Source: OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
DEVELOPMENT OF INTEGRATED PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BIOFUELS, BIOENERGY AND BIOPOLYMERS FROM ORGANIC WASTE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0213318
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
OHO01187
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2012
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2017
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
Li, Y.
Recipient Organization
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
1680 MADISON AVENUE
WOOSTER,OH 44691
Performing Department
Food, Agric and Biological Engineering
Non Technical Summary
The need for a robust domestic renewable fuel industry has never been greater. United States farmers and biobased industries can help meet these goals and ease our dependence on foreign oil through the production of biofuels and biobased products from renewable sources if efficient bio-conversion systems are developed. Concerns regarding open pond growth systems include the invasion of undesirable species, significant daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations, and high water evaporation rates that can cause low productivity as well as increased operational costs. Water evaporation in desert areas can average 7 acre-feet annually, meaning that freshwater must be added. Water rights in these regions are increasingly contentious and food production is the priority. At these prices, annual freshwater replacement for evaporative losses from microalgae cultivation in desert areas could cost $35,000/acre, which approaches the highest economic value of the produced algae biomass. The challenge for all the bio-based polyureathane is to reduce the production cost and improve the performance to be compatible to the petroleum-based products.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
30%
Applied
50%
Developmental
20%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
5112410202080%
5115210202020%
Knowledge Area
511 - New and Improved Non-Food Products and Processes;

Subject Of Investigation
5210 - Fertilizers; 2410 - Cross-commodity research--multiple crops;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering;
Goals / Objectives
Improved technologies for producing biofuels, bioenergy, and biopolymers from agricultural and processing waste to enhance national security, balance of trade, domestic employment opportunities, and the nation's environmental performance, including a reduction in CO2 emissions. This project addresses the challenge of bioenergy and bioproducts conversion by developing integrated processes. The research objectives of this program are to develop an integrated system to convert agricultural, food and bioprocessing waste to biofuels, bioenergy, biopolymer, and biobased products. Our recent research will focus on the following areas: 1. Lab scale and pilot scale testing of the iADs for bioenergy production from different feedstocks; 2. Lab scale and pilot scale testing of microalgae culture with AD effluent in raceway open pond system; 3. Lab scale and pilot scale testing of biopolyols and polyurethane production from crude glycerol with the OSU patent technology. The economics for the developed processes will also be analyzed.
Project Methods
1. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a method engineered to decompose organic matter under oxygen-free conditions and involves a variety of anaerobic microorganisms. Integrated-AD includes Liquid-AD reactor and a Solid State-AD reactor. Pumpable wastes such as manure, food waste, or sewage sludge can be used as the primary feedstock for L-AD. Feedstock is continuously dosed to the complete-mix system. The feedstock will spend an average of 30 days inside the vessel while the bacteria feed on the carbon to produce methane. The treated liquid effluent from the L-AD system is a rich milieu of microorganisms and will be used to inoculate non-pumpable organic wastes, such as municipal solid waste, yard waste, and corn stover. These stackable wastes are quite dry, so the water in the liquid effluent is readily absorbed by the dry feedstock and with it the active microbes can attach and penetrate the fresh feedstock. The combined inoculated waste will still be stackable, measuring between 25%-30% total solids. The amount of liquid effluent added is based on the carbon and nitrogen content of the constituent feedstocks. Alkali can be added to the mixture to help breakdown any woody biomass. The material is batch digested in an environmentally controlled concrete reactor bay where it is held for 25-30 days. After the initial inoculation, no additional liquid is needed to maintain digestion. 2. To address the fundamental issues with open pond systems, we propose to study a unique process that incorporates AD into the microalgae production system and uses phase change material to cover the pond surface while allowing light and gas transfer. Solid particulates and organic matter are required to be removed from the AD effluent so that autotrophic microalgae can have maximum access to light and inorganic nutrients. The effluent from the anaerobic digester will go through an industrial-scale centrifuge and the centrate will be collected and diluted for microalgae cultivation. Total solids, total suspended solids, and pH will be measured according to the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (APHA,2005). Different levels of dilution will be applied and tested to optimize the effluent loading in 10-day batch experiments. 3. The biopolyols are obtained from the liquefaction of soybean straw with crude glycerin at atmospheric pressure and temperatures less than 200 degree C. Process parameters for liquefaction will be optimized to obtain biopolyols with high biomass conversion ratio, workable viscosity, low acid numbers and suitable hydroxyl functionality. Low acid number polyols are desirable because high acidity consumes catalysts and surfactants which affect the final foam properties. A 1-L liquefaction reactor equipped with a cooling system and methanol recovery port will be tested for a one-pot, large-scale liquefaction process. The product biopolyols will be characterized for their physicochemical properties and will be used in PU foam formulations for insulation foam sheets and automobile seat cushions. The PU foam products will be characterized for their thermal and physical properties and will be compared to existing PU products

Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:We have worked with industry and local communities through giving presentations on extension workshops Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided training and develoopment for two postdocs:Fuqing Xu and Shaoqing Cui; and one visiting scholar: Danping Jiang;four PhD graduate student: John Sheets, Long Lin,Juliana Vasco and LuZhang and oneMS student Joshua Borgemenke How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through publications and presentations What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Obj. 1: Solid-state fungal pretreatment using a white rot fungus, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora was studied to improve the biogas production from lignocellulosic feedstocks. Feedstocks tested included Miscanthus, corn stover, hardwood, and softwood. Fungal pretreatment increased the enzymatic digestibility of hardwood, softwood, and Miscanthus by 2- to 4.5-fold, but was not effective for corn stover. In addition, fungal pretreatment was effective for Miscanthus harvested in winter or spring, but not for green Miscanthus harvested in fall. Thus, effectiveness of fungal pretreatment with C. subvermispora was feedstock-dependent.Fungal pretreatment was tested for non-sterile Miscanthus with subsequent biogas production via solid state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD). Sterile Miscanthus, previously colonized with C. subvermispora, was used as the inoculum for non-sterile Miscanthus and this process enhanced the enzymatic digestibility of by 3- to 4-fold over that of untreated Miscanthus after 21 days of incubation. This result was comparable with the fungal pretreatment under sterile conditions. The finished material was used as an inoculum for two more generations and the indigenous fungi from fresh feedstock outcompeted C. subvermispora, showing that sterilization of fresh feedstock is required for a continuous fungal pretreatment. Fungal pretreated Miscanthus was used for production of biogas via SS-AD, and increased the methane yield by 25% compared to untreated Miscanthus. Sequential batch thermophilic SS-AD of yard trimmings (leaves, lawn grass, and wood chips) was previously developed by recirculating digestate as the inoculum for the next batch. The sequential batch SS-AD gradually reached steady state after 3 runs with increases in both methane yield and cellulose degradation, and the bacterial and archaeal community dynamics during each run were examined using Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. The proportions of Firmicutes that contained cellulolytic bacteria increased from 40% to 80% from run 1 to run 3, which might explain the concomitantly increased cellulose degradation and volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Proportions of archaea rose from 1% to 5% from run 1 to run 4 when methane peaked. Particularly, hydrogenotrophic Methanothermobacter was enriched during the process, implying that a non-acetoclastic oxidative pathway dominated during the steady-state thermophilic SS-AD. Results suggested that recirculating digestate might be effective inoculating SS-AD if an integrated AD system (iADs) is not available. Since composting is an alternative for the SS-AD component of the iADs system, a techno-economic analysis was conducted to compare the economic feasibility of a commercial-scale SS-AD in the iADs system with composting, assuming a capacity of 20,000 MT/year of yard trimmings and L-AD effluent. Composting, with a $2 million NPV (net present value), was shown to be more economically competitive than iADs (NPV $0.2 million) without financial incentives. SS-AD had higher capital costs but lower labor costs than composting. The addition of digestate drying improved the economics of SS-AD, but it was the most energy intensive step, relying on heat recovery to reduce costs ($18.8/MT). Operating costs were estimated to be $44/MT for SS-AD and $31/MT for composting. The revenues were comparable at $48/MT for both systems. The 200 ton pilot scale SS-AD was rebuilt and fixed. Problems, including gas leakage, heating and temperature control, pumps, and pipeline for effluent delivery, were repaired. Gas meters and an analyzer were added for real time measurement of gas production. For pilot scale tests, corn stover fromwas preprocessed and mixed with solid cake of dewatered effluent from quasar's Columbus facility. Food wastes and liquid AD effluent from quasar's Zanesville digester were added to supplement nutrients, microbes, and water. Two mixing ratios of food waste were tested. Gas production was not as high as expected due to the high salt content of the inoculum. The salt was found to come from a feedstock to the two quasar digesters and it has caused both digesters to be upset since July, 2017. The problem was identified in September 2017 and both digesters are now under recovery. A biogas upgrading system, developed and tested at quasar's Columbus facility, includes a dehydration unit to remove moisture from the biogas and a membrane unit to remove CO2, H2S and other contaminant gas. The final gas quality met the CNG requirement. The H2S concentration was about 10 ppm. Different technologies for H2S removal such as activated carbon and iron sponge were evaluated to further remove the trivial amount of H2S. Activated carbon will be used in the future. A tree farm was set-up on the strip mined land next to the pilot scale iADs at Zanesville digester. Solid digestate was land applied, and then about 3500 hybrid poplar trees were planted. The trees will be harvested as an energy crop. This project will be continued using funding from other sources. Obj. 3: A low VOC waterborne bio-polyurethane (bio-PU) coating was successfully developed from crude glycerol, a by-product of bio-diesel production. The bio-PU coating exhibited attractive mechanical properties with tensile strength up to 3.5 MPa and elongation at break of 136%, which is competitive with soybean oil based PU coatings. The bio-PUs showed stable thermal degradation temperatures, high pencil hardness, and excellent adhesion to substrates. The formulation of crude glycerol based bio-polyols specific for PU coatings was optimized. The crude glycerol based bio-polyols showed desirable properties, with a hydroxyl number of 135 mg KOH/g and acid number less than 1.0 mg KOH/g. The potential of bio-PU coatings from crude glycerol, with attractive properties, was confirmed and its significance was demonstrated. A novel approach to produce bio-polycarbonates was developed by synthesizing carbon dioxide (CO2) and soybean oil based terminal epoxide (SOTE) monomers, which were obtained through the synthesis of soybean oil with epichlorohydrin (EPCH) produced from crude glycerol, a byproduct of biodiesel production. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1HNMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra of SOTE monomers and bio-polycarbonate sshowed 100% conversion of epoxide monomers and a bio-polycarbonate yield of 83.3% with carbonate linkage content higher than 90%. The original functional double bonds on the linear fatty acid chains of soybean oil remained in the bio-polycarbonate products. The highest bio-polycarbonate yield was obtained at CO2 pressure of 4MPa, catalyst loading of 0.04 mmol, reaction time of 24 h, and reaction temperature of 22°C. A transparent bio-polycarbonate film with attractive mechanical (elongation at break of 623%) and stable thermal (degradation starting at 225 °C) properties was obtained. Incorporation of SOTE monomers (50%) into the synthesis of propylene oxide and CO2 resulted in competitive bio-polycarbonates with strong tensile strength (14.8 Mpa) and enhanced elongation (391%). The green synthesis route of incorporating CO2 into soybean oil provides a platform for production of bio-polycarbonates from bio-based feedstocks for various applications. A series of polycarbonate films were synthesized from two fatty acids (FA) and CO2. The FA based polycarbonates showed potential as an outlet for both CO2 and glycerol. It was shown that propylene oxide (PO) acting as a co-monomer to fatty acid based monomers can substantially increase polycarbonate yield. The thermal and mechanical properties of the fatty acid based polycarbonate films demonstrated that they are highly tunable using different qualities of PO and/or types of FA based monomers. The FA based polycarbonate films produced compared well with petroleum based polycarbonates, and provide advantages in that they may require less energy inputs and lead to a greener product.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: S.Q. Cui., Y.S. Qin., Y.B. Li. 2017. A novel and sustainable approach for the synthesis of bio-polycarbonates from carbon dioxide and soybean oil. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 5, 9014-9022.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: S.Q. Cui., X.L. Luo., Y.B. Li. 2017. Synthesis and Properties of Polyurethane Wood Adhesives derived from Crude Glycerol based Polyols. International journal of adhesion and adhesive. 78 (c): 195-199.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2017 Citation: Jiang D, Ge X, Lin L, Wang L, Yu Z, Zhang Q, Zhou X, Li Y., 2017. Simultaneous lime treatment and solid-state anaerobic digestion of corn stover for improved biogas energy production. Bioresour Technol 244: 11501157
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 4. Lin, L., Yu, Z., Li, Y., 2017. Sequential batch thermophilic solid-state anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass via recirculating digestate as inoculum  Part II: Microbial diversity and succession. Bioresource Technology. 241, 10271035.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 5. Lin, L., Li, Y., 2017. Sequential batch thermophilic solid-state anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass via recirculating digestate as inoculum  Part I: Reactor performance. Bioresource Technology. 236, 186193.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2017 Citation: Xu, F., Li, Y., Ge, X., Yang, L., Li, Y., 2017. Anaerobic digestion of food wastechallenges and opportunities. Bioresource Technology
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Xu F, Wang F, Lin L, Li Y, 2016. Comparison of digestate from solid anaerobic digesters and dewatered effluent from liquid anaerobic digesters as inocula for solid state anaerobic digestion of yard trimmings. Bioresource technology 200, 753-760.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Wang, F., Xu, F., Liu, Z., Cui, Z., Li, Y., 2017. Effect of dry bale storage of corn stover on biogas production from anaerobic digestion. Submitted to Waste Management.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2017 Citation: 3. Lin, L., Xu, F., Ge, X., Li, Y., 2017. Improving the sustainability of waste management practices in the food-energy-water nexus: a comparative review of anaerobic digestion and composting. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Jiang, Y., Xu, F., Sheet, J., Chen, Z., Li, Y., 2017. Anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and waste paper: Reactor performance and energy analysis. Submitted to Applied Energy
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Jiang, Y., Xu, F., Li, Y., 2017. Reaction kinetics of anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and paper under different total solids contents.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Wang ZW, Xu F, Manchala KR, Sun Y, Li Y, 2016. Fractal-like kinetics of the solid-state anaerobic digestion. Waste Management 53, 55-61.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Yang L, Ge X, Li Y (2016) Recovery of failed solid-state anaerobic digesters. Bioresour Technol 214: 866870.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Liu S, Xu F, Liew LN, Li Y, 2016. Food Waste Addition for Enhanced Giant Reed Ensilage and Methane Production. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers 59 (3), 727-736.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Su Z, Ge X, Zhang W, Wang L, Yu Z, Li Y (2017) Methanol production from biogas with a thermotolerant methanol consortium isolated from an anaerobic digestion system. Energy and Fuels 31: 29702975
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Sheets, J., Lawson, K., Ge, X., Wang, L., Yu, Z., Li, Y., 2017. Development and evaluation of a trickle bed bioreactor for enhanced mass transfer and methanol production from biogas. Biochemical Engineering Journal 122, 103-114.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Yang L, Ge X, 2016. Chapter 3: Biogas and Syngas Upgrading. Advances in Bioenergy. Elsevier, pp. 125188.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ge X, Li Y, 2016. Chapter 8: Starch-based Feedstocks. Bioenergy: Principles and Applications. John-Wiley Publishing, pp. 109126.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ge X, Sheets JP, Li Y, Mani S, 2016. Chapter 11: Algae-based Feedstock. Bioenergy: Principles and Applications. John-Wiley Publishing, pp. 167194.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2017 Citation: 1. Lin, L., Li, Y., Keener, H., Yu, Z. 2017. Sequential batch solid-state anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass via recirculating digestate as inoculum  Microbial community dynamics. OARDC Annual Research Conference, Columbus, OH, April 20, 2017 (poster).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Vasco-Correa, J., Ezeji, T., Li, Y. 2017. Butanol production from fungal pretreated lignocellulosic biomass: study of fermentation inhibitors. ASABE Annual International Meeting. Spokane, WA, July 16-19, 2017. Oral presentation.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2017 Citation: 4. Vasco-Correa, J., Ezeji, T., Li, Y. 2017. Effect of fungal pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass in the production of inhibitors for biobutanol fermentation. 39th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals. San Francisco, CA, May 1-4, 2017. Poster.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2017 Citation: 5. Vasco-Correa, J., Ge, X., Luo, X., Li, Y. 2016. Comparison of fungal pretreatment of different lignocellulosic feedstocks under sterile and non-sterile conditions for enzymatic saccharification. OARDC Annual Research Conference, Wooster, OH, April 21, 2016 (poster).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Lin, L., Li, Y. 2016. Semi-continuous solid-state anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass for biogas production: recirculating digestate as inoculum. OARDC Annual Research Conference, Wooster, OH, April 21, 2016 (poster).
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Sheets, J., 2017. Development of an integrated biomass-to-methanol process via solid-state anaerobic digestion and biological conversion of biogas to methanol. Ph.D. dissertation. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Lin, L., 2017. Technical, Microbial, and Economic Study on Thermophilic Solid-state Anaerobic Digestion of Lignocellulosic Biomass. Ph.D. dissertation. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Vasco, J., 2017. Investigation of solid-state fungal pretreatment of miscanthus for biofuels production. Ph.D. dissertation. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Vasco-Correa, J., Shah, A. 2017. Techno-economic analysis of fungal pretreatment of miscanthus for butanol production. ASABE Annual International Meeting. Spokane, WA, July 16-19, 2017. Oral presentation.


Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:We have worked with industry and local communities by providing internships and giving presentations and extension workshops. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Trained postdocs Fuqing Xu and Shaoqing Xu; visiting scholar: Danping Jiang, Yusheng Qin, Zhongliang Su and Xiaoyan Gong How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Disseminated the research results through publications and presentations. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Will continue the research.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1 Lab scale and pilot scale testing of the iADs (integrated Anaerobic Digestor)for bioenergy production from different feedstocks Effects of inoculum storage and activation time on the SS-AD component of the iADs were studied. The liquid AD effluent could be stored under 4oC for up to five months without significant losses of methanogenic activities as an inoculum. Within five months of storage time, inoculum activation from zero to seven days did not cause significant differences in the methane yield of corn stover, while inoculum stored for more than five months required at least three days of activation at 37oC to successfully start a SS-AD process. Different pretreatment methods for giant reed and corn stover were studied for biogas production. Alkaline pretreatment was found to be more suitable than liquid hot water pretreatment and fungi pretreatment for giant reed in terms of higher methane yield, and lower dry matter loss and lower cost. Simultaneous alkaline treatment using lime was also found to improve the methane yield of corn stover and enabled biogas production under high feedstock-to-inoculum ratios (such as 6 and 8 based on volatile solids). This method can be used in large scale digesters as a low cost method for feedstock pretreatment and pH stabilization. Fundamental mechanisms of AD were studied focusing on the microbial population dynamics and feedstock degradation dynamics. In a continuous thermophilic SS-AD of yard trimming, the hydrolytic microbes were enriched during the process due to the abundance of cellulose and hemicellulose, and the microbial community was stabilized after three cycles. During the co-digestion of paper and food waste, low water content was found to significantly decrease the degradation rate of cellulose and hemicellulose, but didnot significantly affect the degradation of protein. The microbial community changes during the storage and activation of inoculum was studied using high through-put 16S rRNA sequencing, and the results are under analysis. Objective 2. Lab scale and pilot scale testing of bio-polyols and polyurethane production from crude glycerol with the OSU patent technology. 2.1 Development of polyurethane wood adhesives derived from crude glycerol based bio-polyol We have investigated the effects of different experimental parameters on the properties of crude glycerol based bio-polyol, developed reliable models to predict the properties of crude glycerol based bio-polyols , and optimized the reaction conditions for bio-polyol production, which is used for polyurethane (PU) wood adhesives. Formulation for PU wood adhesives was also optimized, and the adhesives performance was evaluated by comparing with commercial analogs. The obtained wood PU adhesives exhibited abonding strength of 45 MPa, which was comparable to commercial PU adhesives. The results provided the foundation for evaluating the worth of pilot-scale or large-scale production of crude glycerol based bio-polyol for PU wood adhesives development. 2.2. Development of waterborne polyurethane coating derived from crude glycerol based bio-polyol Crude glycerol based waterborne PU coatings have been successfully produced through doping crude glycerol based bio-polyol with soybean oil based bio-polyol. Crude glycerol based bio-polyol was firstly synthesized and optimized with the response surface methodology via a Box-Behnken design. Soybean oil based bio-polyol was produced through functionalization of double bonds of fatty acid chains. The waterborne PU coatings were then developed based on composited bio-polyols that are glycerol bio-polyol mixed with soybean oil based bio-polyol in different ratios. Properties of produced waterborne PU coating were characterized showing stable thermal properties, high pencil harness of F, excellent adhesion to steel panel and accepted tensile strength of 4.3 MPa, which was demonstrated to be comparable to vegetable oil based analogs. Primary data demonstrated the promising potential of crude glycerol in waterborne PU coating applications. 2.3. Production of polycarbonate polymers via copolymerization of soybean oil-based epoxy monomers and CO2 A series of polycarbonate polymers were successfully synthesized through copolymerization of epoxy monomer and CO2 with/without propylene oxide as a co-monomer. The optimum reaction conditions for polymerization were investigatedfirst by studying the effects of experimental factors (temperature, reaction time and catalyst loading) on polymerization yield. Then, the resulting crude polycarbonates, containing catalyst and a cyclic carbonate byproduct, were purified by dissolving the polymer in Dichloromethane and precipitating the polymer using alcohol added dropwise. Chemical structures and mechanical properties were characterized showing desirable functional groups and accessable molecular weight less than 7000 Da and highly stable thermal properties. Polycarbonate bio-polyols were synthesized via copolymerization of epoxy monomer and CO2 with the addition of water as a chain transfer agent under the preferred experimental conditions. Physiochemical properties of the desirable bio-polyols were characterized with hydroxyl number less than 100 mg KOH/g and molecular weight around 2000 Da, which indicated properties suitable for polyurethane (PU) product development. 2.4. Production of polycarbonate polymers via copolymerization of soybean oil-based epoxy monomer and CO2 Saponified oleic acid, which is considered as a model fatty acid amongst corn-oil's fatty acid profile, has been successfully used to synthesize corn oil based epoxy monomers. Experimental parameters for improving epoxidation yield were optimized, and the obtained epoxy monomers were characterized and evaluated. The resulting data suggested promising properties of epoxy monomer for further polymerization. Subsequently, the effects of experimental parameters including temperature, reaction time and catalyst loading were investigated to determine the optimum conditions for enlarging polymerization yield. Polycarbonates were preliminarily synthesized by polymerizing corn oil based epoxy monomer and CO2 (3.0 MPa) with a catalyst loading of 0.04 mmol/3ml at 20oC reacting over 24h. The synthesized crude polycarbonates can be successfully purified by dissolving in Dichloromethane and precipitated using alcohol added dropwise. The further development of polycarbonate bio-polyols, derived from corn oil, is being researched.

Publications

  • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Li, Y., Khanal S. K. 2016 . Bioenergy: Principles and Applications. Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ge, X., Vasco-Correa, J., Li, Y. 2016. Solid-State Fermentation Bioreactors and Fundamentals. In C. Larroche, M. Sanrom�n, G. Du, A. Pandey. (eds.) Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Bioprocesses, Bioreactors and Controls. Elsevier.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Vasco-Correa, J., Ge, X., Li, Y. 2016. Biological Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass. In Mussatto, S. (ed.) Biomass Fractionation Technologies for a Lignocellulosic Feedstock Based Biorefinery. Elsevier.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Luo, X., Ge, X., Cui S., Li, Y. 2016. Value-added processing of crude glycerol for chemicals and polymers. Bioresource Technology 215:144-154. (IF: 4.49).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Dang, Y., Luo, X., Wang, F. Li, Y. 2016. Value-added conversion of waste cooking oil and post-consumer PET bottles into biodiesel and polyurethane foams. Waste Management 52:360-366. (IF: 3.22).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Zhang, L., Luo, X., Qin, Y., Li, Y. 2016. A novel 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid-based bis(cyclic carbonate) for the synthesis of biobased non-isocyanate polyurethanes. RSC Advances (IF: 3.289).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ge, X., Xu, F., Vasco-Correa, J, Li, Y. 2016. Giant reed: A competitive energy crop in comparison with miscanthus. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 54:350-362. (IF: 5.90).


Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:We have worked with biobased industry, farmers and local communities for biomass feedstock development, bioenergy and bioproducts production and marketing. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nine (9) graduate students are trained to work on projects. Four (4) visiting scholars from China participated in research and gained experience on bioenergy production via AD. Two (2) post-doc, Dr. Fuqing Xu and Dr. Xiaolan Luo, were trained to work on bioenergy and bioproducts research. One (1) research scientist, Dr. Xumeng Ge obtained hands-on experience with microbial isolation and cultivation, and various analytical skills such as scanning electron microscopy and skills on proposal writing. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Organized the Renewable Energy Workshop for 75 invited experts and stakeholders at the Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster, Ohio. Provided an overview of AD technology and associated opportunities and challenges, project goals, and activities. Organized the 2015 USDA S1041 Business Meeting and Symposium at The Ohio State University's OARDC in Wooster, Ohio. The business meeting was attended by 56 faculty and students from across the country. The symposium, held on day2, focused on stakeholder perspectives on the bioeconomy and had 87 attendees from industry and academia. Presented a project overview at the 2015 International Composting Conference held in Beijing, China. Thirteen (13) presentations on the 2015 ASABE annual meeting in New Orleans, FL. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Develop a continuous fungal pretreatment process. Characterize microbial structure and dynamics in semi-continuous SS-AD and optimize the AD process, focusing on scale-up. Conduct pilot scale testing of SS-AD in Zanesville using corn stover as the feedstock. Continune working on the CO2- and bio-based polyurethanes.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Topic 1: Lab scale and pilot scale testing of the iADs for bioenergy production from different feedstocks Different storage and inoculation methods were evaluated for their effects on biogas production from energy crops, crop residues, and components of municipal solid waste. Wet storage (ensilage) was found to effectively preserve giant reed, a promising energy crop. The dry matter loss during a 90-day ensilage was as low as 1%, and the organic acids produced during ensilage enhanced the subsequent methane production. Urea supplementation, food waste addition, and optimization of ensilage moisture content were all found further to increase the methane yield of ensiled giant reed. In contrast, a 12-month dry storage increased the recalcitrance of corn stover and reduced its methane yield by 10%-20%. Two types of inoculum, including effluent from liquid AD (used in iADs) and recycled SS-AD digestate (used in traditional SS-AD) were compared for SS-AD of yard trimmings. Comparable methane yields were obtained using both inocula, while using liquid AD effluent as inoculum resulted in faster startup and higher digester stability. Food waste and waste paper packages were tested for their methane potentials and effects of co-digestion. Both feedstocks were found to be suitable for liquid AD with large inoculation sizes, while co-digestion increased organic loading and reduced inoculation size. Food waste and paper are the two largest components in municipal solid waste that is produced in the U.S., and AD of food waste and paper can potentially produce 43,000 million m3 of methane per year in the U.S., which is equivalent to 1500 million MBTU or 13,000 million GGE. Topic 2. Lab scale and pilot scale testing of microalgae culture with AD effluent in raceway open pond system; Completed. Topic 3: Lab scale and pilot scale testing of biopolyols and polyurethane production from crude glycerol with the OSU patent technology. We have developed a model to predict the properties of polyols produced from crude glycerol with different compositions, optimized formulations for polyurethane (PU) foam production, and evaluated foam performance for construction of protective breakers for oil and gas pipelines. The results provide baseline data that is necessary for pilot-scale and large-scale production of crude glycerol-based polyols for PU spray foam applications in oil and gas pipeline installations. UV-curable PU acrylate coatings have been produced through the functionalization of high-oleic soymeal. High oleic soymeal was first hydrolyzed into low molecular weight amino acid oligomers, which were then modified to produce PU acrylate oligomers. A UV-curable PU coating formulation consisting of the PU acrylate oligomer, a multifunctional monomer, and a photoinitiator was built. The film from each formulation was casted on metal plates and successfully cured under a metal halide lamp (80 W/cm). Preliminary results demonstrated the potential of high-oleic soymeal for UV coating applications. The polymerization of CO2 and an epoxy monomer is a novel technology for the development of polycarbonate plastics and polyols for PU applications. A new epoxy monomer derived from soybean oil has been synthesized for the production of bio-based alternatives to petroleum-based polycarbonate polymers, including polycarbonate plastics and polycarbonate polyols. The epoxide, with a terminal oxirane group, was obtained by the saponification of soybean oil followed by epoxidation. The parameters of the epoxidation reaction of soap were optimized in terms of the response surface methodology via a Box-Behnken design. A high epoxidation yield of up to 94.3% has been obtained under the optimized conditions.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Hu, S., Luo, X., Li, Y. 2015. Production of polyols and waterborne polyurethane dispersions from biodiesel-derived crude glycerol. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 132, 41425
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Lee, Y., Luo, X., Hu, S., Li, Y., Buchheit, R. Corrosion protection studies of crude glycerol-based waterborne polyurethane coatings on steel substrates. ECS Transactions, 61, 1-14.
  • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Li, Y., Luo, X., Hu, S. 2015 Bio-based polyols and polyurethanes.Green Chemistry for Sustainability book series,Springer.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Li, Y. F., Shi, J., Nelson M.C., Chen P. H., Graf J., LI, Y., Yu, Z. 2015. Impact of different ratios of feedstock to liquid anaerobic digestion effluent on the performance and microbiome of solid-state anaerobic digesters digesting corn stover. Bioresource Technology 200:744-752.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ge, X., Xu, F., Vasco-Correa, J., Li, Y. 2015. Giant reed: a competitive energy crop in comparison with miscanthus. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 54:350-362.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Xu. F., Li, Y., Wang, Z. 2015. Mathematical modeling of solid-state anaerobic digestion. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science 51:49-66.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Sheets, J. P., Yang, L., Ge, X., Wang. Z., Li, Y. 2015. Beyond land application: Emerging technologies for the treatment and reuse of anaerobically digested agricultural and food waste. Waste Management 44:94-115.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Liu, S., Ge. X., Liew, L. N., Liu, Z., Li, Y. 2015. Effect of urea addition on giant reed ensilage and subsequent methane production by anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology 192: 682-688.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Lin, L., Yang, L., Li, Y. 2015. Effect of feedstock components on thermophilic solid-state anaerobic digestion of yard trimmings. Energy and Fuel 29 (6):3699-3706.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Racharaks R., Ge, X., Li, Y. 2015. Cultivation of marine microalgae using shale gas flowback water and anaerobic digestion effluent as the cultivation medium. Bioresource Technology 191:146-156.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2015 Citation: Sheets, J. P., Ge, X., Li, Y. F., Yu, Z. T., Li. Y. 2015. Biological conversion of biogas to methanol using methanotrophs isolated from solid-state anaerobic digestate. Bioresource Technology.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2015 Citation: Liu, S., Ge, X., Xu, F., Li, Y. 2015. Effect of total solids content on giant reed ensilage and subsequent anaerobic digestion. Process Biochemistry.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Yan, Q., Lu, Y., To f., Li, Y. and Yu F. 2015. Synthesis of tungsten carbide nanoparticles in biochar matrix as a catalyst for dry reforming of methane to syngas. Catalysis Science & Technology 5:3270-3280.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Park, S., Li, Y. 2015. Integration of biological kinetics and computational fluid dynamics to model the growth of Nannochloropsis salina in an open channel raceway. Biotechnology & Bioengineering 112(5):923-933
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Lin, Y., Ge, X., Liu, Z., Li. Y. 2015. Integration of Shiitake cultivation and solid-state anaerobic digestion for utilization of woody biomass. Bioresource Technology 182:128-135
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Vasco-Correa, J., Li, Y. 2015. Solid-state anaerobic digestion of fungal pretreated Miscanthus sinensis harvested in two different seasons. Bioresource Technology. 185: 211-217
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Yang, L., Xu, F., Ge, X, Li, Y. 2015. Challenges and strategies for solid-state anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 44: 824-834.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Park, S., Li, Y. 2015. Integration of biological kinetics and computational fluid dynamics to model the growth of Nannochloropsis salina in an open channel raceway. Biotechnology & Bioengineering 112(5):923-933.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ge, X., Matsumoto, T., Keith, L. Li, Y. 2015. Fungal pretreatment of albizia chips for enhanced biogas production by solid-state anaerobic digestion. Energy and Fuel 29:200-204.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Sheets, J. P., Ge, X., Li, Y. 2015. Effect of limited air exposure and comparative performance between thermophilic and mesophilic solid-state anaerobic digestion of switchgrass. Bioresource Technology 180:296-303.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Tong, X., Luo, X., Li, Y. 2015. Development of Blend Films from Soy Meal Protein and Crude Glycerol-Based Waterborne Polyurethane. Industrial Crops and Products 67:11-17.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Bao, Z., Lu, Y., Han, J., Li. Y., Yu. F. 2015. Highly active and stable Ni-based bimodal pore catalyst for dry reforming of methane. Applied Catalysis A: General 491:116-126.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Chai M., Bellizzi1, M., Wan, C., Cui, Z., Li, Y., Wang, G. L. 2015. The NAC transcription factor OsSWN1 regulates secondary cellwall development in oryza sativa. J. Plant Bio. 58:1-8.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Zhu, J., Yang, L., Li, Y. 2015. Comparison of premixing methods for solid-state anaerobic digestion of corn stover. Bioresource Technology 175:430-435.


Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: We have worked with biobased industry, farmers and local communities for biomass feedstcok development, bioenergy and bioproducts production and marketing. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? In 2014, four graduate students (two Ph.D., two masters) graduated with training on bioenergy and bioproducts through this project. We have provided training for 5 postdocs and 2 visiting scholars to work on the projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Our research results in 2013 were disseminated to the communities via workshop presentations, tours and field trips, exhibitions, conference presentations, extension fact sheets, book chapters and journal publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We will continue the fungal pretreatment research, optimize the AD process focusing for scale-up, and evaluate feedstock harvested at different stages. We will also continue working on the development of coatings from soymeal and enhance the performance of polyurethane foams derived from crude glycerol through the inclusion of nanoparticles and optimization of foaming formula.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Object 1 Lab scale and pilot scale testing of the iADs for bioenergy production from different feedstocks A new method has been developed for fungal pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for enhanced biogas production. The fungal pretreated materials were used as inoculum for fresh feedstock without sterilization which has great potential to reduce energy cost. Mushroom culture with tree trimmings and dried distiller grains with solubles (DDGS) was also evaluated as a method for the pretreatment of tree trimmings for methane production. Mushroom cultivation was found to improve the methane production from the tree trimmings due to the pretreatment effects of mushroom culture. Mushroom culture can be used as a pretreatment method of lignocellulosic biomass for biogas production, and also produce mushroom as a value added product. Composting and solid state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) of yard trimmings and liquid AD (L-AD) effluent were compared for biogas/CO2 production and the nutrient value of the residues (compost and digestate). In the yard trimming mixture, leaves and lawn grass were found to be the major contributor of methane production. Evaluated effects of feedstock mixing ratio; feedstock to effluent ratio; and premixing methods for on methane production to obtain baseline data for pilotscale SS-AD process. Kinetic models, statistical models and artificial neural network models were developed to scale up the SS-AD process. System performance can be predicted using different feedstocks and operating conditions such as water content and inoculation ratio. 2. Lab scale and pilot scale testing of microalgae culture with AD effluent in raceway open pond system; The potential of shale gas flowback water and anaerobic digestion (AD) effluent to reduce the water and nutrient requirement, respectively, for marine microalgae cultivation was evaluated with the following strains: Nannochloropsis salina, Dunaliella tertiolecta, and Dunaliella salina. It was determined that N. salina and D. tertiolecta were the most tolerant to the unknown inhibitors and achieved the highest average biomass productivity in the medium composed of the flowback water and the AD effluent ( 6% loading by volume). Growth in the above medium was found comparable to that in commercial nutrients and salts at same initial inorganic nitrogen, salinity, and pH levels. The lipid content and fatty acid profile of both strains in the medium were also comparable to yields obtained with commercial nutrients and salts. In an attempt to improve the low biomass productivity in the open pond systems, supposedly caused by excessive water evaporation, susceptibility to contamination, and sensitivity to ambient influences such as temperature, hexadecane was introduced as a phase change material (PCM) to cover the pond surface. In doing so, evaporation and contaminants were hypothesized to be minimized while gas exchange and light permeation were still allowed in the system. The previously developed integrated CFD and kinetics model was modified to accommodate an immiscible secondary phase that flowed in conjunction with the pond medium. Simulated results were compared with the 150-day data acquisition of light intensity, temperature, nutrient concentration, and algal biomass acquired from an industrial scale raceway pond constructed for the growth of N. salina and were observed to be in good agreement with one another. Under the influence of the PCM, the microalgal biomass productivity was increased by up to 46.1% when the partial pressure of CO2 in the aerated flue gas was increased from 0.05 to 0.10. Significant improvement of the productivity in the open channel raceway was also observed when the PCM layer was increased up to 0.03 m. 3. Lab scale and pilot scale testing of biopolyols and polyurethane production from crude glycerol with the OSU patent technology. We have worked on the production of UV-curable polyurethane acrylate coatings from high-oleic soymeal. Soymeal hydrolysis has been carried out using 6 M hydrochloric acid and different levels of hydrolysis time (4-8 h) and temperature (100-120 °C) under nitrogen atmosphere for the production of amino acid oligomers from high-oleic soymeal. Soymeal-derived protein solutions were prepared by adding soymeal-derived protein into the water with the presence of glycerol as a plasticizer. Crude glycerol-based waterborne PU dispersions have been synthesized via the following steps: 1) Oligomerization of crude glycerol; 2) Esterification with oleic acid; 3) Epoxidation and oxirane ring opening to produce polyols; 4) Reaction of polyols with 2,3-bis(hydroxymethyl) propionic acid (DMPA) and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) to produce PU; and 5) Dispersion of PUs into the water with solid content of 20%. Soymeal-derived Protein/PU blend films with enhanced properties have been produced at different PU content (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 wt%).

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Ge, X., Yang, L., Sheets, J., Yu, Z.T., Li, Y. 2014. Biological conversion of methane to liquid fuels: status and opportunities. Biotechnology Advances 32: 14601475
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Li, C., Lu, X., Li, T., Tong, X., Li, Y. 2014. Polyurethane foams based on crude glycerol-derived biopolyols: one-pot preparation of biopolyols with branched fatty acid ester chains and its effects on foam formation and properties. Polymer 55: 6529-6538
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Xu, F., Wang, Z. Li, Y. 2014. Predicting the methane yield of lignocellulosic biomass in mesophilic solid-state anaerobic digestion based on feedstock characteristics and process parameters. Bioresource Technology 173:168-176. IF: 5.039
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hu, S., Li, Y. 2014. Production of polyols and waterborne polyurethane dispersions from biodiesel-derived crude glycerol. Journal of Applied Polymer Science
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2014 Citation: Li, Y. F., Nelson, M. C., Chen, P. H., Graf, J., Li, Y., Yu, Z. 2014. Comparison of the microbial communities in solid-state anaerobic digesters (SS-ADs) operated at mesophilic and thermophilic temperatures. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Yang, L., Li, Y. 2014. Anaerobic digestion of giant reed for methane production. Bioresource Technology 171: 233-239
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Yang, L., Ge, Xumeng, Wan, C, Yu, F., Li, Y.2014. Progress and perspectives in converting biogas to transportation fuels. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 40: 1133-1152
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Lin, Y., Ge, X., Li, Y. 2014. Solid-state anaerobic co-digestion of spent mushroom substrate with tree trimmings and wheat straw for biogas production. Bioresource Technology 169:468-474
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hu, S., Li, Y. 2014. Polyols and polyurethane foams from acid-catalyzed biomass liquefaction by crude glycerol: effects of crude glycerol impurities. Journal of Applied Polymer Science 131(18): 9054-9062
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Luo, X., Li, Y. 2014. Synthesis and characterization of polyols and polyurethane foams from PET waste and crude glycerol. Journal of Polymers and the Environment 22(3): 318-328
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hu, S., Li, Y. 2014. Polyols and polyurethane foams from base-catalyzed liquefaction of lignocellulosic biomass by crude glycerol: effects of crude glycerol impurities. Industrial Crops and Products. 57: 188-194
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hu, S, Li, Y. 2014. Polyols and polyurethane foams from two-step sequential liquefaction of lignocellulosic biomass by crude glycerol. Bioresource Technology. 161:410415
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Zheng, Y., Zhao, J., Xu, F., Li, Y. 2014. Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for enhanced biogas production. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science: 42:35-53
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: G�mez, E.F., Luo, X.., Li, C., Michel F.C., Li, Y. 2014. Biodegradability of crude glycerol-based polyurethane foams during composting, anaerobic digestion and soil incubation. Polymer Degradation and Stability 102:195-203
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Lin, L, Yang L., Xu, F., Michel F. C., Li, Y. 2014. Side-by-side comparison of solid-state anaerobic digestion and composting of yard trimmings with effluent from liquid anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology 169:439-446
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Ge, X., Matsumoto, T, Li. Y. 2014. Biogas energy production from tropical biomass wastes by anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology 169:38-44
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: 11. Xu, F., Wang, Z. W., Tang, L., Li, Y. 2014. A mass diffusion-based interpretation of the effect of total solids content on solid-state anaerobic digestion of cellulosic biomass. Bioresource Technology.167: 178185
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Zhao, J., Ge, X. Vasco Correa J., Li, Y.2014. Fungal pretreatment of unsterilized yard trimmings for enhanced methane production by solid-state anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology 158: 248252
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Shi J, Xu F., Wang Z., Stiverson, J. A., Yu Z. Li, Y. 2014. Effects of microbial and non-microbial factors of liquid anaerobic digestion effluent as inoculum for solid-state anaerobic digestion of corn stover. Bioresource Technology. 157: 188196
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Zhao, J., Zheng, Y., Li, Y. 2014. Fungal pretreatment of yard trimmings for enhancement of methane yield from solid-state anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology. 156: 176-181
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hu, S., Luo, X., Li, Y. 2014. Polyols and polyurethanes from the liquefaction of lignocellulosic biomass. ChemSusChem 7: 6672
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Zhu, J., Zheng, Y., Xu, F., Li, Y. 2014. Solid-state anaerobic co-digestion of hay and soybean processing waste for biogas production. Bioresource Technology 154:240-247
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Wang, Z. W., Li, Y. 2014. A theoretical derivation of the Contois equation for kinetic modeling of the microbial degradation of insoluble substrates. Biochemical Engineering Journal. 82: 134-138
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Sheets, J., Ge, X., Park, Y. S., Li, Y. 2014. Effect of outdoor conditions on Nannochloropsis salina cultivation in artificial seawater using nutrients from anaerobic digestion effluent. Bioresource Technology. 152:154-161
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Li, Y. 2014. Fungal pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuel and bioenergy production. 2014 Institute of Biological Engineering (IBE) Annual Conference. Lexington, KY. March 6-8, 2014
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Luo, X., Li, Y. 2014. Synthesis and characterization of crude glycerol derived multi-armed epoxy compounds. 2014 American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition. Dallas, TX. March 16-20, 2014
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Park, S., Li, Y. 2014. Integrated computational fluid dynamics model for open pond cultivation of Nannochloropsis salina using phase change material to increase carbon dioxide retention and thermal stability. 2014 Annual ASABE meeting, Montreal, QC Canada. Jul 13-16, 2014
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Lin, Y., Ge, X., Li, Y. 2014. Co-digestion of spent mushroom compost, yard waste and wheat straw for enhanced solid-state anaerobic digestion. 2014 Annual ASABE meeting, Montreal, QC Canada. Jul 13-16, 2014. Paper No. 141897552
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Lin, L, Yang, L., Li, Y. 2014. Side-by-side comparison of solid-state anaerobic digestion and composting of yard trimmings with effluent from liquid anaerobic digestion. 2014 Annual ASABE meeting, Montreal, QC Canada. Jul 13-16, 2014. Paper No. 141897526
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Racharaks R., Ge, X., Li, Y. 2014. Integration of shale gas wastewater treatment with microalgae-based biofuel production. 2014 Annual ASABE meeting, Montreal, QC Canada. Jul 13-16, 2014
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Xu, F., Wang, Z., Li, Y. 2014. Mathematical modeling of solid-state anaerobic digestion for methane production. 2014 Annual ASABE meeting, Montreal, QC Canada. Jul 13-16, 2014. Paper No. 141909527
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Vasco Correa J., Li, Y. 2014. Effect of harvest date on methane production by solid-state anaerobic digestion of Miscanthus sinesis. 2014 Annual ASABE meeting, Montreal, QC Canada. Jul 13-16, 2014
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Zhu, J., Yang, L., Li, Y. 2014. Effects of premixing methods of feedstock and inoculum on solid-state anaerobic digestion of corn stover. 2014 Annual ASABE meeting, Montreal, QC Canada. Jul 13-16, 2014
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Siam Racharaks, 2014. Cultivation of Nannochloropsis salina and Dunaliella tertiolecta using shale gas flowback water and anaerobic digester effluent as cultivation medium. M.S. Thesis. The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Xinjie Tong, 2014. Production and characterization of crude-glycerol-based waterborne polyurethanes and their derived blend films with protein. M.S. Thesis. The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Fuqing Xu, 2014. Experimental study and modeling of solid-state anaerobic digestion for enhanced methane production from lignocellulosic biomass. Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Stephen Park, 2014. Numerical and procedural methods to improve the performance of an open channel raceway for Nannochloropsis salina cultivation. Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.


Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: We have worked with biobased industry, farmers and local communities for biomass feedstcok development, bioenergy and biproducts production and marketing. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? In 2013, three graduate students (one Ph.D., two masters) graduated with training on bioenergy and products through this project. We have provided training for two summer-intern students to work on the projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Our research resultsin 2013 weredisseminated to the communities via workshop presentations, tours and field trips, exhibitions, conference presentations (6), extension fact sheets, book chapters (1) and journal publications (9) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: To increase biogas production on an individual farm, the digester should be capable of converting a wide variety of the farm’s organic wastes. Analysis of methane yield and productivity by volume during anaerobic digestion of eight feedstocks—switchgrass, corn stover, wheat straw, yard waste, leaves, waste paper, maple, and pine—were carried out under both liquid and solid state anaerobic digestion(AD). Co-digestion of yard waste and food waste, soybean processing waste and hays were also tested. It greatly increased both methane yield and productivity by volume, and it also allows farmers to take advantage of feedstocks that have zero or negative costs. To increase the biogas production from yard trimmings, white rot fungal pretreated yard trimmings were tested for biogas production via solid state anaerobic digestion. It was found that Ceriporiopsis subvermispora caused lignin degradation as high as 20.9% for yard trimmings during fungal pretreatment, resulting doubled biogas yield compared to the AD of untreated yard trimming (control) Objective 2: Microalgal biodiesel is a liquid fuel source that can directly replace petroleum-based diesel fuel. Utilizing algae cultures rather than commercial crops such as corn or soybean saves significant areas of agricultural land, thus providing an improved solution to the “food versus fuel” issue. The biomass and lipid productivities, and nutrient removal capacity of microalgae Nannochloropsis salina grown using AD effluent as a nutrient source were evaluated at both batch and semi-continuous modes. The results gained from this study has provided baseline data for the operation of demonstration scale algae ponds (1/4 acre each) at Cedar Lane Farm to facilitate the commercialization of algae cultivation in AD effluent. Objective 3: We have studied the effects of crude glycerol composition and the operating parameters on the properties of biopolyols. The reaction mechanism for the polyols production was also investigated. Under optimized reaction conditions (190 °C, 120 min, and 5 % soap), the produced crude glycerol-based polyol had a hydroxyl number of 378 mg KOH/g, functionality of 4.7, acid number of < 5 mg KOH/g, and Mw of 702 g/mol. Waterborne polyurethane dispersions (PUDS) prepared from crude glycerol based polyols were used to cast PU films. The coating performance of crude glycerol based waterborne polyurethane dispersions was evaluated on cold-rolled steel panels. Excellent adhesion and hardness properties, but relatively low flexibility were obtained for the above waterborne PUDS. These findings demonstrate that crude glycerol alone can be also used for the production of bio-based polyols and polyurethane with promising properties. In the future, the formula will be optimized and the performance of the waterborne PUDS to be compared with the commercial products.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Cai, T., Ge, X. M., Park, Y. S., Li, Y. B. 2013. Comparison of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 and Nannochloropsis salina for lipid production using artificial seawater and nutrients from anaerobic digestion effluent. Bioresource Technology 144:255-260.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Wang, Z. J., Xu, F. Q., Li, Y. B. 2013. Effects of total ammonia nitrogen concentration on solid-state anaerobic digestion of corn stover. Bioresource Technology 144:281-287.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Cai, T., Park S., Siam Racharaks, Li, Y. B. 2013. Cultivation of Nannochloropsis salina in anaerobic digestion effluent for nutrient removal and lipid production. Applied Energy 108:486-492.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Canam, T., Dumonceaux, T. J., Record E., Li, Y. B. 2013. White Rot Fungi: The key to sustainable biofuel production? Biofuels 4(3):247-250.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Luo, X. L., Hu, S. J., Zhang, X., Li, Y. B. 2013. Thermochemical conversion of crude glycerol to biopolyols for the production of polyurethane foams. Bioresource Technology 139:323-329.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Shi, J., Wang Z. J., Stiverson, J. A., Yu, Z. T., Li, Y. B. 2013.Reactor performance and microbial community dynamics during solid-state anaerobic digestion of corn stover at mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Bioresource Technology 136:574-581.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Cai, T., Park, S., Li. Y. B. 2013 Nutrient recovery from wastewater streams by microalgae: status and prospects. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 19: 360-369.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Cherosky P., Li, Y. B. 2013. Hydrogen sulfide removal from biogas by bio-based iron sponge. Biosystems Engineering 114:55-59
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Xu, F. Q., Shi, J., Lv, W., Yu, Z. T., Li, Y. B. 2013. Comparison of different liquid anaerobic digestion effluents as inoculum and nitrogen sources for solid-state batch anaerobic digestion of corn stover. Waste Management 33: 2632.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Wan, C. X. and Li, Y. B. 2012. Solid-state biological pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuel production. In Green biomass pretreatment and processing methods for bioenergy production. Edited by Gu, Tingyue. Netherlands: Springer. 67-86.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Ge, X. M., Matsumoto, T., Li, Y. B. Hawaii-sourced biomass for biogas production: comparing solid-state and liquid digestion. BioCycle 13th Annual Conference, 10/20-10/23, 2013, Columbus, OH.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Racharaks, R., Li, Y. B. Study of the Simultaneous Use of Two Waste Streams for Biofuels Production: The Cultivation of Microalgae in Hydraulic Fracturing Flowback Water and Anaerobic Digestion Effluent. 7th Anuual Algae Biomass Summit. 09/30-10/03, Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Sheets J., Li, Y. B. 2013. Cultivation of nannochloropsis salina in diluted anaerobic digester effluent under simulated seasonal climatic conditions and in open raceway ponds. 2013 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Kansas City, KS. (July 21-July 24).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Li, Y. B. Hu, S. J. 2013. Crude glycerol based liquefaction of lignocellulosic biomass: effects of crude glycerol impurities on polyol properties. 2013 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Kansas City, KS. (July 21-July 24).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Hu, S., Li, Y.B. 2013. Glycerol based liquefaction of corn stover: effects of crude glycerol impurities on polyol properties. 2013 OARDC Annual Meeting, Columbus, OH. (April 25, 2013)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Sheets, J.P., Li, Y.B. 2013. Nannochloropsis salina cultivation in diluted anaerobic digester effluent under simulated seasonal climatic conditions. 2013 OARDC Annual Meeting, Columbus, OH. (April 25, 2013)


Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Major efforts in the first year of the project were devoted to: 1) testing of bioenergy production from different feedstocks via solid state anaerobic digestion; 2) testing of microalgae culture with anaerobic digestion effluent in raceway open pond system; and 3) testing of biopolyols and polyurethane production from crude glycerol with the OSU patent technology. ACTIVITIES: (1) Project personnel conducted lab and pilot scale solid state anaerobic digestion tests to evaluate the methane potential of yard waste and studied the inhibitors which impact the performance of anaerobic digestion. (2) Project personnel tested feeding algae with effluent from anaerobic digestion for biofuel production at different temperature, lighting density, and nitrogen level in the lab scale reactors. Several runs of pilot scale testing at Cedar Lane farm were completed. (3) Project personnel working with Bio100 Technologies LLC have successfully revised the formula to produce biopolyols with consistent quality and performance. The produced biopolyols have been tested by customers from different industry sectors such as automobile, construction, and appliance. Commercial production is expected in the summer of 2013 after approval from EPA for PMN tests. The team published 13 peer reviewed journal articles; delivered 18 presentations at state, national, and international scientific meetings with two presentations awards; provided 7 presentations at extension/outreach tour and workshops; and published 3 master thesis on bioenergy and biofuels. The team also filed 4 invention disclosure (one on algae, one on biogas conversion, and two on biopolyols) and one patent (biopolyols). PARTICIPANTS: John Sheets, Stephen Park, Fuqing Xu, Shengjun Hu, Dan Brown, Ting Cai, Phil Cherosky graduate students, Department of Food Agricultural, and Biological Engineering (FABE), Ohio State University (OSU); Xiaolan Luo, Cong Li, Jiying Zhu Postdoctoral Researcher, FABE, OSU; Mary Wicks, Research Associates, FABE, OSU; Zhongjiang, visiting scholars, FABE, OSU. Yebo Li, Associate Professor, FABE, OSU TARGET AUDIENCES: Bio-based Industry PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The developed solid state anaerobic digestion technology extends the traditional feedstocks of liquid AD to organic solid waste such as yard waste, which will reduce the waste volume going to landfills. Collaboration with quasar on the commercialization of this technology will generate jobs in rural communities and boost the local economy. The commercialization of the OSU patent technology for biopolyols production from crude glycerol at Mansfield, OH is expected to generate 50 green jobs in the next 2-3 years. Conversion of a waste stream to valued added products will also protect the environment and increase the sustainability of polyurethane industry. Production of algae with effluent of anaerobic digestion will make the algae production more cost competitive via reducing the cost of fertilizer and also help the anaerobic digestion industry on the discharging of the wastewater stream.

Publications

  • Brown, D., Li, Y. B. 2012. Solid state anaerobic co-digestion of yard waste and food waste for biogas production. Bioresource Technology. 127:275-280.
  • Brown, D., Shi, J., Li, Y. B. 2012. Comparison of solid-state to liquid anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic feedstocks for biogas production. Bioresource Technology 124:379-386.
  • Cai, T, Park S, Li, Y. B. 2013. Nutrient recovery from wastewater streams by microalgae: status and prospects. Sustainable and Renewable Energy Reviews. 19:360-369.
  • Cherosky P., Li, Y. B. 2013. Hydrogen sulfide removal from biogas by bio-based iron sponge. Biosystems Engineering 114:55-59.
  • Cui, F., Li, Y. B. 2012. Co-production of lactic acid and Lactobacillus rhamnosus cells from whey permeate with nutrient supplements. Food and Bioprocess Technology. 5(4): 1278-1286.
  • Cui, Z.F, Shi, J., Wan, C, X., Li, Y. B. 2012. Comparison of alkaline- and fungi- assisted wet-storage of corn stover. Bioresource Technology. 109:98-104.
  • Cui, Z. F., Wan, C. X., Sykes, R., Shi, J., Li, Y. B. 2012. Enzymatic digestibility of corn stover fractions in response to fungal pretreatment. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry 51:7153-7159.
  • Hu, S. J., Luo, X. L., Wan, C. X., Li, Y. B. 2012. Characterization of Crude Glycerol from Biodiesel Plants. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 60:5915-5921.
  • Liew L., Shi, J., Li, Y. B. 2012. Methane production from solid-state anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass. Biomass and Bioenergy 46:125-132.
  • Park, S., Li, Y. B. 2012. Evaluation of methane production and macronutrient degradation in the anaerobic co-digestion of algae biomass residue and lipid waste. Bioresource Technology. 111:42-48.
  • Wan, C., Li, Y. B. 2012. Fungal pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. Biotechnology Advances. 30: 1447-1457.
  • Xu. F. Q., Li, Y. B. 2012. Solid-state co-digestion of expired dog food and corn stover for methane production. Bioresource Technology 118:219-226.
  • Xu, F. Q., Shi, J., Lv, W., Yu. Z. T., Li, Y. B. 2013. Comparison of Different Anaerobic Digestion Effluents as Inoculum and Nitrogen Sources for Solid-State Anaerobic Digestion of Corn Stover. Waste Management 33:26-32.


Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Major efforts in the fourth year of the project were devoted to: (1) evaluate the concurrent wet storage and microbial/alkali pretreatment technology for biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass; (2) development of a liquefaction process to produce polyurethane foams from lignocellulosic biomass at atmospheric pressure; (3) development of an integrated anaerobic digestion system for biogas production from organic wastes, and (4) development of an anaerobic digestion integrated algae production system for the production biofuels. (1) Project personnel compared the effectiveness of microbial pretreatment on different fractions of corn stover (leaf, stem, and cob) and compared the performance of alkali and microbial assisted wet storage process. (2) Project personnel working with Polygreen Technologies LLC have successfully scaled up the liquefaction system to a 500 gallon/batch system. A continuous production system has also been developed. Characterization of the biopolyols in terms of hydroxyl number, acid number, and viscosity and composition were conducted. The produced biopolyols was also refined to meet the industry standards. (3) Project personnel conducted lab scale solid state anaerobic digestion tests to evaluate the methane potential of different cellulosic biomass feedstocks and studied the microbial community in the solid state anaerobic digester under different processing conditions. (4) Project personnel tested feeding algae with effluent from anaerobic digestion for biofuel production and also tested the algae biomass residue after lipids extraction for bioenergy production in anaerobic digestion. The results will be validated with the demonstration scale algae production system on Cedar Lane farm in 2012. PARTICIPANTS: Phil Cherosky, Stephen Park, Fuqing Xu, Caixia Wan, Shengjun Hu, Dan Brown, Ting Cai graduate students, Department of Food Agricultural, and Biological Engineering (FABE), Ohio State University (OSU); Xiaolan Luo, Postdoctoral Researcher, FABE, OSU; Mary Wicks, Jian Shi, Research Associates, FABE, OSU; Zhifang Cui, Zhongjiang Wang, Chunlu Li, visiting scholars, FABE, OSU. Yebo Li, Assistant Professor, FABE, OSU TARGET AUDIENCES: Bio-based Industry PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
The developed environmentally friendly liquefaction process produced biopolyols and polyurethane foams from the waste stream (crude glycerin) of the biodiesel process and lignocellulosic biomass. Compared to the petroleum and vegetable oil based polyurethane production technology, this technology is more cost effective. Our technology was awarded a patent in 2011 and licensed to Polygreen Technology LLC for commercial production. This technology will increase the profit of biodiesel plant via increasing the value of its byproduct. The solid state anaerobic digestion technology we developed will extend the liquid traditional feedstocks of liquid AD to organic solid waste such as yard waste, which will reduce the waste volume go to landfill. Production of algae with effluent of anaerobic digestion will make the algae production more cost competitive via reducing the cost of commercial fertilizer.

Publications

  • Tian, Y. Q., Chen, L. M., Gao, L. H., Michel, C F., Wan. C. X., Li, Y. B., Dick, W. A. 2011. Composting of waste paint sludge containing melamine resin as affected by nutrients and gypsum addition and microbial inoculation. Environmental Pollution, 62: 129-137.
  • Hu, S. J., Wan, C. X., Li, Y. B. 2012. Production and characterization of biopolyols and polyurethane foams from crude glycerol based liquefaction of soybean straw. Bioresource Technology. 103(1):227-233.
  • Zhu, D. Q., Wan, C. X., Li, Y. B. 2011. Co-digestion of dairy manure with food processing wastes for enhanced methane production. Biological Engineering Transactions. 4(4):195-206.
  • Wan, C., Li, Y. B. 2011. Effect of hot water extraction and liquid hot water pretreatment on the fungal degradation of biomass feedstocks. Bioresource Technology 102: 9788-9793.
  • Li, Y. B. 2011. Development of polyurethane foam and its potential within the biofuels market. Biofuels 2(4): 357-359.
  • Liew L., Shi, J., Li, Y. B. 2011. Enhancing the solid-state anaerobic digestion of fallen leaves through simultaneous alkaline treatment. Bioresource Technology 102: 8828-8834.
  • Cui, Z., Shi, J., Li, Y. B. 2011. Solid-state anaerobic digestion of spent wheat straw from horse stall. Bioresource Technology 102: 9432-9437.
  • Li, Y. B., Zhu, J., Wan, C., Park, S. 2011. Solid-state anaerobic digestion of corn stover for biogas production. Transactions of the ASABE, 54(4): 1415-1421.
  • Wan, C., Li, Y. B. 2011. Effectiveness of microbial pretreatment by Ceriporiopsis subvermispora on different biomass feedstocks. Bioresource Technology. 102: 7507-7512
  • Wan, C., Zhou, Q., Fu, G. Li, Y. B. 2011. Semi-continuous anaerobic co-digestion of thickened waste activated sludge with fat, oil and grease. Waste Management 31: 1752-1758.
  • Fu, G., Cai, T., Li, Y. B. 2011. Concentration of ammoniacal nitrogen in effluent from wet scrubbers using reverse osmosis membrane. Biosystems Engineering. 109:235-240.
  • Wan, C., Zhou. Y. Li, Y. B. 2011. Liquid hot water and alkaline pretreatment of soybean straw for improving cellulose digestibility. Bioresource Technology 102:6254-6259.


Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Major efforts in the third year of the project were devoted to: (1) development of a liquefaction process to produce polyurethane foams from lignocellulosic biomass at atmospheric pressure; (2) development of processes to convert the wet scrubber effluent from animal production into ammonium sulfate fertilizer; (3) development of an integrated anaerobic digestion system for biogas production from organic wastes. (1) Project personnel working with Arlington Products LLC, Ford Motor Company, HFI, Inc, and Green Insulation Technologies have successfully scaled up the liquefaction system to a 50 gallon/batch system. The produced polyols have been successfully used for the production of both rigid and flexible foams for various kinds of applications. The polyols were characterized in terms of hydroxyl number, acid number, and viscosity. The foam was characterized with density, compression strength, and resilience. (2) Project personnel have developed a membrane filtration process to concentrate the wet scrubber effluent from the animal production unit to be used as nitrogen fertilizer. The effects of applied pressure, flow rate, and ammonia concentration in the feed stream on the performance of the membrane filtration system were studied. Under the optimal condition, process can retain more than 99% of the nitrogen ammonia with reverse osmosis membranes. (3) Project personnel developed an integrated anaerobic digestion process which uses the effluent of liquid anaerobic digestion as inoculum and nitrogen source for the production of biogas from lignocellulosic biomass in a dry digester. PARTICIPANTS: Phil Cherosky, Stephen Park, Danqi Zhu, Lo Niee Liew, Fuqing Xu, Caixia Wan, Shengjun Hu, Xiang Zhang, Ting Cai graduate students, Department of Food Agricultural, and Biological Engineering (FABE), Ohio State University (OSU). Mary Wicks, Arnold Lubguban, Research Associates, FABE, OSU; Guming Fu, Quancheng zhou, Zhifang Cui, visiting scholars, FABE, OSU. Yebo Li, Assistant Professor, FABE, OSU TARGET AUDIENCES: Bio-based Industry PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Expanded project to include studies on anaerobic digestion.

Impacts
The developed environmentally friendly liquefaction process produced biopolyols and polyurethane foams from the waste stream (crude glycerin) of the biodiesel process and lignocellulosic biomass. Compared to the petroleum and vegetable oil based polyurethane products, this technology is more cost effective. This process will also increase the profit of biodiesel plant via increasing the value of its byproduct. The membrane filtration system can convert the wet scrubber effluent from the animal production facility to nitrogen fertilizer, which will not only reduce the ammonia emission but also produce a liquid nitrogen fertilizer.

Publications

  • Wan, C., Li, Y. 2010. Microbial delignification of corn stover by Ceriporiopsis subvermispora for improving cellulose digestibility. Enzyme and Microbial Technology. 47:31-36.
  • Ezeji, T. C. and Li, Y. 2009. Advanced Product Recovery Technologies. In Biomass to Biofuels: Strategies for Global Industries. Edited by Vertes, A., Qureshi, N., Yukawa, H., and Blaschek, H. Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley & Sons. 331-346.
  • Cui, F., Y. Li. 2010. Lactic acid production from corn stover using a mixed culture of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus brevis. Bioresource Technology 102: 1831-1836.
  • Li, Y., Cui. F. 2010. Microbial lactic acid production from renewable resources. In Sustainable Biotechnology: Sources of Renewable Energy. Edited by Om Singh, Steve Harvey. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. 211-228.
  • Liu, S., Bischoff, K. M., Li, Y., Cui, F., Azaizeh, H., Tafesh, A. 2010. Production of value-added products by lactic acid bacteria. In Biocatalysis and Molecular Engineering. Edited by Hou, C. T., Shaw J. F. Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley and Sons. 421-434.
  • Wan, C., Li, Y. 2010. Microbial pretreatment of corn stover with Ceriporiopsis subvermispora for enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol production. Bioresource Technology. 101:6398-6403.
  • Zhou, Y., Li, Y., Wan, C., Li, D., Mao, Z. 2010. Effect of hot water pretreatment severity on the degradation and enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stover. Transactions of the ASABE 53(6): 1929-1934.
  • Zhu, J., Wan, C., Li, Y. 2010. Enhanced solid-state anaerobic digestion of corn stover by alkaline pretreatment. Bioresource Technology, 101:7523-7528.
  • Cui, F., Y. Li. 2011. Co-production of Lactic Acid and Lactobacillus rhamnosus Cells from Whey Permeate with Nutrient Supplements. Food and Bioprocess Technology. DOI: 10.1007/s11947-010-0426-1
  • Li, Y., Park, S., Zhu, J. 2011. Solid-state anaerobic digestion for methane production from organic waste. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews. 15: 821-826.


Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Major efforts in the second year of the project were devoted to: (1) development of consolidated pretreatment process to convert lignocellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals and (2) development of a liquefaction process to produce polyurethane foams from lignocellulosic biomass at atmospheric pressure. AREA 1. Feedstocks such as corn stover, switchgrass, wheat straw and soybean straw were preprocessed and pretreated with white rot fungi and hot water. The pretreated substrate was then subject to enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation for ethanol production to evaluate the performance of pretreatment. For the microbial pretreatment, effects of pretreatment time (7 to 49 days), temperature (4-37 deg C), moisture content (45-85%), and particle size (5-15 mm) on lignin degradation and sugar yield were obtained. The suitable conditions for microbial pretreatment with Ceriporiopsis subvermispora is at 28 deg C for 18-28 days. The optimal feedstock moisture content is 75% with particle size of 5 mm. Among the different feedstocks studied, the highest yield was obtained with corn stover. Hot water pretreatment of corn stover was conducted in a Parr reactor at 190-200 deg C for 3-10 minute, 90% of glucose yield was obtained after enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated corn stover. Compared to corn stover, higher temperature (210-220 deg C) is required for soybean straw. There is no inhibitor formation such as furfural and 5HMF during microbial pretreatment, while increasing levels of inhibitors were detected with the increase of pretreatment severity during hydrothermal pretreatment. AREA 2. An innovative liquefaction and foaming process was developed for polyurethane production from crude glycerin (byproduct of biodiesel process) and soybean straw. The liquefaction and foaming conditions were optimized to obtain high quality foam with expected strength and R- value for insulation. The patent for this technology has been filed and a one year option agreement was assigned to Arlington Energy LLC in Mansfield, OH. Results were presented to the public at the annual ASABE meeting and the 31st Symposium of Biotechnology for Biofuels and Biochemicals in 2009 PARTICIPANTS: Caixia Wan, graduate student, Department of Food Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, Ohio State University. Fengjie Cui, Visiting Scholar, Department of Food Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, Ohio State university. Yuguang Zhou, joint training graduate student with China Agricultural University, China. Arnold Lubguban, postdoctoral researcher, Department of Food Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, Ohio State University. Mary Wicks, Research Associate, Department of Food Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Ohio State University. TARGET AUDIENCES: Bio-based Industry PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The developed environmentally friendly pretreatment methods converting lignocellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals have the potential to increase sugar yield while eliminating chemicals used in the traditional pretreatment processes. The developed methods will also reduce the overall production cost of biofuels and biobased products from lignocellulosic biomass. The developed technology which uses low value crude glycerin from biodiesel process as solvent to produce polyurethane foam has the potential to increase the profit of biodiesel plants via increasing the value of its byproduct, based on comparison to other technologies which use expensive petroleum based solvents.

Publications

  • Wan, C., Li, Y. 2009. Microbial pretreatment of corn stover for improved enzymatic saccharification and ethanol production. 31th Symposium of Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, San Francisco, CS, May 3-6, 2009.
  • Zhou, Y. Y. Li. C. Wan. D. Li, Z. Mao. 2009. Application of hot water and homogenization treatment for Ethanol production from corn stover. 2009 Annual ASABE Meeting, Reno, NV. June 21-23, 2009.
  • Cui. F., Y. Li. 2009. Lactic acid production from NaOH-treated corn stover using a mixed culture of Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus brevis. 2009 Annual ASABE Meeting, Reno, NV. June 21-23, 2009.
  • Li, Y. H. Keener. 2009. County level analysis of crop residues availability for fuel ethanol production in Ohio. Transactions of the ASABE 52(1):313-318.
  • Zhou Y. G., D. Li, L J Wang, Y. Li, B. N., Yang, B. Bhandari, X. D. Cheng, Z. H. Mao. 2009. Effect of water content on thermal behaviors of common buckwheat flour and starch. Journal of Food Engineering 93:242-248.
  • Zhou Y G, L. J. Wang, D. Li, P.Y. Yan, Y. Li, J. Shi, X. D. Chen. 2009. Effect of sucrose on dynamic mechanical characteristics of maize and potato starch films. Carbohydrate Polymers 76: 239-243
  • Zhu, J., Li, Y., F. Cui. 2009. Experimental study on solid state anaerobic digestion of organic waste for methane production, 2009 Annual ASABE Meeting, Reno, NV. June 21-23, 2009.
  • Wan, C., Li, Y. 2009. Microbial Pretreatment of Corn Stover by Solid State Fermentation for Bioethanol Production. 2009 Annual ASABE Meeting, Reno, NV. June 21-23, 2009.


Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Major effort in the first year of the project was devoted to: (1) Development of consolidated pretreatment technologies for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals. Feedstocks such as corn stover, switchgrass, wheat straw and soybean straw were obtained and preprocessed for the pretreatment experiments. Protocol was developed for composition analysis of lignocellulosic biomass. Species of white rot fungi were ordered from ATCC and one strain performed very well in the microbial pretreatment tests. After 2-3 weeks treatment, about 20-30% of lignin in corn stover was degraded while the loss of cellulose was less than 10%. No inhibitor was detected in the microbial treated corn stover. Optimization of the process in terms of solid concentration, treatment time, and ventilation rate to obtain high lignin degradation while minimizing the loss of cellulose and hemicelluloses in progress. Studies have also been done on the hydrothermal pretreatment process. Without any chemicals, hot water treatment in a Parr reactor at 190-200 deg C for 3-5 minute, 90% of glucose yield was obtained after enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated corn stover. The combination of temperature and treatment time will be further optimized to increase the sugar recovery and minimize the inhibitor formation such as furfural and 5HMF. One manuscript has been accepted for publication (Transactions of ASABE). (2) Development of membrane integrated fermentation process to produce lactic acid from cheese whey. Studies have optimized the nutrient supplement for lactic acid production from cheese whey using Bifidobacteria longum. Yeast extract has been identified as the most effective nitrogen source. The lactic acid productivity was 200% higher than that of the fermentation tests without nutrient supplement. Two manuscripts have been submitted for publication. The membrane separation system has been set up and tested for nanofiltration of cheese whey fermentation broth. Nanofiltration membrane can successfully separate lactic acid from lactose, cells and other components with large molecular weight cutoffs. Semi-continuous fermentation experiments are being achieved by removing the fermentation broth via ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes. Lactic acid productivity was much higher than those without membrane separation. Results are to be presented to the public at the annual ASABE meeting and the 31st Symposium of Biotechnology for Biofuels and Biochemicals in 2009. PARTICIPANTS: Caixia Wan, graduate student, Department of Food Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, Ohio State university. Fengjie Cui, Visiting Scholar, Department of Food Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, Ohio State university. Yuguang Zhou, joint training graduate student with China Agricultural Unviersity, china. Abolghasem Shahbazi, Professor, Department of natural resources and environmental design, North Carolina A&T State University TARGET AUDIENCES: Bio-based Industry PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The developed environmentally friendly pretreatment methods have the potential to increase the sugar yield and get rid of chemicals used in the traditional pretreatment processes. As a result, it will reduce the overall production cost of biofuels and biobased products from lignocellulosic biomass. Compared to other microorganisms used for lactic acid production in previous research, the process we developed also generate a byproduct of a B longum cell, which can boost the immune system in its host. It can be added to food (such as yogurt) and animal feed. This process is attractive for commercialization, as the production of two valuable products from low cost feedstock of cheese whey has substantially lowered the production cost. Purified water is the third by-product so that there is no waste stream generated. The traditional process using chemical processes to separate and purify lactic acid generates a waste stream which is expensive to handle.

Publications

  • Wan, C., Y. Li. A. Shahbazi, S. Xiu. 2008. Succinic Acid Production from Cheese Whey using Actinobacillus succinogenes 130 Z. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 145:111-119.
  • Li, Y., A. Shahbazi, K. Williams, and C. Wan. 2008. Separate and concentrate lactic acid using combination of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 147:1-9.