Recipient Organization
UNIV OF PENNSYLVANIA
(N/A)
PHILADELPHIA,PA 19104
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Livestockfarmingisatacrossroads,asitssustainablefutureischallengedbycompetinginterestsforlimitedresourcesandthe urgent needto mitigateenvironmentalandresourcefootprints,amid aglobaltrendofrapidly growingdemandforanimalproteins. Addressing these challenges requires transformative measures with exploration and evaluationofallplausiblesolutions.Onepotentiallyviable solution,whichhasbeenoverlookedin modernlivestockproduction,istoleveragetheinnateabilityofanimalsasnature'smost effectiverecyclerstoutilizeawidevarietyofplantbiomassmaterialsasfeedresourcesintheproductionofmeat,milk, and eggs. We propose to develop a novel desiccant drying system (DDS) integrated with a hybrid heat pump and photovoltaic thermal (PVT)/battery to produce sustainable circular feed, DDS-Feeds, from food/beverage processing residues, which are abundantly available but have been undervalued or wasted. In turn, it will benefit land, water, and resource resilience. We will test the utility of our desiccant beds integrated with a heat pump and PVT/battery to produce dry circular feeds with enhanced nutritional stability and biosafety for livestock. Theproposedstudieswillnotonlygeneratenewscientificknowledgewithnovelprocessingdatabutalso provide practical solutions for reducing farming costs and enhancing the circulation and sustainability of the agri-food system, thereby reducing costs. The broaderimpacts,intermsofresourcessparedand water and air pollutionavoided,resultingfromour circular feed productssubstituting conventional feedstuffs, will be quantitatively assessed. Such ground-breaking information is deemed crucial and urgently needed for designing new policies to incentivize technological innovation and adoption.
Animal Health Component
15%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
85%
Applied
15%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Thisprojectbringstogetherfoundationalaswellascutting-edgetranslationalscientificresourcestoaddress key issues currently limiting the sustainability of dairy farming. Team members have extensiveexperience in conducting interdisciplinary research and achieving high-impact outcomes.Ourcollective expertiseencompasses synthesis and fabrication of desiccant materials, system engineering and integration of desiccant beds into a thermal system, including heat pump, ground loop heat exchanger, and photovoltaic thermal (PVT)panels/battery, animal nutrition and productivity, and agricultural systems integration of soil-water with feed-nutrients and food waste upcycling.Ouroverarchinggoalistodevelopstrategiesandexplorepathwaystomakeanimalfarmingmoreofthesolutionandlessofachallengetosustainablefoodsecurity.Specificobjectivesinclude:Development of novel regenerative desiccant beds packed with hybrid hydrogel microbeads to efficiently dry the food waste at low temperatures. We expect to lower the requirements of drying and regeneration conditions, that is drying and regeneration at as high as possible relative humidity (RH, e.g., 30%) and as low as temperature (preferably no more than 60oC) to preserve protein values. We also plan to further enhance the absorption and desorption rates by making smaller (500mm or less in size) and more uniform sized microparticles through fine-tuning the microbead synthesis conditions. The created desiccant microbeads will then be packed into a sunflower head-like desiccant bed to maximize the surface area exposed to heat for drying and regeneration.We expect to complete the drying (that is, achieving stable water removal by at least 70%) within 12 hours, preferably 6 hours and regenerate the desiccant by releasing75 wt% of water within 30 min at 60oC.Design and integration of desiccant beds with a self-sustained ground source heat pump/heat exchanger and a PVT panel (HGSHP-DB-PVT), and evaluate its performance via the digital twin. Considering the new development of hybrid desiccants inObjective 1with a lower regeneration temperature compared with >100oC using traditional solid desiccant, it is anticipated that hot water generated from PVT and/or ground loop heat exchanger (GLHX) will be at a sufficiently high temperature for this application in most of the time of the year.Energy consumption and carbon intensity from the proposed HGSHP-DB-PVT system will be evaluated using the Modelica-based digital twin for different weather regions in the U.S. Those outcomes will be integrated with results from feeding evaluation (Objective 3), feed substitution and avoidance analysis as well as techno-economic analysis (Objective 4) to comprehensively evaluate economic, resources and environmental impacts.Assessment of the feeding value of the circular feeds dried using both lab-based and model-based systems to meet energy and protein requirements for milk, meat, and fiber production. Establishing nutritional and biosafety parameters of circular feeds will provide a thorough understanding of their feeding value. Such knowledge is useful for the research team to guide future work, and for farmers and nutritionists in the field to guide diet-formulation practices. Test results of dried circular feeds as compared with the results of wet samples will reveal differences regarding nutritional feeding value and/or biosafety concerns, if any. Such information would be important for fine-tuning desiccant drying system(DDS)operational parameters to attain more desirable feed products. The sample test results, model analysis, and comprehensive feed evaluation outcomes will be published in scientific journals such as Animal Feed Science and Technology and presented at scientific as well as regional extension/education meetings for knowledge dissemination.Evaluation of economic, resource, and environmental impacts of circular feeds through life cycle analysis (LCA), techno-economic analysis (TEA), and substitution-avoidance analysis. Data enriched for the types of substituted feedstuffs will include yields, nutrient application rates (N and P), herbicides/pesticides rates; fuel and water use factors, and N loss parameters. The expanded datasets will be publicly available. TEA, LCA and the avoidance analysis will result in multiple sustainability indices, which will address scientific as well as applied questions of significance. Additionally, we will compare results from this project with publicly available databases such as the Global Feed LCA Institute database to access the similarities and difference, which will provide valuable insights to stakeholders, e.g., farmers, extension personnel, legislatures, and business enterprisers.
Project Methods
The project will be conducted and evaluated in four closely knit thrusts:Development of novel regenerative desiccant beds packed with hybrid hydrogel microbeads to efficiently dry three types of food/beverage processing residues, including brewers grains, tomoto and apple pomaces,at low temperatures (preferably at 60oC). Desiccant microbeads consisting of hygroscopic salt, hydrogel, hollow nanospheres will be synthesized in in the Yang lab. Their performance, including moisture absorption and desorption at different temperatures and relative humidity and kinetic profiles at different compositions and hydrogel crosslinking density, will be evaluated. The created desiccant microbeads will then be packed into a sunflower head-like desiccant bed to maximize the surface area exposed to heat for drying and regeneration. The fully moisture-absorbed microbeads will be heated to 40-80 °C (RH, 5-30%) in an environmental chamber with hot air circulated to remove the water and regenerate the desiccant. Photothermal agent, polypyrrole (PPy),will be incorporated into the synthesis of the desiccant beads to enhance water evaporation rate under the sunlight in outdoor conditions. The performance data obtained from desiccant beds will be provided to the O'Neill group to model and characterize their performance in the integrated drying system.Design and integration of desiccant beds with a ground source heat pump integrated with desiccant beds, and a photovoltaic thermal (PVT) panel/battery system HGSHP-DB-PVT) for food drying. The performance of the major components, including a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP), one Storage Tank, two Desiccant Beds, PVT panel, Pumps, Fans, and Ground Loop Heat Exchanger, and the integrated systems, will be evaluated using the digital twin.The HGSHP-DB-PVT operation alternates the cooling and heating between the two desiccant beds that are responsible for dehumidification. So far, very few simulation programs are capable of integrating a dynamic model of a thermal system. Energy consumption and carbon intensity from the proposed HGSHP-DB-PVT system will be evaluated using the Modelica-based digital twin for different weather zones in the U.S. Those outcomes will be integrated with results from feeding evaluation (led by Bender), feed substitution and avoidance analysis, as well as techno-economic analysis (TEA, to be led by Dou and O'Neill) to comprehensively evaluate economic, resources and environmental impacts.Assessment of the feeding value of the circular feeds dried using both lab-based and model-based systems to meet energy and protein requirements for milk, meat, and fiber production. The nutritional values and biosafety parameters will be evaluated from three samples dried from brewers' grains, tomato pomace, and apple pomace. At the completion of the lab-based analysis stage, all circular feed nutrient results will be uploaded and incorporated into a ration formulation model to evaluate their suitability for ruminants (dairy, beef, small ruminants). Such information would be important for fine-tuning DDS operational parameters to attain more desirable feed products.Evaluation of economic, resource, and environmental impacts of circular feeds through life cycle analysis (LCA), TEA, and substitution-avoidance analysis. TEA will evaluate the cost-benefit of the innovative DDS. Next, substitution-avoidanceanalysis will calculate land, water, and fertilizer nutrients spared, and LCA procedures to assess water and air pollutionavoided by substituting conventional feedstuffs with circular feeds. Such information will strengthen the knowledge base foundation for designing informed, innovative policies that support and advance sustainable food security and resource mitigation agendas. Cost and energy savings after the implementation of the new technology will be evaluated based on the assumptions and compared with conventional drying methods.