| Pilot demonstration of a modular bioprocess system for manufacturing consumer bioplastic products from food wastes | 1029716 | Wang, Zhiwu | 01/01/2023 | 12/31/2025 | ACTIVE | Blacksburg | Bioplastics; anaerobic digestion; food waste | Most commercial plastics used nowadays are petroleum-based. More than 67% of end-of-life plastics end up in landfills while another eight million tons annually make their way into the ocean where they are not degradable and only accumulate. In the past three pandemic years, the global consumption of the single-use plastics for keeping hygiene have created significant societal and environmental concerns. There is an urgent need for developing biodegradable plastics from renewable sources. The use of plastics is closely linked to another important environmental issue, namely food waste. Nearly 40% of food produced is dumped in landfills, accounting for the single largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste, resulting in not only greenhouse gas emissions but also an annual cost of $165 billion in economic loss including the food itself and associated water, energy, and chemicals spent in the food supply chain. The conversion of food waste to "value-added bioplastic materials" that can be biodegraded in environment may offer a unique solution to both environmental issues.This proposed pilot study targets the production of naturally occurring biodegradable polyesters synthesized by many microbes as the basic materials for producing bioplastics capable of being degraded in various environmental conditions including in the ocean. A three-pronged modular bioprocessing system will be experimented in this study to enable a variety of microbial cultures to convert a wide spectrum of food wastes into bioplastics with productivity high enough to outcompete other bioplastic production technologies. The overall goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate a pilot-scale modular bioprocessing system to produce bioplastics from food wastewith cost competency. This will be the first effort to create a modular bioplastic fermentation system tailored for accommodating the food waste with high property variability. The outcome of this three-year project will be a process that delivers marketable bioplastic products made from food wastes. This circular diversion of food waste for bio-based plastic production holds promise to reduce landfill quantity and waste management cost, offset petroleum-based plastic production and pollution, minimize greenhouse gas emission, and bring environmental justice to disadvantaged communities. This pilot study will be performed in a modular system at the 100 literscale with each component individually optimizable to provide outputs contributing to the best overall economic and environmental results. An interdisciplinary team is assembled from three land-grant universities and a private enterprise to provide all the technological and marketing components required for the success of this advanced modular system. An industrial advisory board consisting of stakeholders and beneficiaries of the technology will also be formed to ensure delivery of the technology with good application relevance. | The overall goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate a pilot-scale modular bioprocessing system to produce bioplastics from food wastes with cost competency. The supporting objectives and plans to accomplish this project goal include: (1) Food waste inventory check and characterization; (2) Modular design of the pilot scale system; (3) Pilot-scale demonstration of VFA production; (4) Pilot-scale PHA fermentation; (5) PHA extraction and purification; (6) Biomanufacturing and characterization of PHA-derived plastics; and (7) Iterative TEA and LCA to improve and judge the success of this project. |
| 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. |
| NRI: INT: COLLAB: Rumen Understanding through Millipede-Engineered Navigation and Sensing (RUMENS) | 1018631 | Poudel, Bed | 03/01/2019 | 02/29/2024 | COMPLETE | UNIVERSITY PARK | Agriculture, Design, Mechanisms, Planning, Locomotion, Societal Impact | Just as NASA used the remotely operated vehicles (ROV) Spirit and Opportunity to gather and relay information that continues to broaden understanding of Mars, this program will develop ROVs that will transform our knowledge of rumen biology and fermentation chemistry. The rumen is one of the primary digestive chambers in the stomach of a ruminant animal, such as a cow. Although the cow rumen is a very specific environment, improving our ability to study this ecosystem provides notable opportunity to enhance understanding of fermentation, food production, and energy generation, not just within cattle but within anaerobic fermentation environments in general. Rumen microorganisms are some of the world's most efficient fermenters of fibrous materials high in cellulose; however, only a fraction of the species in the rumen microbiome have been sequenced or cultured. The rumen ecosystem is a complex heterogeneous environment stratified vertically and horizontally that contains myriad specialized microclimates caused by differing density of feed particles and O2 concentrations, among other factors. These microclimates are believed to create optimal environments for unique microbial species that may have differing fermentation capacity, and the stratification within the rumen may be one cause for difficulty in culturing many of these microorganisms outside the animal. Cattle provide a unique model organism for studying anaerobic fermentation not only because of their individualized fiber fermentation capabilities but also because their size allows for surgical procedures that enable unique research access directly into the rumen. Traditionally, the insertion point for the rumen ROV is through the cannula, a surgically placed port through the side of the animal into the upper portion of the rumen. Although manual sampling through the cannula is the industry standard, it is not ideal because it is thought to disturb the rumen environment by introducing O2 and mixing rumen contents. An indwelling rumen ROV would not have these limitations and would enhance the opportunity to link specific microbial species with physical location and chemical characteristics in the rumen. This improved understanding will not only lead to advancements in rumen biology and efficiency of meat and milk production, but will also enhance our understanding of fermentation chemistry, microbiology, and could potentially lead to new species identification for use in biofuel production and other key industrial endpoints. Furthermore, if widely adopted, the ROV would enable investigation of rumen microbiomes that will scale across multiple animals, multiple laboratories, and multiple herds, enabling a big-data-fueled secondary community of investigators. The proposed research addresses the NRI-2.0 program goals of scalability by providing animal agriculture robots for monitoring and sampling the rumen environment that will impact a variety of animals (e.g., cows, sheep, goats) and opening opportunity for farmers to improve food production efficiency, safety and quality. Further, the program will utilize innovative approaches for developing and delivering robotics into animal science curricula (such integration does not currently exist) and to impact a large group of second year undergraduates across multiple colleges. | NRI: INT: COLLAB: Rumen Understanding through Millipede-Engineered Navigation and Sensing (RUMENS), Dr. Shashank Priya, The Pennsylvania State University. The proposed research addresses the NRI-2.0 program goal of scalability by articulating a plan for the evelopment, manufacturing, testing, and deployment of remotely operated agricultural robots capable of navigating difficult terrain and collecting and storing biological samples. The work has impacts on food production, safety, and quality. Although the example ecosystem proposed within this work is specific (the cow rumen), improving our ability to study this ecosystem will provide notable opportunity to nhance understanding of fermentation, food production, and energy production. Inability to sample the rumen environment nondisruptively limits our understanding of the interplay between diet, rumen tissues, and rumen microorganisms. Poor sample collection also precludes dentification of microbial species present in unique microclimates within the rumen which may be critical to our overall understanding of uminant metabolism and efficiency of fiber fermentation. Development of robots that can navigate through the rumen environment while measuring and sampling both rumen tissue and rumen content has been highly challenging. In addressing these challenges, wireless rumens remotely operated vehicles (rumens ROV) will be demonstrated with desired locomotion, power, and localization characteristics.The rumens ROV will be deployed on top of the fiber mat through existing rumen cannulae. Once through the fiber mat, rumen ROV will deploy novel traveling wave locomotion proposed in this program to move towards the station-keeping location in reticulum while taking advantage of the compression currents. When desired, the rumen ROV will "wake up" and navigate to the location of interest by combining magnetic localization techniques, image guidance, inertial measurement unit, and piezoelectric motor actuated traveling wave locomotion. Multilayer textured piezoelectric ceramic based actuators will be deployed to provide optimum combination of stroke and force. Combination of multiple actuators with cyclic actuation pattern and phase difference will result in traveling wave. Data transfer from the robot to a wearable neck collar on the cow will be achieved through a body area network. Battery power of the robot will be supplemented with magnetoelectric energy mechanism where external magnetic fields can be converted into electricity. The rumens ROV evaluation will be conducted in a laboratory test vat until the ROV meets defined performance criteria. The ROV will then be deployed in cattle. The in-animal evaluations will compare ROV sensed metrics with samples collected using current industry standards. |
| Water and Nutrient Recycling: A Decision Tool and Synergistic Innovative Technology | 1016509 | Popp, Jennie | 08/01/2018 | 07/31/2025 | ACTIVE | Fayetteville | decision support tool, life cycle assessment, nutrient recycling, water recycling, crop viability | The combination of continued global population growth, with an additional 3 billion people over the next 40 years, and expected intensification of climate variability and resulting variability in reliable water resources requires that water recycling become an integrated part of agricultural water resource management. Further, important nutrients are lost to wastewaters but could be recycled and reused for food production. Absent a concerted effort to recycle these nutrients, the food supply demand will inherently create a less resilient agriculture industry. Water treatment and nutrient needs will vary geographically and based on production. Thus, a user-driven strategy for food production supported by wastewater and nutrient recycling inherently demands not only a systems-based approach, but a flexible decision-making approach. We will study innovative technology for liquid manure wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery within the framework of a decision-making tool that allows technology selection based on region-specific needs for water recycling and food production. The tool will be built upon an economic and life cycle assessment model that guides the user to technology selection based on user-based knowledge of soil chemistry, fertilization needs, crop selection, livestock production, desired level of wastewater treatment, water use, wastewater production, and regulatory requirements. | The overarching goal of this project is to create a decision-support tool that facilitates selection of liquid manure treatment technology based upon local agriculture needs and nutrient balance requirements.The technical innovation goal of this project is to apply robust, membrane-based electrochemical engineering technology, which has been developed and commercialized in the energy sector, to enable manure treatment and water/nutrient recycling for food production.The extension goal of this project is to engage stakeholders in the agricultural community and the water treatment technology industry to develop an understanding of water recycling technologies and the opportunities and challenges to implementation in the agricultural sector for treating liquid manure.Objectives Design and test electrochemical technology for treatment of and nutrient recovery from liquid manure.Study the impacts of recovered water/fertilizer on soil productivity and crop response.Evaluate economic costs and benefits of water treatment technologies related to liquid manure management and crop production.Develop a lifecycle assessment (LCA) model based on three regions: Nebraska, Arkansas, and Missouri.Develop a modular decision-support tool that guides users in water and nutrient recycling technology selection based upon specific regional and farm operational parameters.Engage agricultural and industrial stakeholders nationally on integrating the most locally robust manure treatment technology into agricultural production. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| CONTROL OF HUMAN PATHOGENS ASSOCIATED WITH ACIDIFIED PRODUCE FOODS | 0420825 | BREIDT F | 12/02/2010 | 10/27/2015 | COMPLETE | RALEIGH | ESCHERICHIA, COLI, O157:H7, SALMONELLA, ACID, FOOD, CUCUMBER, ORGANIC, ACID, CUCUMIS, SATIVUS, BENZOIC, ACID, ACETIC, ACID, MALIC, ACID, ANAEROBIC, ACID, RESISTANCE, LISTERIA, MONOCYTOGENES, PICKLED, VEGETABLE, ACIDIFIED, FOOD, PEPPER, CAPSICUM, ANNUM, PRESERVATIVE, SORBIC, ACID, LACTIC, ACID, OXYGEN, AEROBIC, ACID-TOLERANT, PATHOGEN | Not applicable | 1. To define conditions to assure a 5 log reduction of acid tolerant pathogens in refrigerated or bulk stored acidified vegetables. 2. To determine how the metabolism of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (internal pH, membrane potential, ion concentrations, and cell metabolites) are affected as cells are exposed to organic acid and salt conditions typical of acidified foods. 3. To determine the survival of E. coli O157:H7 in commercial fermentation brines, with and without competing microflora, and under a variety of extrinsic and intrinsic conditions. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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). |
| 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. |
| Enhancing Greenhouse Gas Mitigation And Economic Viability Of Anaerobic Digestion Systems: Algal Carbon Sequestration And Bioplastics Produc | 0229956 | Feris, Kevin | 09/01/2012 | 08/31/2016 | COMPLETE | Boise | Algae, Anaerobic digestion, Bio-plastics, Bioproducts, Polyhydroxyalkanoates, Process Model, algae, anaerobic digestion, bio-plastics, biogas, bioproducts, carbohydrates, carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas mitigation, polyhydroxyalkanoates, process model | Over 9 million dairy cows generate an estimated 226 billion kg (249 million tons) of wet manure and produce approximately 5.8 billion kg of CO2 equivalents annually in the U.S. (BSSC 2008; Liebrand & Ling 2009). For an average 10,000 head dairy, decomposition of this organic waste produces ?6,000 tons of CH4, 74 tons of N2O, and 130,000 tons of CO2 per year, or ~290,000 tons of CO2 equivalents (USEPA 2011). These emissions constitute approximately 2.5% of the annual production of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) in the United States, and make dairies one of the largest single industry sources of GHG in the US (USEPA 2011). Anaerobic digestion (AD) can significantly reduce dairy GHG emissions by enhancing CH4 generation and capturing and converting CH4 to CO2 in a generator while producing electricity and offsetting farm energy usage. AD biogas could be used to generate >6,800 GWh/yr in power, roughly equivalent to the average annual electricity usage of 500,000 to 600,000 homes (U.S.EPA 2010). Recognizing the potential of ADs to mitigate GHG emissions and produce power, in January 2009, the Innovation Center (IC) for U.S. Dairy announced a voluntary goal to reduce GHG emissions 25% by 2020. Central to achieving this goal is the construction of approximately 1,300 new ADs, which the EPA estimates could reduce U.S. CH4 emissions by 90%. Despite industry support behind broad AD deployment, the on-the-ground reality is that AD projects are not always commercially feasible, due in part to generally low electricity rates. Perhaps more importantly, ADs emit relatively large quantities of GHGs in the form of CO2. Thus, new strategies are necessary to improve AD economics and consequently promote the adoption of AD as a mitigation strategy to achieve the ICs GHG reduction goals. To enhance dairy carbon (C) sequestration, this project will advance a novel integrated manure-to-commodities system that converts pre-fermented manure to bioenergy, sequesters carbon by converting volatile fatty acid (VFA)-rich fermenter supernatant to bioplastics, and sequesters AD effluents (CO2, nitrogen, phosphorus) by producing algae that can be harvested and returned to the AD to enhance PHA production and enhance overall C-sequestration. GHG reduction and C sequestration will be quantified and used to parameterize a system model and web-accessible management decision tool that will be developed at the Idaho National Laboratory. Research product and decision tool dissemination along with workforce and student training will be facilitated by connecting to an on-going, USDA funded outreach and education effort centered on biofuel literacy led by the University of Idaho's McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS). The outcomes and impacts of this project will include changes in the agricultural knowledge system. Change in knowledge will come from applied research developing a novel approach to GHG reduction and economic development. Change in action will come from experimentally-based information generation and development of data driven decision tools with potential to lead to change in actions by agricultural producers. | We propose a novel strategy that enhances the utility of anaerobic digestion for reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of dairy manure management. Additionally, we propose that by producing carbohydrate rich algal biomass and directing the fixed carbon (C) to a longer-term storage pool than biofuels (i.e. PHA-based bioplastics), we can further reduce the GHG footprint. The potential exists to make these systems net C sinks rather than sources, while simultaneously enhancing the overall process economics; thereby improving the likelihood that coupled AD-Algae-PHA systems will be adopted by the dairy industry. Our project objectives and milestones follow: Objective 1: Quantify C flow from manure to CH4 and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) via a two stage AD system. The goal of this task is to identify critical bioreactor operating conditions that maximize PHA synthesis and CH4 production and optimize carbon sequestration. Milestones/target dates: Manure fermentation potential investigations will be completed within the first 90 days of the project and the fermentation factorial will be completed over the subsequent 12 months. The PHA and AD investigations have been allocated 24 months. Objective 2: Quantify C-capture, characterize C-quality, and quantify nutrient recovery via algal production from AD effluent streams (e.g. gas and liquid). Assess C-sequestration potential of algal biomass as a fermenter feedstock to enhance PHA synthesis. Assess influence of spatial-temporal variability of algal community structure on these processes. Milestones/target dates: The algal cultivation systems will be assembled and baseline conditions determined in the first 6 months. 24 months is allocated for the remaining algal cultivation objectives. Objective 3: Develop and deploy user-friendly web-based management decision tools to quantify and parameterize GHG reduction, C-sequestration, and enhancement of AD commercial viability. Milestones/target dates: The model will be defined and functional specifications and input/output flows established within the first 6 months. Between year 1 and 2 individual sub-models will be wrapped and integrated into the overall process model. By the second year the web interface will be prepared. During the third year the web-based model will be demonstrated to stakeholders and decision-makers. Objectives 4 and 5: Produce the next generation of bio-product innovators and system operators by integrating undergraduate and graduate training and work force development. Develop an outreach and education program targeting dairy managers and AD system operators. Milestones/target dates: Student training will occur throughout the project. Outreach and educational programs will be delivered during years 2 and 3 of the project. Outputs: We will define optimal operating conditions for the AD, PHA, and Algal reactors, quantify carbon sequestration potential of the PHA and algal reactor systems, develop a web-based modeling tool, and train students and system operators. Project results will be communicated via manuscript publication, outreach and educational programs, and interactions with our stakeholder group. |
| System For Advanced Biofuels Production From Woody Biomass In The Pacific Northwest | 0225392 | Gustafson, Richard | 09/01/2011 | 08/31/2019 | COMPLETE | Seattle | Biofuels, bioenergy, biofuels, biomass production, biorefining, commercialization, curriculum, distribution (economics), drop-in fuels, energy crops, environmental models, extension programs, genetic transformation, higher education, hybridization, life cycle assessment, pacific states, plantations, poplar, professional education, program evaluation, residuals, rural development, social impact, supply chain, sustainability science | The United States is not on track to meet the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) targets for advanced biofuels production under the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 (Biofuels Interagency Working Group, 2010). Our agricultural and forestry sectors can provide feedstock to support the fledgling industry (Perlack et al., 2005). However, lack of integration across the entire supply chain has led to sub-optimal solutions and stunted commercial rollout of the advanced biofuels industry. This project, led by the University of Washington, provides a holistic approach to the establishment of a regional biofuels industry with a project that encompasses research, extension, and education components. | The overall goal of this project is to ready the Pacific Northwest (PNW) for a 2015 introduction of a 100% infrastructure compatible biofuels industry that meets the region's pro-rata share of Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) targets using sustainably grown regionally appropriate woody energy crops, thereby helping to revitalize the region's agriculture/forestry sectors with establishment of a sustainable advanced biofuels industry that supports both large and small growers and brings jobs to rural communities in the region. We will complete a three prong integrated program of research, extension and education to achieve this goal. The desired actions (medium term outcomes) for the three project components are: RESEARCH - Mitigate technology risks along the entire supply chain so that a woody energy crop-based biofuels industry, which makes significant contributions towards RFS2 targets, can be built in the PNW. EXTENSION - Build a critical mass of competent small- and medium-size growers to provide the industry with timely supply of purpose-grown woody energy crops, and address the needs and concerns of stakeholders that will be impacted by an advanced biofuels industry in the PNW. EDUCATION - Build a critical mass of well-trained workers capable of filling the cross-disciplinary needs of the biofuels industry. Capstone activities for the project are: 1. GreenWood Resources, the Nation's larger grower of hybrid poplar, will establish and operate four 200-acre energy farms managed with low-input silviculture. 2. ZeaChem Inc., a leading biorefinery developer, will modify its 10 ton(dry)/day biorefinery in Boardman, OR to produce multiple 8,000 gallon truckloads of biobased gasoline and jet/diesel, which will be distributed to consumers on a test basis by Valero Energy Corporation. 3. Deployment of sustainability, extension and education programs by world-class regional institutions will lead to the establishment of a critical mass of well-trained growers and workers. Successful completion of these activities will lead to the desired actions of adequate risk reduction to allow the financing, construction, and operation of multiple biorefineries in the region. |
| Integration of bioproducts and bioenergy production with waste treatment | 0223293 | Hu, B | 10/01/2010 | 10/01/2013 | COMPLETE | MINNEAPOLIS | anaerobic digestion, microbial oil accumulation, nitrogen removal,, carbon dioxide mitigation,, fugal pelletization, microalgae cultivation,, phosphorus removal, | Microalgae oil has been proposed as the second generation source to produce biofuel. Its use is highly recommended in order to integrate microalgae cultivation with wastewater treatment so that nutrients in the waste streams can be the raw material for microalgae growth. Some experts even argue that this might be the only option economically feasible, compared to other methods such as open ponds or photobioreactor systems. Anaerobic digestion (AD) has been widely commercialized to treat agricultural residues for nutrient release as well as for harvesting biogas as an energy source. AD converts organic N and P to ammonia and phosphate while total N and P remain constant. Microalgae cultured on the AD effluent usually provide an ideal combination with the AD to utilize the remaining N and P while biomass/oil can be accumulated via microalgae cultivation. However, this process faces several challenges: 1) it is of extremely low efficiency due to the slow growth of methanogens and autotrophic microalgae. The vulnerable nature of the methanogens makes the AD process constantly unstable, while the rich organic nutrients and high turbidity in the AD effluent actually inhibit microalgae to grow on sun light and CO2. 2) The biogas produced from the system consists over 50% impurities such as CO2 etc, which dramatically increase its application on high valued market. 3) The harvest of microalgae is energy-intensive, which is one of the major factors inhibiting the commercialization of the process. To solve the above mentioned issues, firstly, an integrated Anaerobic Digestion and Oil/Biomass Accumulation (ADOBA) process is proposed to combine the acitogenesis/fermentation stage of the anaerobic digestion (AD) process directly with the oil accumulation via mixotrophic microalgae or fungal cultivation. It is a simplified process, derived from common waste-water treatment processes such as AD or AD followed by microalgae cultivation in stabilization ponds (Fig. 1). Compared to these environmental processes, ADOBA will be more suitable for bio-energy production for the following reasons: 1) ADOBA has the same first acitogenesis step as AD, so ADOBA will provide the same benefits as AD in many aspects, including production of renewable energy, reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and potential pathogen reduction. 2). ADOBA will degrade organics much faster than the AD followed by microalgae culture, because without the rate-limiting methanogenesis step, the acitogenesis step of the AD will only serve as the pre-treatment of waste materials and the organic nutrients such as VFA will stimulate the fast growth rate of heterotrophic microalgae cultivation. Secondly, ADOBA-microalage process is proposed to utilize microalgae for the carbon dioxide capture. With the integration of microalgae cultivation with AD, the biogas can be relatively purified via CO2 assimilation with microalgae. Finally, taking advantage of fungal pelletization and its merit on liquid/solid separation, ADOBA-fungi process is proposed to accumulate oil via pelletized cell culture, so that fat cells can be easily harvested. | Research goals An innovative two step Anaerobic Digestion and Oil/Biomass Accumulation (ADOBA) process (Fig. 1) is proposed to integrate fermentative hydrogen production directly with either mixotrophic/autotrophic microalgae cultivation for oil accumulation (ADOBA-microalgae) or with fungal cultivation (ADOBA-fungi). The first step is the acitogenesis/hydrogen fermentation, where organic materials are degraded to produce H2/biogas and volatile fatty acid (VFA); and then in the second step, the effluent from the fermentation will be processed to culture microalgae or fungi for the oil synthesis, where the nutrients such as VFA, N and P will be utilized. Impurities of the biogas from the first stage, such as CO2, NH3 and H2S, will be able to be assimilated and cleaned via microalgae growth. The proposed ADOBA process will provide a new application of the VFA, N and P from water, an innovative method to remove impurities from biogas and a unique way to separate the cell biomass, all of which will increase the economic feasibility of the biological hydrogen production process. Objectives and expected outputs The project will be focusing on the feasibility study of the proposed process. For the ADOBA-microalage process, our primary focus is to study hydrogen gas purification via microalgae cultivation. Our hypothesis of this research is that carbon dioxide will be totally removed from the biogas without oxygen production, therefore, the biogas can be purified. The whole process will be integrated and optimized for their culture conditions. Our goal of the process is to produce around 2 mole H2 per mole glucose, completely assimilate VFA, N and P by microalgae cultivation, dramatically decrease the microalgae cultivation time, increase the oil content to 40-50%, and purify H2 produced from the system to reach 90%. In addition, for the ADOBA-fungi process, a new concept of pelletized/granulated cell cultivation will be adventured for valuable bioproducts and bioenergy production due to above merits. Application of cell aggregates to oil production depends upon obtaining uniform pellets of a desired size. This is not easily accomplished, since many factors influence pellet formation. Filamentous oleaginous fungi Aspergillus oryzae or Mortierella isabellina will be chosen as a model to test our research hypothesis: the pellet will be formed on these fungal fermentation and the pelletized culture will significantly facilitate the harvest of the cell biomass, and decrease the overall cost of the microbial oil accumulation process. |
| The Design and Development of an Experimental Anaerobic Digester for Organic Waste | 0217691 | Ososanya, E | 04/16/2009 | 04/16/2012 | COMPLETE | WASHINGTON | alternative fuel, anaerobic digestion, animal waste, bio wastes, biodegradation, biogas, biomass, digester, energy, gas chromatograph, geothermal, hydrolysis, methane gas, organic waste, organic waste, renewable energy, solar, wind | The ever growing demand for energy world-wide can only be met by considering the possible range of energy solutions, and the technology to produce emerging sources of energy, to reduce our dependence on oil - a non renewable fossil fuel. Renewable energy such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass [1,2,3,4], and alternative fuels are promising clean energy resources of the future, which are environmentally friendly and which sources replenish itself or cannot be exhausted. Biomass energy is derived from waste of various human and natural activities, including, municipal solid waste, manufacturing waste, agricultural crops waste, woodchips, dead trees, leaves, livestock manure, hotels and restaurant wastes, etc., which are abundant anywhere and everywhere, at any time. Any of these sources can be used to fuel biomass energy production with the design of an efficient digester or processing plant to harness the energy from the biological mass. By designing and building a new Anaerobic Digester, a number of possible solutions to alternate energy can be experimented which include digestion of animal waste, organic wastes, and bio wastes. This study also will research the use of alternate fuel for the District of Columbia Taxi Cabs. | This research will build a pilot waste anaerobic digester at the DC Agricultural Experiment Station Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland for the production of biomass and demonstrates that using the resources that are easily available makes the production of energy efficient and reliable. The energy producing potential of the different types of waste products will be studied through continuous monitoring of the digestion biochemical processes, operating parameters, the energy content, and the analysis of the biogas products. A Fuzzy logic Controller of the Anaerobic Digester System will be designed in parallel with the physical digester to enable us to model mathematically or simulate certain aspects of the digester processes for increased efficiency and process stability. This study will also research the environmental impact of the use of alternate fuels by performing an engineering analysis of energy consumption by Taxi Cabs in the District of Columbia. The goal will be to evaluate the differential environmental impacts of various types of fuels used by the taxi cabs and to answer two questions: What are the advantages of having an alternate fuel for District taxi cabs Are there any potential environmental benefits through the use of biofuels by DC taxi cabs The objectives of this research are: (i) To design and engineer an efficient, reliable, and low-cost anaerobic digester for waste processing; (ii) To analyze the potential of biogas production from anaerobic digestion of the organic waste of the city of Washington DC; and (iii) To maximize methane gas production. The overall objectives of environmental impact analysis will include: (a) Collect data and catalog the number of taxi cabs in the District and their fuel consumption patterns, number of fuel service stations, and types of fuel; (b) Conduct statistical analysis of collected data; (c) Relate urban air quality to different types of fuel consumption; (d)Evaluate the impact of alternative fuel on the environment; (e) Conduct preliminary cost-benefit analysis of using biofuel; (f) Educate the stake holders and students about the use of alternative fuels; and (g) Support state and federal agencies in providing relevant information. |
| Selective Pyrolysis of Lignocellulosic Materials and Novel Refining Concepts to Produce Second Generation Bio-fuels, Bio-chemicals and Engineered Bio-chars. | 0214389 | Garcia-Perez, M | 01/01/2013 | 12/31/2017 | COMPLETE | PULLMAN | bio-char, bio-oil, bio-refining, pyrolysis, woody biomass | This research effort will be devoted to advance the science and technology required to implement a new model of a biomass economy, formed by distributed pyrolysis units, rural refineries and centralized refineries. The pyrolysis units located near biomass resources will produce crude bio-oil and bio-char. The crude bio-oil is then transported to rural refineries to be converted into stabilized bio-oil, fuels and chemicals (ethanol, lipids, biogas, bio-plastic). Finally, centralized refineries are envisioned to convert stabilized bio-oils into drop-in transportation fuels. The pyrolysis units could have a function in this new biomass economy similar to the role of petroleum wells in our current petroleum based economy. To implement this concept, additional research in several areas is necessary to:<br> (1) conduct fundamental studies of thermo-chemical reactions to better understand the relationship between biomass composition and its thermal degradation mechanisms to enhance the production of levoglucosan<br> (2) develop and tests new types of selective fast pyrolysis reactors and their mathematical modeling,<br> (3) develop new analytical methods to characterize the chemical composition of bio-oils,<br> (4) develop bio-chars for environmental services<br> (5) evaluate several new concepts for rural bio-oil refineries,<br> (6) study the feasibility of processing of stabilized bio-oil fractions in existing petroleum refineries, and<br> (7) develop and test second generation bio-fuels and chemicals from bio-oils.<p> Our project targets the conversion of at least 30 mass % of the initial biomass into transportation fuels and high value chemicals. The production of engineered bio-chars for environmental services will contribute to sequester carbon, reduce the content of phosphorous and nitrogen from liquid effluents of anaerobic digesters and enhance soil fertility. | a) Conduct fundamental studies on the kinetics of biomass thermo-chemical reactions to better understand the relationship between the structure of biomass constituents (cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin) and their degradation mechanisms.<br> b) Develop and test new types of pyrolysis reactors with mathematical modeling of proposed concepts.<br> c) Develop new analytical methods to characterize the chemical composition of bio-oils.<br> d) Develop and test engineered bio-chars for environmental services.<br> e) Test new bio-oil based refinery concepts at laboratory scale.<br> f) Develop of new transportation fuels and chemicals from bio-oil fractions. |
| Improving the Sustainability of Livestock and Poultry Production in the United States (OLD S1032) | 0213075 | Zhu, Jun | 10/01/2007 | 09/30/2013 | COMPLETE | MINNEAPOLIS | ecological footprint, effluents, emergy, emissions, land application, life cycle analysis;, manure, treatment, waste, odors | The project proposes to develop computer based mathematical descriptions of the animal production industries using measures of sustainability and environmental impacts that will help describe and define that scientific framework. Although all aspects of animal production must be included, we propose to put special emphasis on evaluating manure management and utilization best management practices and their impact on sustainability and environmental impacts beyond the farm and field scale. A number of interesting and useful analytical paradigms already exist for describing and modeling the sustainability of arbitrarily defined systems, and we do not intend to suggest that one of them is necessarily superior to the others in every conceivable use or context. Each of them has strengths and shortcomings that depend on the way in which it is used. | Not applicable |
| Bacterial Methylation of Mine-Derived Inorganic Mercury in Lake and Estuarine Sediments | 0201896 | Nelson, D | 10/01/2009 | 09/30/2014 | COMPLETE | DAVIS | anaerobic bacteria, anaerobic incubations, bag incubations, clear lake, homogenized sediments, iron reducers, mercury biomagnification, mercury mines, methylmercury production, molybdate inhibition, natural populations, pachygrapsus crassipes, sulfate reducers, walker marsh | California's legacy of inorganic mercury pollution from abandoned mines is of concern due to its potential conversion to methylmercury. Bacteria living in oxygen-depleted sediments produce this especially toxic form of mercury, which is readily biomagnified in predatory fish and birds near the apex of aquatic food webs. We have recently shown that a group called "iron-reducing bacteria" are as active at producing methylmercury as other bacteria, called "sulfate-reducers", which were previously believed to perform the bulk of these transformations in marine and freshwater sediments. The current proposal will continue to refine experiments based on natural sediments to determine the general importance of iron-reducers as mercury methylators throughout the sediments of a lake and an estuary impacted by typical mine-derived mercury. Pure cultures of abundant iron-reducing bacteria will also be isolated from mine-impacted marine sediments and assayed for their ability to produce methylmercury from the divalent inorganic form. A variety of stakeholder groups have been interested in our basic research findings on these and related topics to date. The PI will continue to keep these groups informed of our new findings and any possible implications for remediation actions. | The research objectives for this project are as follows: (1) For mine-impacted sediments of Clear Lake, determine the relative contribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria to methylation of mercury while altering native sediment properties and inorganic mercury levels as little as possible. (2) For mine-impacted sediments of Clear Lake that are first manipulated to biologically deplete sulfate and oxidized iron, determine the relative rates of mercury methylation upon supplementation with each biological oxidant separately and both together. (3) For mine-impacted sediments of Walker Creek Estuary and a control site, determine the proportional contribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria to methylation of mercury while altering native sediment properties and inorganic mercury levels as little as possible. (4) For a spectrum of sediment types from Walker Creek Estuary, isolate pure cultures of marine iron-oxidizing bacteria and test the per-cell rates of production of methylmercury for representative cultures. (5) Use bioaccumulation of methylmercury in the muscle tissue of the lined shore crab, PACHYGRAPSUS CRASSIPES, to determine the extent and magnitude of the impact of mercury from Walker Creek on biota around Tomales Bay; a site showing minimal impact will be selected as control sediment for the third objective. . Under the earlier version of this project the PI presented new basic research findings that have implications for mercury management policy to the following stakeholder groups: Delta Tributaries Mercury Council, San Francisco Estuary Institute, San Francisco Bay Water Board. These presentations, made in person or via dissemination of unpublished research findings, were in response to requests from these groups, and we will continue to disseminate our findings in this manner as they become available. Additionally, our report on our Walker Creek Estuary studies, which has been posted on the UC Office of the President Coastal Environmental Quality Initiative website (http://repositories.cdlib.org/ucmarine/ceqi/040), had 742 full-text downloads in the first 30 months of posting (2006-12-13) and continues to be downloaded at a steady pace. We will continue to present our findings at scientific meetings and in research journal articles. A recent peer-review of an earlier version of our pending manuscript on the Walker Creek Estuary studies characterized our 2006 publication (Fleming et al., 2006, Mercury methylation from unexpected sources: molybdate-inhibited freshwater sediments and an iron-reducing bacterium. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 72:457-464) as follows: "In this reviewer's opinion, that finding was one of the most significant advances in Hg biogeochemistry in recent years, because for over 20 years prior to the 2006 paper, SRB [sulfate-reducing bacteria] were the focus of all research on Hg methylation." Thus, we believe that our current basic research emphasis on establishing the generality of those earlier findings continues to have strong implications for environmental policy and remediation of contaminated sites. |
| Bio-energy engineering combining nano-technologies and microbial fuel cells | 0198382 | Christy, A | 10/01/2009 | 09/30/2014 | COMPLETE | COLUMBUS | agricultural waste, bioenergy, cellulosic biomass, microbial fuel cells, nanotechnology | Microbial fuel cells can generate small but sustainable electrical power by harnessing the natural abilities of some microbes. This research specifically uses the microbes found in the digestive tract of cows which are well suited to using cellulosic materials such as hay and grass as feed and have also been recently found to be electrochemically active. The goal is to increase power production in these fuel cells by using nano-technology and miniaturization techniques. Potential impacts include more economical applications for bio-energy, reduced dependence on non-renewable energy sources, treatment of lignocellulosic agricultural wastes, and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. | The long term goal is to develop a microbial energy conversion process that uses cellulosic waste as its feedstock, does not generate intermediate byproducts such as methane, and produces sufficient electrical power for applications where other forms of electricity are not readily available. The overall objectives of this research are to: (1.) Expand scientific knowledge of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a bioenergy option. (2.) Increase power production in MFCs by using nano-technology and miniaturization techniques. |
| IMPROVEMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CLOSTRIDIUM BEIJERINCKII BA101 | 0185853 | Blaschek, H. P. | 10/01/2000 | 09/30/2006 | COMPLETE | URBANA | clostridium beijerinckii, agricultural engineering, corn, non food commodities, strains (genetics), bacterial genetics, genetic markers, aflp, fermentation, processing, butanol, pervaporation, gene cloning, production systems, nutrient transport, sugars, mutants, recombinant dna, bacterial physiology, systems development, viability, production efficiency | Currently 2.58 billion pounds of butanol is produced in the United States. If this is produced from corn, this would create a market for 509 million bushel of corn annually. Development of such a large corn market would improve economic conditions for farmers. Butanol can be produced from corn by fermentation using Clostridium beijerinckii BA101. We intend to develop superior strains for efficient production of butanol from corn. This project would improve economic conditions of farmers. It is anticipated that newly developed strains would ferment corn efficiently. | 1. Clostridium beijerinckii BA101 strain development for solvent production. 2. Use of AFLP to identify genetic markers associated with various derivatives of C. beijerinckii 8052. 3. Examination of Non-PTS based sugar transport in C. beijerinckii BA101 and 8052. 4. Physiological characterization of the newly constructed C. beijerinckii mutant and recombinant strains. 5. Downstream processing of butanol from fermentation broth. |