Progress 08/01/06 to 07/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: During FY 2006 we produced the following outputs: Agronomy: Cultivation of tobacco for proteins and biomass is very different than traditional tobacco production. We harvest the plants between two and four times in a single growing season, and the plants regrow following each harvest. While traditional Maryland tobacco production was labor-intensive, our cultivation practices are highly mechanized. Using a low-alkaloid variety of Maryland tobacco, we have been able to obtain yields of 6-8 dry tons/acre. These biomass yields are comparable to crops such as switchgrass which have been specifically promoted for biomass production. We initiated a time of harvest study. The purpose of this project is to determine what is the optimal time to harvest tobacco in order to maximize leaf protein yield. This is a two-year study. We also developed a direct seeding technique involving pelletization. This practice permits us to obtain desired plant densities of approximately 80,000-90,000 plants/acre through mechanized planting. The major challenge with direct seeding is weed control during the early stages of plant growth. While we were able to obtain effective weed control using pre-emergent herbicides, effective weed control in this manner could prove highly costly. Leaf Proteins - We developed a new technology for recovering tobacco leaf proteins and purifying rubisco. PARTICIPANTS: No information to add. TARGET AUDIENCES: No information to add. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: No major changes.
Impacts
We believe this technology will prove scalable to a commercial level as part of a commercial biorefinery. Applying this technology, we have been able to produce both highly purified rubisco crystals and a crude leaf protein containing both rubisco and fraction-2 proteins. We have found this leaf protein powder to demonstrate excellent binding properties. Our studies to date indicate that leaf protein may have superior binding capacity to casein and soy protein.
Publications
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Progress 08/01/07 to 07/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: During the past year, we developed and improved new technology for recovering leaf proteins from tobacco. This technology is relatively straightforward and results in the production of a readily soluble leaf protein powder. Applying our technology, we have obtained leaf protein yields in excess of 12% of leaf dry matter. We also have developed techniques for removing nicotine and other alkaloids from tobacco leaf proteins. We also developed methods for detecting and extracting solanesol in tobacco leaf biomass. Solanesol is a polyisoprenoid alcohol found in tobacco leaves, and it is an intermediate compound in the synthesis of several nutraceutical products. Solanesol could represent a significant co-product in addition to leaf proteins which could increase the income from production of tobacco for non-smoking uses. We have also demonstrated continued progress in our research to develop suitable cultivation practices for producing tobacco for leaf protein and co-products. We have developed techniques for the direct seeding of tobacco, which permit plant densities of about 90,000 plants/acre, compared with 6,000 plants/acre for conventional tobacco production. We found that the optimal time for harvesting tobacco in order to maximize leaf protein production is just before the flower bud stage. The plants regrow following harvest, and we are able to obtain 2-3 harvests of tobacco per year from a single planting. Applying these techniques, we are able to obtain in excess of 6 dry tons/acre of tobacco biomass annually. We obtain these yields using tobacco varieties which are low in nicotine and other alkaloids. We also identified weed control practices which permit the establishment of tobacco stands from a direct seeding. During 2008, we also began on-farm trials with farmers in Southern Maryland. The information obtained from these trials has been incorporated into our cultivation practices. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Cheng-i-Wei, Dean of the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is the Principal Investigator of this project. He has served in this capacity since September 2007. Dr. Jim Hanson, of the University of Maryland Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, was the initial Principal Investigator of this project. Dr. Y. Martin Lo, of the University of Maryland Department of Nutrition and Food Science, has directed the research team which developed processing technologies for both leaf proteins and solanesol. Dr. Lo's team is also investigating commercial applications for leaf proteins. In addition, Dr. Lo manages a pilot processing facility on the University campus where we conduct many of our processing activities. Dr. Robert Kratochvil, of the University of Maryland Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, directs our research on cultivation practices, including variety selection, weed control, and planting and harvesting practices. Dr. Brian Bequette of the University of Maryland Animal Science Department, studied the chemical composition of tobacco leaf proteins and biomass. Dr. William Bentley, Chair of the University of Maryland Department of Bioengineering, assisted in the development of processing technologies for leaf proteins. There have been two outside cooperators in this project. Neil Belson, of NewAgriculture, Inc. in Port Tobacco, Southern Maryland, has been the co-principal investigator of this project. Mr. Belson manages many of the day-to-day activities of this research in conjunction with University personnel. Mr. Belson has a central role in putting together the research team and identifying research and project objectives, and in organizing the scaling-up of the research. Gary Hodge is Principal of Regional Policy Advisors, a Southern Maryland regional development consulting firm. Mr. Hodge is the project's primary liaison to Southern Maryland farmers, and he played a central role in organizing on-farm trials. He is also actively involved in planning the scale-up of our research activities. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences include (1) agricultural researchers, particularly in tobacco-producing states; (2) tobacco producers; (3) users of protein ingredients; and (4) biomass-based chemical or energy companies. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Our development of new protein processing technology has potentially large significance, as leaf proteins represent a potentially important new source of proteins. Leaf proteins are the most abundant source of protein in nature, are highly nutritious and hypoallergenic. In addition, they have excellent functional characteristics - they have excellent binding, foaming and emulsifying properties. The major factor limiting their commercial use has been the lack of efficient processing technologies. The technology which we have developed has the potential to break this bottleneck and permit the commercial production of leaf proteins. While all green leaf plants contain leaf proteins, few plants produce as much leaf protein per acre as tobacco. Therefore, the development of efficient new processing technologies for leaf proteins could make it feasible to produce tobacco for non-smoking purposes. Our development of detection and processing techniques for solanesol is also significant. Solanesol can be produced as a co-product from tobacco in conjunction with leaf proteins. This increases the potential income from producing tobacco for non-smoking purposes. Our ability to develop cultivation practices which generate high biomass levels from tobacco produced for non-smoking uses also represents significant progress toward commercialization. The biomass yields we have achieved, at 6 tons/acre, are comparable to biomass yields for crops which are promoted specifically for biomass production. Furthermore, the biomass remaining following the extraction of protein and other co-products could be a source or renewable energy, and therefore another co-product. It is also significant that we began involving farmers in our research in 2008. Their participation generated new ideas with respect to cultivation, and also increased farmer awareness of our research. We envision that an important component of our future research will be the scale-up of the methods we developed in 2008 to large-scale pilot or quasi-industrial level. This planned scale-up research will be an important step prior to the commercialization of alternative uses for tobacco. This scale-up is made possible by the research advances we achieved in the past year. Successful commercialization of our research could generate new sources of protein and other products, and be a catalyst for revitalizing tobacco-dependent rural communities based on the production of tobacco for new non-smoking uses.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 08/01/06 to 07/31/07
Outputs
CRIS PROGRESS REPORT AUGUST 14, 2007 We have made progress in several directions toward commercializing non-smoking uses for tobacco. Among the areas of progress are the following: 1) We have refined our direct-seeding techniques for tobacco. We have demonstrated that it is feasible to direct-seed tobacco into soil rather than transplanting. This technique substantially reduces labor costs. 2) We have developed promising weed control techniques for producing tobacco for non-smoking purposes. Unlike traditional tobacco, which is normally transplanted, we plan to reduce labor by directly planting seeds into the ground. When using direct seeding, weed control during early growth stages is essential to successful establishment of the crop. 3) We have obtained tobacco dry matter biomass yields of between 6 and 8 dry matter tons per acre. These yields compare with crops specifically promoted as energy crops. These yields demonstrate that it is feasible to produce tobacco as
a biomass crop, first recovering the proteins and then using the residual biomass for energy. 4) We have demonstrated that it is possible to obtain the above-described yields using tobacco varieties which are very low in nicotine and other alkaloids. We have found that the low-nicotine varieties actually produce larger volumes of protein. 5) We have developed new techniques for recovering leaf proteins from tobacco, which permit the efficient recovery and purification of rubisco from tobacco. This new research is critical to our efforts to commercialize tobacco proteins. We are also obtaining yields crude protein yields in excess of 12% of dry matter from tobacco leaves. 6) We have initiated trials to assess the impact of different cultivation practices upon the yields of tobacco protein. The results of these tests will permit us to modify cultivation practices in order to maximize protein yield. 7) We performed additional chemical analyses on tobacco biomass. These analyses confirmed
that the lignin content of tobacco biomass is very low - less than 5% of the whole plant by dry weight - which is very favorable for ethanol conversion. The total concentration of nicotine in the low alkaloid variety was substantially below 1 mg/gram of dry matter of tobacco biomass. 8) The University has submitted a provisional patent application, LS-2007-038, for the invention entitled, Methods for Tetragonal Crystallization of Ribulose 1.5-bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase from Photosynthetic Plant Leaves.
Impacts
This project could have several important impacts: 1) Development of safe and beneficial non-smoking uses for tobacco - Tobacco naturally produces many beneficial products, including high-nutrition proteins, industrial raw materials, and large amounts of biomass which is usable for renewable energy. 2) Revitalization of tobacco-producing communities in Southern Maryland and across the southeastern U.S. - USDA has estimated that up to 3 million jobs depend directly or indirectly upon tobacco. Our project could generate new markets and new industries for tobacco-dependent communities based on the production of tobacco for non-smoking purposes. 3) Development of new technologies for producing leaf proteins - Leaf proteins are potentially the cheapest and most abundant source of protein on earth. Leaf proteins are as nutritious as milk protein and are generally non-allergenic. Tobacco may be the largest producer of leaf proteins of any agricultural crop. Indequate
processing technologies have limited the use of leaf proteins. However, development of efficient technologies for leaf proteins in this project could help to commercialize a major new protein source. 4) Make biomass energy, including cellulosic ethanol, more feasible - Commercialization of cellulosic ethanol is central to the nation's efforts to become energy-independent. This project is developing technologies to recover co-products as a prelude to converting plant biomass to ethanol. By recovering proteins and other high-value co-products, we can improve the economics of the cellulose-to-energy process.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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