-sized fibers obtained from lignocellulosic biomass obtained from either hydrolysis of cellulose in concentrated acid solution (typically sulfuric or hydrochloric acid) or obtained by mechanical fibrillation of cellulose, or a combination of chemical or enzymatic treatment and mechanical fibrillation of cellulose. Numerous uses for nanocellulose materials have been proposed, including incorporation in fiber-reinforced polymer composites, substrates for flexible electronics and organic solar cells, coatings, membrane systems, and networks for tissue engineering.One of the most promising early uses of nanocellulose materials is in the papermaking industry. These materials may be incorporated as a binder material to improve the strength properties of paper.Nanocellulose can also serve as a renewable and sustainable alternative to synthetic latex and binders in most coating formulation to improve the barrier properties. Finally, cellulose nanofiber can be directly made into cellulose nanopaper, which can surpass ordinary paper in the mechanical, optical and barrier properties and can be used for many high-tech applications such as flexible energy storage and conversion devices, and printed flexible electronics.There is a critical need for additional research devoted to developing new efficient, economically feasible and environmentally benign approaches to tackle the underutilization problem of dairy manure and help enhance farmer benefits and agricultural sustainability. The proposed research will address the underutilization challenge of dairy manure and anaerobically digested dairy manure via effectively extracting nanocellulose products and exploring these materials in paper coating applications. This research will advance the utilization of manure waste generated in an agricultural system and improve sustainable agriculture. | (1) Research and develop technically feasible, economically viable and environmentally sustainable technologies to convert biomass resources into chemicals, energy, materials in a biorefinery methodology including developing co-products to enable greater commercialization potential. |
| Equipping Wayne County High School students for careers in Ohio`s bioenergy and water/wastewater industries | 1010593 | Ujor, Victor | 09/01/2016 | 08/31/2018 | COMPLETE | Columbus | Bioenergy, biofuel, bioprocessing, waste, wastewater | Ohio's bioenergy/bioprocessing industry has consistently grown over the past decade, eliciting significant increase in the demand for technical skills in bioconversion technologies. The proposed project will provide training in the use of core analytical and operational tools and procedures including assay-based wastewater analysis and digestion, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Gas Chromatography (GC), Spectrophotometer, fermentation (5 L bioreactor), protein and DNA gel extraction and electrophoreses, lignocellulosic biomass pre-treatment and hydrolysis to high school students (grades 10 - 12). Ohio is a predominantly agro-based economy with a robust food processing sector that collectively generate millions of tons of organic residues annually, in addition to municipal solid waste and bio-solids. As research efforts towards biofuel production from renewable resources break new grounds, small and medium-scale companies in Ohio are vigorously pursuing bioconversion of lignocellulose-derived sugars to bioethanol and bio-butanol, while biogas production has grown significantly in the State. Additionally, water resource recovery through wastewater treatment has never been more critical in light of growing human population. These factors have spawned a massive need for staff with technical expertise in the hydrolysis of agro-derived biomass feedstock, wastewater treatment, and biofuel research. High school students are largely unaware of career opportunities that abound in Ohio in the areas of biofuels and wastewater treatment. According to Renewable Energy of America, Ohio's renewable energy sector has created 126,855 jobs, the sixth highest in the country. The proposed project will serve as medium for introducing high school students in Wayne County, Ohio to career opportunities in biofuel-related research and production, agricultural biomass feedstock hydrolysis, fermentation of food processing wastes, biogas production and wastewater treatment. High school students from Wooster High School and Northwestern High School will receive a two-month training in the laboratory over the summer (June and July) at the Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI) and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), both at the Wooster campus of The Ohio State University. This training will also allow high school students to interact with students on the two-year Associate of Science Degree program in Renewable Energy at ATI, as well as researchers involved in different aspects of bioenergy research at OARDC. A career workshop involving industry partners from Quasar Energy, Cleveland, Ohio will be conducted at the end of the training program. Exposure to the above listed techniques employed in the drive for engineering robust biofuel-producing microorganisms, biomass hydrolysis and wastewater treatment will likely steer high school participants to pursue careers in the bioprocessing and wastewater treatment sectors. This will ensure the supply of much needed operators, technicians and researches in Ohio's growing bioenergy industry and in wastewater treatment. | The central goal of the project is to spark an interest in job opportunities in Ohio's bioenergy and water/wastewater industries amongst high school students in Wayne County through experiential training in core industry-relevant skills.The specific objectives are;To provide hands-on training in the operation of HPLC and GC, Fermentation Technology, DNA and protein gel electrophoresis, Genomic DNA and protein isolation, use of spectrophotometer, agricultural biomass hydrolysis, anaerobic digestion of municipal solid waste and wastewater to high school students.To expose high school students in Wayne County, Ohio to career opportunities in the biofuel/bioprocessing and water/wastewater industries through training and interactions with industry experts from Quasar Energy Group and other local Waste Management Engineering firms and with Renewable Energy students of Ohio State ATI.To provide a platform for professional interaction and exchange of ideas between science teachers (agricultural and environmental sciences, chemistry and physics) at Wooster and Northwestern High Schools with their counterparts from Ohio State ATI and OARDC - Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.To encourage stronger industry-academia relations between Quasar Energy Group (other local Waste Management Engineering firms) and, Ohio State ATI and OARDC, towards fashioning problem-solving curricula that prepare students for the workplace. |
| Nitrite Ammonification in Manures and Soils Under Adaptive Management for Climate Change | 1009145 | Bruns, Maryann | 04/01/2016 | 03/31/2020 | COMPLETE | University Park | Nitrous oxide, cropping systems, denitrification, greenhouse gas, no-till, DNRA | Agriculture accounts for 75-80% of anthropogenic nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in the U.S. Denitrification in fertilized soils and during animal waste handling results in about 60% and 30% of N2O emissions, respectively. This proposal aims to gain knowledge of how soils and manures can be managed to counteract denitrification and to promote a bacterial process known as nitrite ammonification, the end product of which (ammonium) is not lost directly to the atmosphere. We hypothesize that nitrite ammonification occurs to a significant extent in soils managed using no-till practices and labile carbon amendments, either with animal or green manures. Particularly in combination, these practices increase labile soil carbon content and improve soil water-holding capacity, and they are being adopted by farmers in response to more variable and extreme weather resulting from climate change. Innovative soil management, such as manure injection currently evaluated at Penn State's Sustainable Dairy Cropping Systems project, minimizes disturbance during carbon enrichment and needs to be assessed for its effect on denitrification and nitrite ammonification. Moreover, manure storage and handling practices favoring nitrite ammonification over denitrification need to be identified. Specific objectives of this proposal are to 1) measure bacterial groups and labile carbon substrates in manures from dairies of varying size and manure handling systems; 2) measure GHGs and temporal and spatial changes in nitrite ammonification and denitrification in no-till soils of the Sustainable Dairy Cropping Systems project; 3) conduct soil mesocosm studies to determine relationships between substrates, physicochemical conditions, microbial processes, and GHGs to understand conditions favoring nitrite ammonification over denitrification. | The overarching goal of this project is identify manure and soil management practices that help reduce agriculture's contributions to greenhouse gases (GHGs), particularly nitrous oxide (N2O). Currently agriculture contributes 75-80% of anthropogenic N2O emissions in the United States, with fertilized soils and livestock wastes contributing about 60% and 30% of that total. Efforts to reduce these emissions have high priority because the global warming potential of N2O is nearly 300 times that of CO2. Incomplete denitrification is considered to be the major source of N2O in agriculture, with nitrification a secondary contributor. No-till soils are particularly susceptible to denitrification losses of N2O when soils are recently fertilized and wet. It is paradoxical, therefore, that higher N2O emissions occur when farmers apply conservation tillage practices intended to make soils more resilient to climate change. Denitrification, however, is not the only nitrate (NO3-) conversion pathway that bacteria carry out under O2-depleted conditions. Some bacteria can instead reduce NO3- and/or nitrite (NO2-) to ammonium (NH4+) without N2O as an intermediate. This process, known either as nitrate/nitrite ammonification (NA) or dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), results in an end product (NH4+) that is retained in the soil rather than lost to the atmosphere. Recent advances in molecular detection of nitrate/nitrite-ammonifying (NA) bacteria indicate their surprisingly high genetic diversity and widespread distribution in the environment. Indeed, many enteric bacteria present in animal wastes (e.g., E. coli) are known to be nitrate/nitrite ammonifiers. In this proposal, we aim to address the question, "Can we use NA to avoid the tradeoff of higher N2O emissions from systems employing soil, water, and nutrient conservation practices?"The main goals of this proposal are to 1) obtain basic knowledge about NA bacteria in manures and soils; 2) identify conditions and management practices affecting NA activity in C-enriched soils; and 3) evaluate net global warming potentials of NA-conducive practices. Specifically, this proposal focuses on NA bacterial groups and their responses to chemical status and physical conditions in dairy wastes and field soils at Pennsylvania State University's Sustainable Dairy Cropping System project (SDCS) funded by NESARE (Northeast Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education) program. The SDCS is one of the greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring sites participating in the USDA-CAP network, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Dairy Production Systems in the Great Lakes Region (WI, NY, and PA). At the SDCS, no-till practices are combined with low-disturbance carbon (C) amendment of soils using dairy wastes and/or perennials or cover crops, which are important sources of organic matter in climate-adaptive farming.Specific objectives of this project are to:1) Characterize NA bacteria in manures from diverse dairies. Measure the abundance and characterize groups of nitrate/nitrite ammonifiers and denitrifiers in manures from the SDCS and other private dairies which employ varied manure storage and handling procedures. Assess relationships between bacterial groups and manure composition, pH, redox, age, and storage practices. Determine conditions enabling NA activity in laboratory mesocosms using varying combinations of electron donors and electron acceptors and measure relative activities of nitrate-nitrite ammonifiers and denitrifiers.2) Measure soil properties and gas fluxes (N2O, CH4, NH3, CO2) in SDSC. Carry out spatially and temporally intensive sampling of soil properties (including pH and redox) and GHG fluxes from SDSC plots (comparing broadcast- and injected manure, with and without cover crops), and link these measurements to expression levels of bacterial genes for key N transformations in relation to surface residues and manure injection sites.3) Assess NA and denitrification activities in soil mesocosms under varied conditions. Conduct controlled studies with diverse soils amended with manures, stable-isotope labeled nitrate, and specific organic substrates in laboratory mesocosms. These experiments will be used to evaluate application methods and determine relationships between gas fluxes, C additions, and incubation conditions. |
| Integrated Farm-Based Refining for Biofuel and Chemical Production | 1006820 | Liao, Wei | 09/01/2015 | 08/31/2020 | COMPLETE | EAST LANSING | Algae, Farm-based biorefining, Fungal fermentation, Solid digestate, anaerobic digestion, biodiesel, biolubricant | The renewable fuels, chemicals, biomaterials, and power derived from plant biomass can make important contributions to energy security, rural economic development, and environmental quality. In particular, fossil energy dependence can be reduced by accelerating the development of renewable alternatives to stationary power and transportation fuel, and the United States intends to displace up to 30% of the nation's gasoline consumption, and 10% of total industrial and electric power demand by 2030. Agricultural residues are an underutilized reservoir of lignocellulosic biomass. As a result, these residues have great potential as feedstock for the production of renewable bio-based fuels and chemical products, and they could ultimately replace a non-trivial fraction of current fossil fuel use. However, the challenges associated with both the feedstock logistics and the conversion technology are the major economic barriers hindering the commercialization of lignocellulose-based biorefining.Systems integration approaches considering a concurrently engineered set of conversion processes may offer the opportunity to alleviate feedstock logistical problems and improve conversion efficiency. Therefore, the goal of the proposed study aims at developing an integrated farm-based biorefining concept that combines anaerobic digestion, algal cultivation, and biofuel and chemical production on lignocellulosic feedstock (animal manure and corn stover), makes use of synergies between process streams, and produces multiple fuel and chemical products (methane, biodiesel, biolubricant, and algal biomass), which results in improving carbon utilization efficiency and potentially improves the economics of the net process. In order to achieve the project goal, three specific objectives will be fulfilled in the coming five years: 1) optimize anaerobic microbial communities to improve the efficiency of anaerobic digestion and produce stabilized solid digestate; 2) construct a robust algal assemblage for outdoor open-pond culture system; and 3) develop conversion processes to turn AD fiber into fuels and chemicals.The outcomes of the proposed research will lead to a novel farm-based biorefining system for biofuels/chemical production with minimum water/nutrient/energy consumption. The implementation of such system will create great economic value for agricultural industry, and further stimulate job creation, farm profit, and rural development. Thus, the proposed research fits well into the mission of AgBioResearch that is to engage in innovative, leading-edge research that combines scientific expertise with practical experience to generate economic prosperity, sustain natural resources, and enhance the quality of life in Michigan, the nation, and the world. | The goal of the proposed study will be to develop an integrated farm-based biorefining concept that combines anaerobic digestion, algal cultivation, and biofuel and chemical production on lignocellulosic feedstock (animal manure and corn stover), makes use of synergies between process streams, and produces multiple fuel and chemical products (methane, biodiesel, and algal biomass), which results in improve carbon utilization efficiency and potentially improves the economics of the net process. In order to achieve the goal, three specific objectives will be fulfilled in the coming five years: 1) optimize anaerobic microbial communities to improve the efficiency of anaerobic digestion and produce stabilized solid digestate; 2) construct a robust algal assemblage for outdoor open-pond culture system; and 3) develop conversion processes to turn AD fiber into fuels and chemicals. |
| The Science and Engineering for a Biobased Industry and Economy | 1002249 | Demirci, Ali | 01/14/2014 | 09/30/2018 | COMPLETE | UNIVERSITY PARK | Biofuel, Biomass, Fermentation, Logistics, Storage, Supply Chain, Synthetic Biology | Use of increased renewable resources will require deliberate development of technologies for efficient use of resources due to three converging issues: (1) decrease in productive agricultural land areas under urbanization pressures; (2) clearing of land areas using unsustainable methods; and (3) increasing world population with an increased standard of living including a clean environment. One billion hectares of land will be cleared by 2050, resulting in the release of three Gt/year of greenhouse gases (Tilman et al., 2011). Global population will reach nine billion by 2050, resulting in increases in global food demand from 2005 to 2050 (Tilman et al., 2011). Breadth of these intersecting problems are so vast that constructive solutions can be designed and implemented only through collaborations crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries.The objectives of this project are to address research relating directly to SAAESD Goal 1 F (biobased products) and H (processing agricultural coproducts); research will influence Goal 5 B (rural community development and revitalizing rural economies) indirectly. Because renewable energy systems occupy large land expanses, they are typically not located in urban areas, promoting economic development of rural US communities. Transitioning from sequestered-carbon sources such as oil, natural gas and coal, to more renewable energy systems requires research and development work. Without this productive research, the technical capacity to switch from a sequestered-carbon economy to a diverse bioresource-based economy will be severely hampered with unanswered questions, undeveloped technologies, and under-delivered capacity in production and utilization of bioresources. Research proposed herein is designed to help address these limitations as conducted by professional scientists and engineers either directly with or strongly associated with the Land Grant University system.This project is written at a time when US natural gas has increased in productivity and decreased in costs. The natural gas production was 22.1 trillion cubic feet in the first nine months of 2012 compared to 21.0 for the same period in 2011. Although, natural gas may be considered the energy panacea for the next decade, natural gas combustion is a net emitter of greenhouse gases. Natural gas can certainly play a major role in assisting in the transition from sequestered-carbon based energy systems to renewable ones. However, due to continual increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations economically viable renewable energy systems must be developed and implemented. The Land Grant University system can partner with important policy-setting agencies including United States Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Energy (US DOE), Defense (US DOD), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) for doing the research that will allow us to meet our renewable energy production goals. | (1) Develop deployable biomass feedstock supply knowledge, processes and logistics systems that economically deliver timely and sufficient quantities of biomass with predictable specifications to meet conversion process-dictated feedstock tolerances. (2) Investigate and develop sustainable technologies to convert biomass resources into chemicals, energy, materials and other value added products. (3) Develop modeling and systems approaches to support development of sustainable biomass production and conversion to bioenergy and bioproducts. (4) Identify and develop needed educational resources, expand distance-based delivery methods, and grow a trained work force for the biobased economy |
| Algae for conversion of manure nutrients to animal feed: Evaluation of advanced nutritional value, toxicity, and zoonotic pathogens | 1000956 | Murinda, Shelton | 09/01/2013 | 08/31/2017 | COMPLETE | Pomona | Algae, Animal Feed, Bacteria, Manure, Nutritional Value, Pathogens, Toxic Cyanobacteria | Rationale The need to control manure-derived nutrient pollution is straining the confined animal production industry. California is the top milk producing state and has some of the strictest nutrient regulations. But in the San Joaquin Valley, many dairies do not have affordable access to more land for manure application. A highly productive crop is needed that will convert manure nitrogen (N) and phosphate (P) into feed but in smaller land areas than crops such as corn. Algae are a candidate feed with annual yields typically 7-13 times greater than soy or corn. Beyond 40-50% protein, algae also contain fatty acids, amino acids, pigments, and vitamins that are valuable in animal feeds, especially for adding value to milk. Advances in molecular biology allow us to gather needed information on the risks and benefits of algae-based animal feeds. Overall goal Benefit animal agriculture and the environment by introducing microalgae as a fast-growing livestock feed crop. Aim 1 Cultivate algae in dairy freestall barn flush water, treating this wastewater, while producing algae feedstock at a high annual rate, at least 10-times greater than corn. Algae will be cultivated in 30-cm deep raceway ponds at the 300-head Cal Poly campus dairy farm where extensive manure management research already occurs under USDA and USEPA sponsorship. Aim 2 Produce algae with favorable nutritional characteristics (high digestibility, valuable fatty and amino acid profiles, balanced protein and carbohydrate concentration, etc.) by adjusting the treated-water recycling into the ponds to optimize the N concentration in the growth medium. Aim 3 Test pathogen survival in algae feeds prepared by pasteurization and/or drying and heating. A trend in municipal wastewater treatment is pasteurization of treated effluent using waste heat from natural gas electrical generator. Large dairies with digesters will have waste heat available for pasteurization and drying. High-protein algae will be pelletized with high carbohydrate feeds to create a balanced feed. The heat of pelletization also contributes to pasteurization. Cal Poly has a research feed mill for producing such blended feeds. Aim 4 Monitor contamination by cyanobacteria and any cyanobacterial toxins. Approach Removal of N, P, and other constituents will be optimized in influent and effluent of identical ponds. Algal biomass (harvested by bioflocculation+settling) will be analyzed for N, P, protein, carbohydrates, and profiles of fatty and amino acids. Pathogen and algal communities extant in raw and feed-processed algal biomass will be analyzed using metagenomics and pyrosequencing. Potential toxicity of algal biomass will be studied using toxicity evaluation of cell-free extracts on cultured mammalian cells. A TC 20 Cell counter (BioRad Laboratories) will be used to monitor toxicity events on treated cells using trypan blue staining. Cytotoxic positive samples will be tested for both presence and concentration of known cyanobacterial toxins. The researchers have decades' experience in algae production, wastewater treatment, and food safety. Expected outcomes Starting with dairy, the project will lead the way towards an algae feed industry based on advanced nutritional features to enhance agricultural products (e.g., milk protein, poultry pigment) while assisting farmers to meet manure management challenges. We will address topics rarely covered in the algae field: potential toxicity and zoonotic pathogens. Our approach is unique in that it integrates and addresses a triad of issues, namely, food safety issues along with algae production techniques and waste management. | Project Goals 1. Generate experimental field data and calibrate optimization models. For treatment, expected removals are 85-95% biochemical oxygen demand and soluble Nitrogen (N) and 40-80% solublePhosphate (P) removal, depending on culturing technique and season. 2. Maximize the nutritional value of produced algae for animal feed. The cultures will be optimized to produce biomass at a high rate while also having the highest value composition for feed (in terms of lipids, digestibility, essential fatty and amino acid profiles, including balanced protein and carbohydrate concentrations). 3. Optimize pathogen inactivation methods. Pathogens will die-off in the ponds and during disinfection processing of the harvested biomass. Inactivation rates for representative pathogen indicators will be determined under various algae cultivation conditions and during trials with several biomass disinfection techniques. The optimal combination of pond conditions (e.g., high pH) and biomass processing (e.g., pasteurization) will be determined to achieve needed log inactivation of pathogens, which is typically 1- >4 log10 reduction (Sobsey et al., Available Online). 4. Quantify and control any cyanobacterial toxins. qPCR assays described by Al-Tarineh et al. (2012 a and b) will be used and optimized to reliably determine the copy number of cyanotoxin biosynthesis genes, as well as an internal cyanobacteria 16S rDNA control, in a single reaction. The latter detects for presence of cyanobacteria. If toxins are detected, measures will be taken to control invasion of the ponds by cyanotoxin-producing cyanobacteria strains. Overall Goal Benefit agriculture and the environment by introducing microalgae, a fast-growing livestock feed crop. |
| Integration of bioproducts and bioenergy production with agricultural waste treatment | 1000222 | Hu, B | 10/01/2013 | 09/30/2016 | COMPLETE | MINNEAPOLIS | anaerobic digestion, fungal pelletization, biogas, nutrient removal | Several technical barriers are preventing the application of anaerobic digestion in the livestock farms. The foremost technical change needed to improve the economics of digester systems is to modify and amend the anaerobic digestion process to maximize biogas production for electricity produced as well as to generate other cash products to utilize the heat and offset the cost. AD converts organic N and P to ammonia and phosphate while total N and P remain constant. Further treatment processes need to be developed to remove and utilize the remaining N and P in the waste stream. To solve the above mentioned issues, firstly, we will be focusing on two additional processes that can be integrated into current AD systems so that the benefits of the whole system can be maximized. These two processes include pretreatment for anaerobic digestion and culture of filamentous fungi for phosphorus removal. A final case study will integrate all the research components: (i) co-digesting swine manure with other carbon-rich waste materials to increase the biogas generation and pretreat the biomass for phosphorus recovery; (ii) thermally treat the digestion effluents for fungal growth; (iii) growing filamentous fungal cells on to produce fungal biomass as biological phosphorous fertilizer and to enable the digestion effluent with a more balanced nitrogen/phosphorous ratio for use as a soil conditioner and plant fertilizer. | We are proposing to develop a new two-stage anaerobic digestion, including the first phase as the thermal/thermochemical treatment process, where solids from dairy manure and organic food waste materials are hydrolyzed and solubilized, and then the second stage as the anaerobic co-digestion on the UASB reactor. We also want to develop a new concept of pelletized cell cultivation for the production of microbial cell biomass via filamentous fungi and other microorganisms. |
| Attaining High Quality Soft White Winter Wheat through Optimal Management of Nitrogen, Residue and Soil Microbes | 0435472 | REARDON C L | 09/06/2018 | 09/05/2023 | COMPLETE | PENDLETON | INLAND, PACIFIC, NORTHWEST, DRYLAND, NITROGEN, REPLACEMENT, PRECISION, NITROGEN, MANAGEMENT, NEAR, INFRARED, SPECTROSCOPY, GRAIN, PROTEIN, CONCENTRATION, GRAIN, QUALITY, MICROBIAL, COMMUNITIES, BACTERIA, FUNGI, NUTRIENT, CYCLING, DROUGHT, STRESS, WATER, AVAILABILITY | Not applicable | Obj. 1: Extend the N replacement approach to soft white winter wheat for guiding precision management of fertilizer N and crop residue to optimize soil microbial processes and maximize the biological potential of soil. 1A: Evaluate grain protein concentration and yield response to N under varying levels of water to define the critical protein level and fertilizer N equivalent to a unit change in protein for popular cultivars of soft white winter wheat. 1B: Determine whether uniformity of protein levels in the crop can be achieved with the precision N replacement approach. 1C: Adapt instruments and algorithms to support on-farm implementation of the N replacement approach to precision fertilizer management in dryland wheat production systems. 1D: Evaluate the effects of residue management (standing, distributed on the soil surface, or removed) on the plant-available N, precipitation capture efficiency, crop productivity, weed density, and microbial activity during the 13 months of fallow. Obj. 2: Identify whether soil microbial communities adapted to dry environments benefit plant fitness under water limited conditions. 2A: Identify the composition of microbial consortia naturally adapted to low water availability. 2B: Determine whether cultivar selection and N management can be manipulated to shift the structure and function of microbial communities to benefit plants under water stress. Obj. 3. Develop resilient cropping systems and strategies that increase resilience, improve economic returns, and enhance ecosystem services; assess their economic and environmental performance of various cropping systems in concert with their supporting components; and develop decision support systems for optimizing agronomic production in these cropping systems. 3A: Compare economic returns from the variable N replacement approach based on previous seasonâ¿¿s site-specific SWW crop yield data and conventional uniform N placement based on field bulk soil sampling and laboratory testing. 3B: Increase dryland farming resilience by developing cropping systems more intensive and diverse than the conventional winter wheat-fallow system. 3C: Investigate the yields and economic returns of alternative crops following winter wheat and winter wheat following cover crops across low and intermediate precipitation zones using current and future climate scenarios. Obj. 4. Increase the sustainability resilience and tolerance of the dryland crop production system to biotic and abiotic stressors through improved understanding of developmental, environmental, and management factors that limit plant health and growth, including but not limited to stress tolerance, water use efficiency, and disease resistance. 4A: Evaluate stress indicators and yield components of wheat in alternative cropping systems compared to wheat-fallow with relation to soil water availability, disease incidence, and rotational crop morphology. 4B: Investigate crop response to water deficit, high temperature, and/or nitrogen availability. |
| Improvement of Soil Management Practices and Manure Treatment/Handling Systems of the Southern Coastal Plain | 0431207 | SZOGI A A | 07/27/2016 | 07/05/2021 | ACTIVE | FLORENCE | ANIMAL, AMMONIA, NITROGEN, PLANTS, PYROLYSIS, FERTILIZER, WATER, COVER, CROP, REDUCED, TILLAGE, NITRIFICATION, TREATMENT, ANAMMOX, EMISSIONS, SOIL, MANAGEMENT, DISCARDED, SOILS, SUSTAINABLE, PRODUCTION, PHOSPHORUS, REMOVAL, WASTE, SOLIDS, CARBON, GENES, GAS, PAHTOGEN, MANURE, QUALITY, RESIDUE, BIOCHAR, AMENDMENT, NITROUS, OXIDE | Not applicable | 1. Develop and test improved tillage and biomass management practices to enhance soil health and long-term agricultural productivity in the Southeastern Coastal Plain. 2. Develop manure treatment and handling systems that improve soil health and water quality while minimizing the emissions of greenhouse gases, odors and ammonia and the transport of phosphorus and pathogens. Subobjective 2a. Develop improved treatment systems and methods for ammonia and phosphorus recovery from liquid and solid wastes using gas-permeable membrane technology. Subobjective 2b. Develop improved biological treatment systems for liquid effluents and soils based on deammonification reaction using ARS patented bacterial anammox and high performance nitrifying sludge cultures. Subobjective 2c. Improve the ARS patented â¿¿Quick Washâ¿? process for phosphorus recovery. Subobjective 2d. Assess treatment methods for their ability to reduce or eliminate pathogens and cell-free, microbially-derived DNA from agricultural waste streams. Subobjective 2e. Improved manure treatment and handling systems, and management strategies for minimizing emissions. Subobjective 2f. Assess the impact of manure treatment and handling systems on agricultural ecosystem services for soil, water, and air quality conservation and protection. 3. Develop beneficial uses of agricultural, industrial, and municipal byproducts, including manure. Subobjective 3a. Evaluate application of designer biochars to soils to increase crop yields while improving soil health, increasing carbon sequestration, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Subobjective 3b. Develop methods and guidelines to remediate mine soils using designer biochars. Subobjective 3c. Evaluate the agronomic value of byproducts produced from emerging manure and municipal waste treatment technologies. |
| Sorghum Biorefining: Integrated Processes for Converting all Sorghum Feedstock Components to Fuels and Co-Products | 0427783 | NGHIEM N P | 10/29/2014 | 10/28/2019 | ACTIVE | WYNDMOOR | SWEET, SORGHUM, GRAIN, SORGHUM, BIOMASS, SORGHUM, ETHANOL, BUTANOL, PLATFORM, CHEMICALS, VALUE-ADDED, CO-PRODUCTS, CELLULOSE, HEMICELLULOSE, LIGNIN, METHANE, BIOREFINERY | Not applicable | 1: Develop technologies that enable the integrated processing of sorghum grains and sweet sorghum juice at existing biofuels production facilities and that enable the commercial production of new co-products at sorghum-based biorefineries. 1A: Develop technologies that enable the integrated processing of sorghum grains at existing biofuels production facilities. 1B: Develop technologies that enable the integrated processing of sweet sorghum juice at existing biofuels production facilities. 1C: Develop technologies that enable the commercial production of new co-products at sorghum-based biorefineries. 2: Develop technologies that enable the commercial production of marketable C5-rich and C6-rich sugar streams from sorghum lignocellulosic components. 2A: Develop technologies that enable the commercial production of marketable C5-rich sugar streams from sorghum lignocellulosic components. 2B: Develop technologies that enable the commercial production of marketable C6-rich sugar streams from sorghum lignocellulosic components. 3: Develop technologies that enable the commercial conversion of sorghum lignocellulosic components into fuels and industrial chemicals. 3A: Develop technologies that enable the commercial production of industrial chemicals from the C5-rich sugar stream obtained from the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated sorghum cellulosic components. 3B: Develop technologies that enable the commercial production of additional ethanol and industrial chemicals from the C6-rich sugar stream obtained from the enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose-enriched residue. 3C: Develop technologies that enable the use of byproducts and wastes generated in ethanol and other fermentation processes in the sorghum biorefinery for production of energy and chemicals. |
| Enable New Marketable, Value-added Coproducts to Improve Biorefining Profitability | 0427684 | MOREAU R A | 09/08/2014 | 09/07/2019 | ACTIVE | WYNDMOOR | COPRODUCTS, BIOFUELS, ETHANOL, SORGHUM, BIODIESEL, CELLULOSE, HEMICELLULOSE, BRAN, GUMS | Not applicable | 1. Develop processes to fractionate sorghum and corn/sorghum oils into new commercially-viable coproducts. 2. Develop processes to fractionate grain-derived brans into new commercially-viable coproducts. 2a: Develop processes to fractionate grain-derived brans into new commercially-viable coproducts such as lipid-based coproducts and for other industrial uses such as extrusion or producing energy or fuel. 2b: Develop commercially-viable, value-added carbohydrate based co-products from sorghum brans and the brans derived from other grains during their biorefinery process. 3. Develop processes to fractionate biorefinery-derived celluloses and hemicelluloses into new commercially-viable coproducts. 3a: Develop commercially-viable, value-added hemicellulose based co-products from sorghum biomass, sorghum bagasse and other agricultural based biomasses produced during their biorefining. 3b: Develop commercially-viable, value-added cellulose based co-products from sorghum biomass, sorghum bagasse and other agricultural based biomasses produced during their biorefining. 4. Develop technologies that enhance biodiesel quality so as to enable greater market supply and demand for biodiesel fuels and >B5 blends in particular. 4a: Improve the low temperature operability of biodiesel by chemical modification of the branched-chain fatty acids. 4b: Develop technologies that significantly reduce quality-related limitations to market growth of biodiesel produced from trap and float greases. 4c: Further develop direct (in situ) biodiesel production so as to enable its commercial deployment. 5. Develop technologies that enable the commercial production of new products and coproducts at lipid-based biorefineries. 5a: Enable the commercial production of alkyl-branched from agricultural products and food-wastes. 5b: Enable the commercial production of aryl-branched fatty acids produced from a combination of lipids and natural antimicrobials possessing phenol functionalities. |
| Technologies for Improving Industrial Biorefineries that Produce Marketable Biobased Products | 0427427 | ORTS W J | 10/01/2014 | 09/30/2019 | COMPLETE | ALBANY | BIOPRODUCTS, BIOENERGY, SORGHUM, BIOMASS, POLYHYDROXYALKANOATES, POLYSACCHARIDES, BIOMASS, ENZYMES, FIBERS, COMBINATORIAL, CHEMISTRY, DIRECTED, EVOLUTION, NANOTECHNOLOGY, NANO-ASSEMBLIES, CELLULOSE, PECTIN, DIACIDS, POLYMERS, POLY(HYDROXYBUTYRATE), PHA, BIOFUELS, CITRUS, ALMONDS, EXTRACTION, RENEWABLE, FERMENTATION, BIOREFINERY, FOOD, WASTE, ENZYMES | Not applicable | This project provides technological solutions to the biofuels industry to help the U.S. meet its Congressionally mandated goal of doubling advanced biofuels production within the next decade. The overall goal is to develop optimal strategies for converting agricultural biomass to biofuels and to create value-added products (bioproducts) that improve the economics of biorefining processes. Specific emphasis is to develop strategies for biorefineries located in the Western United States by using regionally-specific feedstocks and crops, including sorghum, almond byproducts, citrus juicing wastes, pomace, municipal solid wastes (MSW), and food processing wastes. These feedstocks will be converted into biofuels, bioenergy and fine chemicals. Objective 1: Develop commercially-viable technologies for converting agriculturally-derived biomass, crop residues, biogas, and underutilized waste streams into marketable chemicals. Research on converting biogas will involve significant collaboration with one or more industrial partners. Sub-objective 1A: Provide data and process models for integrated biorefineries that utilize sorghum and available solid waste to produce ethanol, biogas and commercially-viable coproducts. Sub-objective 1B. Convert biogas from biorefining processes into polyhydroxyalkanoate plastics. Sub-objective 1C: Apply the latest tools in immobilized enzymes, nano-assemblies, to convert biomass to fermentable sugars, formaldehyde, and other fine chemicals. Objective 2: Develop commercially-viable fractionation, separation, de-construction, recovery and conversion technologies that enable the production of marketable products and co-products from the byproducts of large-scale food production and processing. Sub-objective 2A: Add value to almond byproducts. Sub-objective 2B: Apply bioenegineering of bacteria and yeast to produce diacids, ascorbic acid and other value-added products from pectin-rich citrus peel waste. Sub-objective 2C: Convert biomass into commercially-viable designer oligosaccharides using combinatorial enzyme technology. |
| Developing Technologies that Enable Growth and Profitability in the Commercial Conversion of Sugarcane, Sweet Sorghum, and Energy Beets into Sugar, Advanced Biofuels, and Bioproducts | 0426599 | KLASSON K T | 09/22/2014 | 09/02/2019 | ACTIVE | New Orleans | SUGARCANE, SWEET, SORGHUM, ENERGY, BEET, SUGAR, PRODUCTION, BIOFUELS, BIOPRODUCTS | Not applicable | The overall objective of this project is to enhance the value of sugarcane, sweet sorghum, and energy beets, and their major commercial products sugar, biofuel and bioproducts, by improving postharvest quality and processing. Specific objectives are: 1. Develop commercially-viable technologies that reduce or eliminate undesirable effects of starch and color on sugar processing/refining efficiency and end-product quality. 2. Develop commercially-viable technologies that reduce or eliminate undesirable effects of high viscosity on sugar processing/refining efficiency and end-product quality. 3. Develop commercially-viable technologies to increase the stability and lengthen storage of sugar feedstocks for the manufacture of sugars, advanced biofuels, and bioproducts. 4. Develop commercially-viable technologies for the biorefining of sugar crop feedstocks into advanced biofuels and bioproducts. 5. Identify and characterize field sugar crop quality traits that affect sugar crop refining/biorefining efficiency and end-product quality, and collaborate with plant breeders in the development of new cultivars/hybrids to optimize desirable quality traits. 6. Develop, in collaboration with commercial partners, technologies to improve the efficiency and profitability of U.S. sugar manufacturing and enable the commercial production of marketable products from residues (e.g. , bagasse, trash) and by-product streams (e.g., low purity juices) associated with postharvest sugar crop processing. Please see Project Plan for all listed Sub-objectives. |
| Integration of Site-Specific Crop Production Practices and Industrial and Animal Agricultural Byproducts to Improve Agricultural Competitiveness and Sustainability | 0425032 | JENKINS J N | 10/01/2013 | 09/30/2018 | ACTIVE | MISSISSIPPI STATE | PRECISION, FARMING, GEOGRAPHIC, INFORMATION, SYSTEM, (GIS), REMOTE, SENSING, (RS), WATER, SWINE, ANIMAL, WASTE, AMMONIA, SOIL, NUTRIENTS, PATHOGEN, NITROGEN, LITTER, LEACHING, CROPS, RUNOFF, BACTERIA, BROILER | Not applicable | Obj 1. Develop ecological and sustainable site-specific agriculture systems, for cotton, corn, wheat, and soybean rotations. 1: Geographical coordinates constitutes necessary and sufficient cornerstone required to define, develop and implement ecological/sustainable agricultural systems. 2: Develop methods of variable-rate manure application based on soil organic matter (SOM), apparent electrical conductivity, elevation, or crop yield maps. 3: Relate SOM, electrical conductivity, and elevation. Obj 2. Develop sustainable and scalable practices for site-specific integration of animal agriculture byproducts to improve food, feed, fiber, and feedstock production systems. 1: Quantify effects of management on sustainability for sweet potato. 2: Balance soil phosphorus (P)/micro¿nutrients using broiler litter/flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum. 3: Effects of site-specific broiler litter applications. 4: Manure application/crop management practices in southern U.S. 5: Compare banded/broadcast litter applications in corn. 6: Develop reflectance algorithms for potassium in wheat. 7: Determine swine mortality compost value in small farm vegetable production. Obj 3. Analyze the economics of production practices for site-specific integration of animal agriculture byproducts to identify practices that are economically sustainable, scalable, and that increase competitiveness and profitability of production systems. 1: Evaluate economics of on-farm resource utilization in the south. Obj 4. Determine the environmental effects in soil, water, and air from site-specific integration of animal agricultural and industrial byproducts into production practices to estimate risks and benefits from byproduct nutrients, microbes, and management practices. 1: Quantitatively determine bioaerosol transport. 2: Role of P and nitrogen (N) immobilizing agents in corn production. 3: Assess impact of management on water sources. 4: Impact of FGD gypsum/rainfall on mobilization of organic carbon/veterinary pharmaceutical compounds in runoff/leached water. 5: Assess soil microbial ecology, antibiotic resistance, and pathogen changes using manure and industrial byproducts in crop production systems. 6: Develop nutrient management practices for sustainable crop production. 7: Develop nutrient management practices for reclaimed coal mine soils. 8: Determine effects of poultry litter/swine lagoon effluent in swine mortality composts. 9: Determine survival of fecal bacterial pathogens on contaminated plant tissue. 10: Identify agricultural/industrial byproducts that modify the breakdown of organic matter. Obj 5. Integrate research data into regional and national databases and statistical models to improve competitiveness and sustainability of farming practices. 1: Develop broiler house emission models. 2: Apply quantitative microbial risk assessment models to animal agriculture/anthropogenic activities. Obj 6. Develop statistical approaches to integrate and analyze large and diverse spatial and temporal geo-referenced data sets derived from crop production systems that include ecological and natural resource based inputs. 1: Develop novel methods of imaging processing. |
| On-farm Biomass Processing: Towards an Integrated High Solids Transporting/Storing/Processing System (UKRF Subaward No. 3048109826-13-061) | 0423960 | FLYTHE M D | 07/01/2012 | 06/30/2016 | ACTIVE | LEXINGTON | BIOMASS, SWITCHGRASS, DOE, BIO-ENERGY | Not applicable | 1. Demonstrate and test a universal bio-energy crop single-pass harvesting system applicable to agricultural residues (corn stover, wheat straw), switchgrass, and miscanthus with bale densities at or above 210 kg/m3 with appropriate best management practices for sustainable biomass harvest. 2. Demonstrate the technical feasibility of on-farm storage and processing of high density bio-energy crops to enhance biomass conversion to value added products using a solid substrate fungal cultivation followed by a percolating anaerobic fermentation with recycle. 3. Develop and validate integrated geographic information system (GIS)-based economic and life cycle analysis models for the proposed on-farm processing system, and use these models to evaluate different landscape-scale management scenarios on food and energy production and the environment. Determine the incentives required to increase carbon sequestration and bioenergy production when they conflict with maximum farm profitability. |
| ECOLOGY, MANAGEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF WEEDY AND INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES IN A CHANGING CLIMATE | 0420487 | DAVIS A S | 10/01/2010 | 09/30/2015 | COMPLETE | Urbana | WEEDS, MICROORGANISMS, BIODEGRADATION, MISCANTHUS, SWEET, CORN, SOYBEANS, SOIL, NITROGEN, CYCLING, CLIMATE, CHANGE | Not applicable | Objective 1: Measure effects of management, climate, and soil conditions on microbial processes (herbicide degradation, nitrogen cycling, and weed seedbank dynamics) in corn/soybean ecosystems. Objective 2: Evaluate the effects of management and climate change on the biology and ecology of weedy and invasive species, including potential weedy cellulosic bioenergy crops, in Midwestern cropping systems. Objective 3: Identify effective combinations of weed management components through application of both new and existing knowledge that exploit useful plant and environmental interactions in vegetable cropping systems. |
| Efficient Management and Use of Animal Manure to Protect Human Health and Environmental Quality | 0420394 | SISTANI K R | 10/01/2010 | 09/30/2015 | COMPLETE | BOWLING GREEN | ANIMAL, MANURE, ODOR, NUTRIENT, BYPRODUCT, ATMOSPHERIC, EMISSIONS, KARST, TOPOGRAPHY, PATHOGEN, TREATMENT, TECHNOLOGY, MICROORGANISMS | Not applicable | The overall goal of the research project which is formulated as a real partnership between ARS and Western Kentucky University (WKU) is to conduct cost effective and problem solving research associated with animal waste management. The research will evaluate management practices and treatment strategies that protect water quality, reduce atmospheric emissions, and control pathogens at the animal production facilities, manure storage areas, and field application sites, particularly for the karst topography. This Project Plan is a unique situation in the sense that non-ARS scientists from WKU are included on an in-house project to conduct research under the NP 214. The objectives and related specific sub-objectives for the next 5 years are organized according to the Components (Nutrient, Emission, Pathogen, and Byproduct) of the NP 214, which mostly apply to this project as follows: 1) develop improved best management practices, application technologies, and decision support systems for poultry and livestock manure used in crop production; 2) develop methods to identify and quantify emissions, from poultry, dairy and swine rearing operations and manure applied lands; 3) reduce ammonia, odors, microorganisms and particulate emissions from dairy, swine and poultry operations through the use of treatment systems (e.g. biofilters and scrubbers) and innovative management practices; 4) perform runoff and leaching experiments on a variety of soils amended with dairy, swine, or poultry manures infected with Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni), Salmonella sp. or Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) and compare observed transport with that observed for common indicator organisms such as E. coli, enterococci, and Bacteriodes; and 5) use molecular-based methodologies to quantify the occurrence of pathogens and evaluate new methods to inhibit their survival and transport in soil, water, and waste treatment systems. |
| Innovative Bioresource Management Technologies for Enhanced Environmental Quality and Value Optimization | 0420348 | SZOGI A A | 10/01/2010 | 09/30/2015 | COMPLETE | FLORENCE | ANIMAL, WATER, PHOSPHORUS, TRACE, AMMONIA, DENITRIFICATION, REMOVAL, REDOX, OXYGEN, WETLAND, WASTE, QUALITY, NITROGEN, NITRIFICATION, SOLIDS, POTENTIAL, PLANTS, TREATMENT, CARBON, BIOCHAR, PYROLYSIS, ANAMMOX, GENES, AMENDMENT, FERTILIZER, EMISSIONS, GAS, NITROUS, OXIDE | Not applicable | 1. Develop improved treatment technologies to better manage manure from swine, poultry and dairy operations to reduce releases to the environment of odors, pathogens, ammonia, and greenhouse gases as well as to maximize nutrient recovery. 2. Develop renewable energy via thermochemical technologies and practices for improved conversion of manure into heat, power, biofuels, and biochars. 3. Develop guidelines to minimize nitrous oxide emissions from poultry and swine manure-impacted riparian buffers and treatment wetlands. 4. Develop beneficial uses of manure treatment technology byproducts. |
| DEVELOPING ANALYTICAL AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE CROP UTILIZATION OF .... AND REDUCE LOSSES TO THE ENVIRONMENT | 0420031 | DAO T H | 04/03/2010 | 04/02/2015 | COMPLETE | BELTSVILLE | MANURE, NUTRIENTS, ENVIRONMENTAL, FATE, AND, TRANSPORT, PHOSPHORUS, BIOTRANSFORMATIONS, PHOSPHORUS, REALTIME, SENSING, NITROGEN, MANAGEMENT, NUTRIENT, SENSORS, PRECISION, MANAGEMENT, BIOENERGY, BYPRODUCTS, CARBON, SEQUESTRATION, ALGORITHMS, DECISION-AID, TOOLS | Not applicable | 1. Develop practices to enhance the beneficial use of manure nutrients and reduce offsite losses through management of the environmental fate and transport of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus derived from poultry, dairy, and beef cattle manures. 2. Develop integrated crop, soil, and dairy/beef/poultry manure management strategies to improve nutrient utilization and minimize leaching and runoff losses. |
| BIOREFINING PROCESSES | 0418775 | ORTS W J | 11/16/2009 | 09/30/2014 | COMPLETE | ALBANY | BIOFUELS, EFFICIENCY, SEPARATION, CORN, MOLECULAR, ENZYMES, WHEAT, SORGHUM, PROTEIN, FERMENTATION, ENERGY, ETHANOL, STARCH, ALCOHOL, EVOLUTION, BIOREFINERY, REFINING | Not applicable | Objective 1: Develop enzyme-based technologies (based on cleaving specific covalent crosslinks which underlie plant cell wall recalcitrance) thereby enabling new commercially-viable* saccharification processes. Objective 2: Develop new enzyme-based technologies that enable the production of commercially-viable* coproducts such as specialty chemicals, polymer precursors, and nutritional additives/supplements from raw or pretreated lignocellulosic biomass. Objective 3: Develop pretreatment technologies that enable commercially-viable* biorefineries capable of utilizing diverse feedstocks such as rice straw, wheat straw, commingled wastes (including MSW), sorghum, switchgrass, algae, and food processing by-products. Objective 4: Develop new separation technologies that enable commercially-viable* and energy-efficient processes for the recovery of biofuels, biorefinery co-products, and/or bioproducts from dilute fermentation broths. |
| SUSTAINABLE CROPPING SYSTEMS FOR IRRIGATED SPECIALTY CROPS AND BIOFUELS | 0414693 | COLLINS H P | 09/12/2008 | 09/11/2013 | COMPLETE | PROSSER | BEST, MANAGEMENT, PRACTICES, CARBON, SEQUESTRATION, SOIL, QUALITY, REDUCED, TILLAGE, COVER, CROPS, BIOFUEL, FEEDSTOCK, BIOFUEL, BYPRODUCTS, WATER, QUALITY, DECISION, SUPPORT, SYSTEMS | Not applicable | Objective 1: Identify optimal strategies for incorporating bioenergy crops into irrigated Pacific Northwest Region cropping systems. ¿ Sub-objective 1.A. Evaluate the impacts of harvest of C3 and C4 grass perennial biomass crops and the removal of crop residues on carbon sequestration, nutrient dynamics, and soil quality in irrigated Pacific Northwest crop rotations. ¿ Sub-objective 1.B. Determine the efficacy of co-products from agricultural-based energy production on weed and disease control and soil fertility improvement in irrigated crop production systems. Objective 2. Identify optimal combinations of management practices to lower total production costs while maintaining market quality of irrigated potato-based production systems. ¿ Sub-objective 2.A. Determine the impact of reduced tillage on soil conservation/erosion soil physical properties, the mechanisms controlling carbon and nitrogen cycling, and trace gas (CO2, N2O, CH4) fluxes and C sequestration and the yield and quality response of potato and rotational crops. ¿ Sub-objective 2.B. Evaluate the effects of deficit irrigation practices on potato yield and tuber quality. ¿ Sub-objective 2.C. Validate the ARS Potato Growth Simulation Model for the irrigated inland Pacific Northwest region. Objective 3. Develop ecologically-based management strategies that enhance vegetable yields and soil quality in irrigated organic production systems. ¿ Sub-objective 3.A. Quantify key soil agroecological processes (carbon and nitrogen cycling) and application rates of organic amendments that optimize physiological development (nitrogen capture, plant growth rate) of potato under irrigated organic cropping systems. ¿ Sub-objective 3.B. Integrate hybrids with weed suppressive traits into organic specialty crop production systems. |
| INNOVATIVE ANIMAL MANURE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENHANCED ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY | 0409671 | SZOGI A A | 04/03/2005 | 04/02/2010 | COMPLETE | FLORENCE | ANIMAL, WASTE, WATER, QUALITY, PHOSPHORUS, NITROGEN, TRACE, ELEMENTS, AMMONIA, NITRIFICATION, DENITRIFICATION, SOLIDS, REMOVAL, WETLANDS, REDOX, POTENTIAL, OXYGEN, BOD, WETLAND, PLANTS | Not applicable | Develop and evaluate environmentally superior technologies to prevent off-farm release of nutrients and to reduce pathogens, odors, and ammonia emissions. Develop information and technologies to enhance or retrofit existing manure treatment systems to help producers meet environmental criteria (nutrients, emissions, and pathogens). Improve and refine constructed natural treatment technologies to effectively manage nutrients including reducing emissions of ammonia and nitrous oxide. Develop and evaluate new and improved technologies that concentrate/sequester nutrients from manures or create value added products including conversion of livestock waste to energy. Evaluate swine wastewater treatment systems that can be used to reduce emissions, manage nutrients, and control pathogens on small farms. Develop cooperative activities as needed to conduct the research. |
| VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS FROM FORAGES AND BIOMASS ENERGY CROPS | 0408533 | WEIMER P J | 06/04/2004 | 06/03/2009 | COMPLETE | MADISON | ENZYMES, FRACTIONATION, FERMENTATION, ADHESIVES, GLYCOCALYX, HARVESTING, ALFALFA, GERMPLASM, RESIDUES, BIOENERGY, COMPOSITES, VALUE-ADDED, SWITCHGRASS | Not applicable | 1. Develop harvesting, fractionation and storage processes for forages and bioenergy crops that are economical, and that retain product quality. 2. Identify specific varieties of energy crops that display maximum fermentability when grown at specific locations under defined environmental conditions. 3. Develop switchgrass germplasm having broad adaptation to the northern USA and improved fermentability for conversion to value-added products. 4. Develop and improve fermentations for direct bioconversion of cellulosic biomass to value-added products (viz., ethanol, chemical feedstocks and novel bioadhesive components). |
| DEVELOPMENT OF NEW GENERATION LOW-COST TREATMENT OF AMMONIA TO BENEFIT THE ENVIRONMENT AND PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION | 0408509 | VANOTTI M B | 10/01/2004 | 09/30/2007 | COMPLETE | FLORENCE | ANIMAL, WASTE, TREATMENT, ANNAMMOX, SWINE, MANURE, CAFO, AMMONIA, REMOVAL, AIR, POLLUTION, ENVIRONMENTAL, QUALITY, SUSTAINABLE, LIVESTOCK, PRODUCTION, FARM, WASTE, MANAGEMENT, EMBRAPA, SWINE, AND, POULTRY, MANURE, AND, BY-PRODUCT, UTILIZATION | Not applicable | This project will be conducted to develop new generation, low-cost treatment of animal wastewater based on applications of newly discovered microbial transformations and materials science. The project will involve cooperative work between USDA-ARS and EMBRAPA, Brazil's agricultural research organization, under the Scientific Cooperation Research Program of USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service. Investigators in both countries will conduct research to develop treatment systems based on energy-efficient anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) process and immobilization technology. The new generation bio-treatment system has the potential to reduce more than four times the operational cost of treatment. Affordable treatment technology will promote sustainable swine production in concentrated areas such as North Carolina and Santa Catalina (Brazil) and help improve the quality of life. |
| BIOPROCESS AND METABOLIC ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES FOR BIOFUELS AND VALUE-ADDED COPRODUCTS | 0403945 | DIEN B S | 12/15/2000 | 08/08/2004 | COMPLETE | PEORIA | value added, fermentation, conversion, biomass, crop residues, plant fibers, corn, xylans, cellulose, genetic engineering, biotechnology, enzyme production, fuel, ethanol, butane diol, lactic acid, enzymes, microorganisms, energy, optimization, systems development, new technology | Not applicable | Develop pretreatment, enzyme, and fermentation technologies for the conversion of corn fiber and other agricultural substrates into biofuels (e.g., ethanol, butanol) and value-added fermentation products (e.g., enzymes, polysaccharides, lactic acid). |
| VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS FROM PLANT MATERIALS | 0402375 | WEIMER P J | 10/01/1999 | 06/02/2004 | COMPLETE | MADISON | manures, alfalfa, value added, agricultural engineering, non food commodities, forage legumes, plant enzymes, transgenic plants, fractionation, fermentation, adhesives, energy sources, composites, glycocalyx, filtration, product development, product evaluation, industrial uses, construction materials, phytases, plant fibers, saccharification | Not applicable | 1. Develop methods for harvesting forages and other cellulosic materials that retain feedstock qualtiy. 2. Develop methods to assess the energy feedstock quality of herbaceous biomass crops. 3. Develop low-cost, user-friendly assessment and processing technologies for biomass producers and processors. 4. Develop varieties of switchgrass adapted to the northern USA. 5. Develop technologies for processing and converting biomass materials to value-added products, including fuels, industrial chemicals, and enzymes. |
| Microbial Processes for Bioproducts and Biofuels Production | 0231133 | Liu, Yan | 09/01/2012 | 08/31/2017 | COMPLETE | EAST LANSING | algal cultivation, biofuels, biopesticide, bioproducts, chitosan, enzyme, fungal fermentation, high value protein, lipid, mix culture, transgenic algae | Biobased fuels and chemicals can make important contributions to U.S. energy security, rural economic development, and the environment. Heterotrophic conversion of organic substances (fungi and bacteria) and autotrophic conversion of inorganic compounds (algae and cyanobacteria) are two major microbial systems to produce these biofuels and chemicals. Numerous studies have been conducted in the past several decades. However, significant challenges still exist in successful realization of these microbial processes for biofuels and chemical production The recalcitrant structure of organic substances (lignocellulosic materials), dispersed nature of energy crops and agricultural residues, and limited capacity of current available industrial strains to co-utilize C5 and C6 sugars, are main barriers for heterotrophic conversion; while, long-term system stability, water and nutrient requirements, and harvesting of biomass hurdle autotrophic conversion. Addressing these challenges should be of the highest research priority in order to develop next-generation biofuels and chemicals. In response to researching and developing new routes towards effective and sustainable biofuels/chemical production systems, my research foci are mainly on heterotrophic fungal platform and autotrophic algal platform. Studies on the fungal platform include fungal cellulosic enzyme production, fungal biojet conversion, and fungi-based pesticides production, and studies on the algal platform include mixture culture of algal assemblage for lipid accumulation and water reclamation, and transgenic algal strains for pharmaceutical/neutraceutical production. The outcomes of the proposed research will lead to novel bioprocesses for biofuel/chemical production with minimum water/nutrient/energy consumption. The implementation of these processes will create great economic value for the agricultural industry, and further stimulate job creation, farm profit, and rural development. | The long-term research goal is to develop environmentally benign bioprocesses to effectively utilize various renewable resources (crop residues, animal wastes, industrial organic wastes and carbon dioxide) for value-added energy/chemical production, with a specific aim towards making scientific and technological advances to meet demands of the emerging bioeconomy. The objective of the proposed research is to demonstrate novel fuel/chemical production systems that apply advanced fungal and algal cultivation technologies to produce enzymes, lipids, biopesticides from agricultural/industrial wastes. The objective will be achieved by pursuing following specific aims under fungal and algal platforms in five years. Specific Aims for Fungal Platform: 1. Investigating enzyme production using pelletized fungal culture; 2. Enhancing lipid accumulation in fungal biomass; 3. Enhancing biopesticide (chitosan) production from fungal cultivation. Specific Aims for Algal Platform: 1. Constructing algal/bacterial consortium to improve lipid accumulation and facilitate biomass precipitation; 2. Developing a culture strategy to enhance lipid/starch accumulation; 3. Developing transgenic algal culture for biofuels and value-added protein production. The expected outputs from the project include: 1. Peer reviewed articles and book chapters Publishing peer reviewed journal articles on those high-impact journals in the biofuels/chemical field is one of the best approaches to disseminate the research outcomes in relevant scientific communities. 2. Workshops Smaller groups of targeted parties from both academia and industries with much higher and more active engagement on specific research topics (algal or fungal related) will be invited to MSU campus. Research presentation, group discussion, system demonstration, and facility tour will be organized for the workshops to give the audience the first-hand information, and let them better understand the outcomes of the on-going biofuel/chemical research. 3. Media Potential media for biofuel/chemical research are Discovery Channel, Lansing State Journal, Biomass Products & Technology, Resource - Engineering & Technology for Sustainable World etc. 4. Industrial partners Collaborating with industrial and agricultural partnerships will enable applied and relevant research to be quickly commercialized. Considering the intellectual merits related with some of the proposed research, MSU technologies will be invited to be part of the conversation with the partners to protect potential intellectual properties. 5. Internet The research group website will be upgraded to include a dynamic web-based database. All updated research news and outcomes, educational and training materials will be updated in a timely manner. A much larger audience from different area such as agriculture, food/pharmaceutical/biofuels industries, K-16 educators, and general public will be targeted by the internet dissemination approach. |