Progress 08/15/08 to 08/14/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Outputs: This special grant evolved from a collaborative federal appropriation proposal and contributed to the progress of meeting the renewable energy needs of CT. Ojective 1: Dr. Yang and his team developed a land-use suitability model for assessing the spatial extent and distributon of a potential biofuel feedstock (hybrid poplar) in Tolland County, CT. This model was expanded to study the feedstock potential in the State of CT. Dr. Yang's work on CT biomass was presented at the Northeastern Biomass Summit and the CT Energy Conference. Objective 2: Dr. Li's team demonstrated that "gene deletor" technology works efficiently under field conditions. Transgenic poplar plants were produced with altered hormone contents. These plants were grown under greenhouse conditions and were used in experiments to extensively characterize these transgenic plants at the molecular, physiological and morphological levels. Results showed that transgenic manipulation of plant hormone contents in poplar trees led to many changes in whole plant growth and development, and also in chemical compositions of wood cells. Some of these alterations may be of significance to bioenergy applications. Objective 3: With the work supported by this grant, Dr. Parnas obtained a $598,000 from the State of CT to establish a BQ9000 certified quality testing laboratory to provide low cost services to CT-based biodiesel producers, distributors and user. Dr. Parnas also obtained DECD support for UConn graduate students to be placed as interens at the DECD to gain administrative experience in sustainable energy management. Objective 4: Funds were used to support Connecticut Center for Economic Ananlysis' revision to its 2005 review entitled "Biodiesel: Fuel for Thought, Fuel for Connecticut's Future." Project research was presented at the 2008 UConn Biofuels Symposium, attended by over 300 people. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Fred Carstensen, Dept. of Economics. Dr. Yi Li, Dept of Plant Science. Dr. Richard Parnas, Dept of Chemical, Material and Biomolecular Engineering. Dr. Xiusheng Yang, Dept of Natural Resources and the Environment. Each of these are full professors at the Univeristy of Connecticut and lead research teams concentrating in their areas of specialtiy as described. Dr. Ian Hart, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, acted as the grant coordinator and administraor. TARGET AUDIENCES: Universities, Industries and Federal, State and local governments interested in the topic of sustainable energy. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Dr. Parnas has been recognized for his work on biofuels processing by being invited to speak at universities and public forums on the topic of his latest patent and publication in "Green Engergy." Dr. Carstensen's activities as part of the CT Center of Economic Analysis (CCEA) have led to a CT legislative hearing which persuaded the Legislature and Governor to reclassify Biodiesel as a class A alternative in the state thus making it eligible for tax incentives. This project will continue with funds award by the Department of Energy.
Publications
- M. B. Boucher, C. Weed, N.E. Leadbeater, B.A. Wilhite, J.D. Stuart, R.S. Parnas, Pilot Scale Two-Phase Continuous Flow Biodiesel Production via Novel Laminar Flow Reactor-Separator, Energy Fuels, 23(5), 2750-2756, (2009)
- Osburn L., Yang X.3, Li Y., and ZM Cheng (2009) Micropropagtion of Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and Amur Honeysuckle (L. maackii) by Shoot Tip Culture. J. Environ.Hort. 27(4):195-199
- Ye X., Kang B., Osburn L., Li Y., Z. Cheng (2009): Identification of the flavin-dependent monoxygenase-enase-encoding YUCCA gene family in Populustrichocarpa and their expression in vegetative tissues and in response to hormone and environmental stresses. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC: J. of Plant Biotechnology) 97: 271-283
- Kausch A, Hague J, Oliver M, Li Y, Daniell H, Mascia P, Watrud L, and C. Neal Stewart, Jr. (2010): Transgenic biofuel feedstocks and strategies for biocontainment. Biofuels. 1: 163-176
- S.U. Unker, M.B. Boucher, K.R. Hawley, J.D. Stuart and R.S. Parnas, Investigation into the relationship between the gravity vector and the flow vector to improve performance in two-phase continuous flow biodiesel reactor, Bioresource Technol., 101, 7389-96, (2010)
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Progress 08/15/08 to 08/14/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: This special grant evolved from a collaborative federal appropriation proposal which was desiged to:(1)create a comprehensive inventory of potential biomass feedstocks in CT, (2)use "gene deletor" technology to improve feedstocks for energy generation, (3)develop industry-scale processing technologies and co-generation for CT biofuels (eg: biodiesel), and (4)carry out an economic impact analysis of adopting these technologies in CT and the northeast. The project was only been funded ($200,000)for one year with no chance of USDA continuation. Although the collaborators have published extensively on these topics in the past and have, in one case, issued patents, there has been limited research progress or dissemination of results with these limited funds. It is pleasing to note that the project will be supported with DOE funds ($1.5M) in the future. Some of Dr. Yang's work on CT biomass has been presented at the Northeastern Biomass Summit and the CT Energy Conference. Dr. Parnas has been recognized for his work on biofuels processing by being invited to speak during the last year at over a dozen universities and public forums on the topic of his latest patent and publication in "Green Energy." Dr. Carstensen's activities as part of the CT Center for Economic Analysis (CCEA) have led to a CT legislative hearing which persuaded the Legislature and Governor to reclassify Biodiesel as a class A alternative in the state thus making it eligible for tax incentives. US Patent 7,544,830, R.S. Parnas, C. Weed, N. Leadbeater, M. Boucher, Methods and systems for alkyl-ester production, June 9, 2009. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Fred Carstensen, Dept. of Economics. Dr. Ian Hart, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Dr. Yi Li, Dept of Plant Science. Dr. Richard Parnas, Dept of Chemical, Material and Biomolecular Engineering. Dr. Xiusheng Yang, Dept. of Natural Resources and the Environment. Each of these are full professors at the University of Connecticut. Dr Hart acted as the grant coordinator and administrator. Each of the remaining faculty lead research teams concentrating in the areas of speciality described in the report. TARGET AUDIENCES: Universities, Industries and Federal, State and local government interested in the topic of sustainable energy. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Dr. Yang and his team used some of these funds to develop a land-use suitability model for assessing the spatial extent and distribution of a potential biofuel feedstock (hybrid poplar) in Tolland County, CT. Preliminary results indicate that about 50% of the total land in this rural county is available for use and that less than 10% is suitable for hybrid poplar silviculture. It appears that woody energy crops may not be an adequate replacement as feedstock for ethanol production but rather a supplemental resource. The model is currently being evaluated and expanded to study the feedstock potential of the whole of the State of CT. Dr. Li's team has demonstrated that the "gene deletor" technology works efficiently under field conditions and are in the process of demonstrating the complete deletion of transgenes from the reproductive organs. His team has also generated transgenic poplar plants that grow much faster than the native species under greenhouse conditions. The additional growth was due to an increase in stem lenth due to an increase in both cell number and size. Work partially supported by this grant helped Dr. Parnas obtain a $598,000 from the State of CT to establish a BQ9000 certified quality testing laboratory to provide low cost services to CT-based biodiesel producers, distributors and users. The special grant also helped Dr. Parnas to obtain separate CT DECD support to place UConn graduate students as interns at the DECD to gain administrative experience in sustainable energy management. Finally this award has enabled the CCEA to start to revise and update its 2005 review entitled "Biodiesel: Fuel for Thought, Fuel for Connecticut's Future." Currently in draft, the study significantly expands the analysis in several areas.
Publications
- Boucher, M.B., Unker, S.A., Hawley, B.A., Wilhite, J.D., Stuart, J. and Parnas, R.S. 2008. Variables affecting homogeneous acid catalyst recoverability and reuse after esterification of concentrated omega-9 polyunsaturated fatty acids in vegetable oil triglycerides. Green Chemistry 10:1331-1333
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