Source: UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY submitted to NRP
THE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FOR A BIOBASED INDUSTRY AND ECONOMY
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1003563
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
S-1041
Project Start Date
Jul 14, 2014
Project End Date
Sep 17, 2018
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
500 S LIMESTONE 109 KINKEAD HALL
LEXINGTON,KY 40526-0001
Performing Department
Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering
Non Technical Summary
The objectives of this project address research relating directly to SAAESD Goal 1 F (biobased products) and H (processing agricultural coproducts); research will influence Goal 5 B (rural community development and revitalizing rural economies) indirectly. The importance and extent of the problem is characterized by the fact that the U.S. must drastically reduce its dependence on wells-to-wheels carbon dioxide emitting energy technologies. Because renewable-based energy systems occupy large land expanses, they are typically not located in urban areas, promoting economic development of rural US communities. However, transitioning from sequestered-carbon sources such as natural gas and coal-based energy systems, to more renewable-based energy systems requires research and development work. Without this productive research, the technical capacity to switch from a sequestered-carbon economy to a diverse bioresource-based economy will be severely hampered with un-answered questions, un-developed technologies, and under-delivered capacity in production and utilization of bioresources. Research proposed herein is designed to help address these limitations as conducted by professional scientists and engineers either directly with or strongly associated with the Land Grant University system. Replacing sequestered carbon energy production with that produced by renewable sources continues to require significant fundamental and applied research efforts. As outlined in this project description, the Land Grant University system provides a unique capability to enable research for renewable energy systems by providing a world-class research network.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
30%
Applied
50%
Developmental
20%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
40216292020100%
Knowledge Area
402 - Engineering Systems and Equipment;

Subject Of Investigation
1629 - Perennial grasses, other;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering;
Goals / Objectives
Develop deployable biomass feedstock supply knowledge, processes and logistics systems that economically deliver timely and sufficient quantities of biomass with predictable specifications to meet conversion process-dictated feedstock tolerances. Investigate and develop sustainable technologies to convert biomass resources into chemicals, energy, materials and other value added products. Develop modeling and systems approaches to support development of sustainable biomass production and conversion to bioenergy and bioproducts. Identify and develop needed educational resources, expand distance-based delivery methods, and grow a trained work force for the biobased economy
Project Methods
MethodsObjective B: Investigate and develop sustainable technologies to convert biomass resources into chemicals, energy, materials and other value added products.B.1. Biological conversion technologiesTask 1: Develop pretreatment methods for biological conversion processes (AR, CA, KS, KY, HI, IL, IN, LA, MI, NC, NE, OK, OR, SD and WI). Pretreatments are essential to deconstruct biomass, releasing sugars that can be converted to bioenergy and bioproducts. Different pretreatment technologies, such as dilute acid (AR, IL, NC, NE, OK), alkaline, ionic liquids (WI), water combined with carbon dioxide mixtures (IN), pulsed electric field, extrusion and other high shear processing, hydrothermal, steam and ammonia explosion (MI), organosolv (WI), biological pretreatment (KY), sulfite, or microwave pretreatments (LA) will be investigated. Effects of pretreatments on feedstocks, such as algae (HI), switchgrass (AR, OK), napiergrass (NC), energy cane, tropical maize (HI), JUSETALL wheatgrass (CA), energy beets (CA), miscanthus, municipal solid waste (CA), woody biomass (AR), drought- and heat-stressed plants, sweet sorghum (KS), prairie cord grass (SD), and coastal Bermuda grass (OR), in addition to agricultural residues, like corn and sorghum stover, rice and wheat straw, or food processing residuals (CA) will be examined. When possible, pretreatment effects, using common analytical protocols developed by National Renewable Energy Laboratories, will be evaluated.Task 2: Develop conversion processes (CA, HI, IA, IN, IL, KS, KY, MN, NC, NE, OH, OK, OR, SC, SD and WI). Biofuels, including advanced liquid transportation fuels, cellulosic ethanol, butanol, butanediol, propanediol, lipids, yeast- and algal-based oils or biogas (methane, H2) will be investigated, integrating feedstock pretreatment to fermentation. Use of thermostabile xylanase and cellulase and fermentation of the resulting sugars with thermotolerant microbes and xylose fermenting microbes will be examined. Conversion of straw, food processing residuals, microalgae and green grass into biogas will be conducted. Platform chemicals, such as carboxylic acids, diols, esters, furans, sesquiterpenes, biopolymers, surfactants (IA), solvents, food additives or animal feeds (single cell protein) will be researched. Optimizing yields of biosurfactant (lipopeptides) from fermentation of low-value feedstocks, and purification will be considered (IA). Biocatalysts production, namely enzymes, will be considered. The synergistic roles of different enzyme catalysts in biobased deconstruction processes will be studied. Thermotolerant microbes and a high solids bioreactor for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation will be developed. Algal production, harvest and conversion systems utilizing large-scale outdoor algal production with co-culture of filter-feeding aquatic organisms for converting algal biomass into feed protein and oils for feeds and biofuels will be designed. Cultivation of microalgae using industrial wastewaters will be evaluated along with fluegas from power plants to generate biogas and eventually clean biogas into clean synthetic natural gas.Objective C: is to utilize system analysis to support development of economically, socially and environmentally sustainable solutions for a bio-based economy.Task 3. Develop integrated system models to configure, analyze and optimize bioenergy and biofuel production systems (HI, KS, KY, NE, NJ, NY, OK, OR and TX). Provide system-level insight into technical and economic feasibility for meeting renewable energy objectives (HI, KS, KY, NJ, NY, OK, OR and TX). This task will incorporate outcomes of Tasks 1 and 2 toward identifying challenges and advances in regional bioenergy/biofuel production systems. This task will require integration of models developed in Tasks 1 and 2. Analysis will include feedstock availability and supply chain logistics, identification of appropriate conversion technologies and socio-political constraints for sustainability objectives. Data from Objectives A and B will be incorporated into Objective C Task 3, and results of Objective C will then inform studies in Objectives A and B. At TX this will include incorporating GIS maps for biomass sources, combining this with the optimal location of pyrolysis units, location of refineries to market products, and appropriate locations for reuse of co-products such as biochar. At NY this will include development of framework for optimal system configuration analysis.Objective D: Identify and develop needed educational, extension and outreach resources to promote the transition to a bio-based economy.Task 1: Serve as a knowledge resource base for bio-based economy(All states). This regional project will serve as an information and expertise clearinghouse for biomass-related knowledge and training by interfacing with organizations involved in research and development in the bio-based economy, such as USDA, DOE, NSF, and higher education institutions. Multi-State participants will serve as an expert reviewers for the BRDI post-award site-visits; the ensuing reports will be available to general public, policy makers and business leaders through existing USDA outlets. Multi-State participants will contribute to existing and future biomass-related information sites, such as the Sun-Grant Bioweb.

Progress 07/14/14 to 09/17/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Objective 1 (J. Shi) Target Audience: Industrial hemp growers and the biofuel research community Objective 2 (J. Shi) Target Audience: The biofuel research community and researchers interested in lignin-derived antimicrobials. Objective 2 (S. Nokes) Target Audience: Researchers interested in providing isoflavones to cattle in a sustainable manner. Objective 3 (J. Shi, S. Nokes and M. Montross) Target Audience: Farmers and state agricultural department that are interested in the biomass feedstocks. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The following trainees were trained during year 2017-18. Postdoc scholar: Lalitendu Das Graduate students: Wenqi Li, Ryan Kalinoski, Joseph Stevens, Luke Dodge Undergraduate students: Jameson Hunter, Abby Olaleye How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results were disseminated to the public through peer reviewed publicaitons and conference 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? We developed a based catalytic lignin depolymerization process using metal catalysts in the presence of IL and deep eutectic solvents. Based on these results, one article was published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineeringand one published in Frontiers in Energy Research. We worked on projects to look at the potential use of lignin-derived compounds to combat microbial contamination in a corn ethanol biorefinery and agriculture sectors. We took a combined agronomic, experimental, and economic analysis approach to evaluate the potential of industrial hemp in comparison with other biomass feedstocks such as kenaf, switchgrass and biomass sorghum. Our results revealed that hemp has great potential to become a promising commodity crop for producing both biofuels and value-added products.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: W Li, K Amos, M Li, Y Pu, S Debolt, AJ Ragauskas, J Shi* (2018). Fractionation and characterization of lignin streams from unique high-lignin content endocarp feedstocks, Biotechnology for Biofuels, 11: 304.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: W Li, Y Zhang, L Das, Y Wang, M Li, N Wanninayake, Y Pu, DY Kim, YT Cheng, AJ Ragauskas, J Shi* (2018). Linking lignin source with structural and electrochemical properties of lignin-derived carbon materials, RSC Advances, 8: 38721-38732
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: L Das, M Li, JC Stevens, W Li, Y Pu, AJ Ragauskas, J Shi* (2018). Characterization and catalytic transfer hydrogenolysis of deep eutectic solvent extracted sorghum lignin to phenolic compounds, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 6 (8): 10408-10420.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: E Liu, M Li, L Das, Y Pu, T Frazier, B Zhao, M Crocker, AJ Ragauskas, J Shi* (2018). Understanding lignin fractionation and characterization from engineered switchgrass treated by an aqueous ionic liquid, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 6(5): 6612-6623.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: L Das, S Xu, J Shi*. Catalytic oxidation and depolymerization of lignin in ionic liquids. Oral presentation at the 39th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, San Francisco, CA, 05/02/2018
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Li, X., Das, L., Shi, J., Tharayil, N., Zheng, Y., 2018 Annual International Meeting of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, "A Novel Platform for Bioupgrading of Lignin to Valuable Nutraceuticals and Pharmaceuticals," Lecture, International, Detroit, MI, United States. (July 31, 2018).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kalinoski, R., Dodge, L., Nokes, S. E., Shi, J., 2018 Annual International Meeting of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, "Antimicrobial Properties of Lignin in Lignocellulosic Hydrogels and Lignin Derived Compounds," Lecture, International, Detroit, MI, United States. (July 31, 2018).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Li, W., Cheng, Y.-T., Shi, J., 2018 Annual International Meeting of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, "Lignin derived carbon-silicon nanocomposite materials for energy storage applications," Lecture, International, Detroit, MI, United States. (July 31, 2018).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Li, W., DeBolt, S., Shi, J., 2018 Annual International Meeting of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, "Fractionation and characterization of lignin from endocarp biomass using deep eutectic solvent," Lecture, International, Detroit, MI, United States. (July 30, 2018).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Das, L., Li, W., Williams, D. W., Hu, H., L, C., Ray, A. E., Shi, J., 2017 AIChE Annual Meeting, "Evaluation of Industrial Hemp Varieties As Potential Biomass Feedstock for Biofuels and Bioproducts," Lecture, International, Minneapolis, MN, United States. (November 2, 2017).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Das, L., Stevens, J., Liu, E., Shi, J., 2017 AIChE Annual Meeting, "Catalytic Conversion of Lignin in Ionic Liquids Via Catalysis and Biocatalysis," Lecture, International, Minneapolis, MN, United States. (November 1, 2017).
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Fractionation of lignin derived compounds from thermochemical processed lignin towards antimicrobial properties


Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:The audience includes the research community in the fields of biosystems engineering, chemical engineering, agricultural engineering; the biofuels industry; the government agencies, e.g. USDA, DOE, EPA and NSF. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided training for 2 undergraduate research assistants during the reporting period in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, at UKY. We have graduated 3 Master of Science students with projects related to this project, with 2 more students to finish this coming year. Three PhD students are still in the pipeline. One post-doctoral scholars also received training related to this grant during this year. In addition, we have given numerous tours to school groups where we discussed the objectives of the project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our results have been disseminated to the scientific community through conference presentations at venues which includethe ASABE International meeting, the AIChE International Meeting, the 2016 Frontier in Biorefining conference, the NSF RE3 workshop, andthe 39th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals. We also set up booth demostrations during the Engineering Day and sustainable forum at University of Kentucky. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Next year we will focus on analyzing the data collected this year and preparing manuscripts. New students will continue their research and finish their thesis/dissertation as planed.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? (1)Develop deployable biomass feedstock supply knowledge, processes and logistics systems that economically deliver timely and sufficient quantities of biomass with predictable specifications to meet conversion process-dictated feedstock tolerances. Industrial hemp is an annual herbaceous crop historically grown for fiber in the U.S. and worldwide. Despite existing applications of industrial hemp based fiber and oil products, hemp-based biofuels and bioproducts represent a new potential application area. Several key questions still remain for the technical and economic feasibility of using hemp as a bioenergy crop. Furthermore, it is necessary to screen industrial hemp species and process conditions while aiming at maximized production of biofuel and bioproducts. Hence, we takecombined agronomy, laboratory, and economic analysis approaches to evaluate industrial hemp in comparison with other biomass feedstocks e.g. kenaf, switchgrass and biomass sorghum. Experimental results show an ethanol yield of 85-100 gallons /dry ton hemp stems using dilute alkali or acid pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation, which is comparable to the other three tested feedstocks. Agronomy data suggest that the per hectare yield of industrial hemp stem alone was at a similar level to the other energy crops such as switchgrass and sorghum; while the hemp plants may require reduced inputs. Field trial also showed that ~1200 kg/ha hemp grain can be harvested in addition to stems. A preliminary cost analysis indicates that industrial hemp could generate higher per hectare gross profit than the other crops if both hemp grains and biofuels from hemp stem were counted. These combined evaluation results demonstrate that industrial hemp has great potential to become a promising regional commodity crop for producing both biofuels and value-added products. We are evaluating 11industrial hemp varieties, currently widely cultivated in North America, Europe and Asia, and the results will be reported next year. (2)Investigate and develop sustainable technologies to convert biomass resources into chemicals, energy, materials and other value added products. Converting lignin into high-value chemicals adds revenues for a biorefinery thus improves the economic viability of biofuel production. Ionic liquids (ILs) have received increasing interest because of their potentials in fractionating and pretreating lignocellulosic biomass. Given the unique properties of aqueous ILs that provide for lignin solubility and biocompatibility to enzymes and microbes, we foresee a great opportunity to develop a new strategy for lignin extraction and depolymerization via catalysis and biocatalysis in aqueous ILs. The stability and activity of commercial fungal and plant laccases and a recombinant bacterial laccase were evaluated in difference concentration of ILs. Results suggest that certain ILs were fully compatible with laccases; while some appeared as non-competitive inhibitors. Immobilization of laccase on solid matrix, i.e. membrane surface helped to retain the enzyme activity and overcome the inhibition effects. We also explored catalytic oxidation route in ILs by screening a range of metal catalysts and oxidizing agents. Molecular weight distribution of lignin fraction was followed using gel permeation chromatography while the oxidation products such as vanillic acid, syringaldehyde, and syringic acid were identified and quantified using a GC-MS. Cleavage of the lignin structures was further investigated by NMR to understand the plausible oxidation mechanisms. Results from this study provide insights into the oxidative degradation pathway of lignin in the presence of IL and the selectivity of catalyst towards product formation. In situ lignin conversion in IL will also help to tackle the challenges associated with IL recycle and recovery. Evaluation of White Rot Fungus as a Pretreatment for Thermochemical Processing of Biomass (Melody Embry and Czarena Crofcheck):Hydrothermal liquefaction is a thermochemical technique for obtaining crude bio-oil from lignocellulosic biomass with moderate temperature and pressure. The crude bio-oil can then be upgraded to various biofuels and bioproducts. Temperature, properties of solvent, solvent density, and type of biomass are parameters the influence yields and composition of bio-oil. Hydrothermal liquefaction is amenable to use of biomass feedstocks that have high-moisture. The overall goal of this research is to demonstrate the effectiveness of white rot fungus as a pretreatment for the production of bio-oil from switchgrass through hydrothermal liquefaction. This presentation will specifically focus on the investigation of the effects of particle size and culture time on lignin degradation using Phanaerochaete chrysosporium as a pretreatment method on switchgrass. If the white rot fungus is an effective pretreatment, it could be a cheaper option for commercialization, allowing hydrothermal liquefaction utilization on a larger scale, producing high quality bio-oil as a replacement for some of the fossil fuel liquids being used today. (3)Develop modeling and systems approaches to support development of sustainable biomass production and conversion to bioenergy and bioproducts.N/A (4)Identify and develop needed educational resources, expand distance-based delivery methods, and grow a trained work force for the biobased economy.N/A

Publications

  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Zheng, Y., Shi, J., Tu, M., Cheng, Y.-S. (2017). Chapter One-Principles and Development of Lignocellulosic Biomass Pretreatment for Biofuels, (vol. 2, pp. 168) Advances in Bioenergy.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Das, L., Xu, S., Shi, J. (2017). Catalytic Oxidation and Depolymerization of Lignin in Aqueous Ionic Liquid, (vol. 5, pp. 21) Frontiers in Energy Research.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Shi, J., Wu, D., Zhang, L., Simmons, B. A., Singh, S., Yang, B., Wyman, C. E. (2017). Dynamic changes of substrate reactivity and enzyme adsorption on partially hydrolyzed cellulose, (3 ed., vol. 114, pp. 503515) Biotechnology and bioengineering.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Sun, J., Shi, J., Konda, N. M., Campos, D., Liu, D., Nemser, S., Shamshina, J., Dutta, T., Berton, P., Gurau, G., others (2017). Efficient dehydration and recovery of ionic liquid after lignocellulosic processing using pervaporation, (1 ed., vol. 10, pp. 154) Biotechnology for Biofuels.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Liu, E., Das, L., Zhao, B., Crocker, M., Shi, J. (2017). Impact of Dilute Sulfuric Acid, Ammonium Hydroxide, and Ionic Liquid Pretreatments on the Fractionation and Characterization of Engineered Switchgrass, (pp. 115) BioEnergy Research.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Das, L., Liu, E., Saeed, A., Williams, D. W., Hu, H., Li, C., Ray, A. E., Shi, J. (2017). Industrial hemp as a potential bioenergy crop in comparison with kenaf, switchgrass and biomass sorghum, (vol. 244, pp. 641649) Bioresource Technology.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Enshi Liu, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, "Fractionation and characterization of lignin streams from engineered switchgrass," Status: Degree Awarded. (August 2015 - May 2017).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Das, L., Liu, E., Williams, D., Li, C., Ray, A. E., Shi, J., 39th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, "Biofuels and bioproduct potentials of industrial hemp in comparison with kenaf, switchgrass and biomass sorghum," Invited, International, San Francisco, CA, United States. (May 3, 2017).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Das, L., Xu, S., Shi, J., 39th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, "Catalytic oxidation and depolymerization of lignin in ionic liquids," Invited, International, San Francisco, CA, United States. (May 2, 2017).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Shi, J. (Presenter & Author), Das, L., Stevens, J., Kalinoski, R., 2016 Frontier in Biorefining, "Catalytic conversion of lignin in ionic liquids via catalysis and biocatalysis," Invited, International, St Simmons Island, GA, United States. (November 4, 2016).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Li, W., Chen, X., Das, L., Adedeji, A. A., Shi, J., 2017 Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (RE3) Workshop, "Effect of pretreatment methods on biohydrogen production from industrial hemp," Accepted, National, KY, United States. (May 22, 2017).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Stevens, J., Kalinoski, R., Das, L., Shi, J., 39th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, "Exploring biocatalysis in ionic liquid for selective lignin depolymerization," Accepted, International, San Francisco, CA, United States. (May 2, 2017).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Liu, E., Li, M., Das, L., Pu, Y., Crocker, M., Zhao, B., Ragauskas, A. J., Shi, J., 39th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, "Fractionation and characterization of lignin streams from engineered switchgrass pretreated by an aqueous ionic liquid," Accepted, International, San Francisco, CA, United States. (May 2, 2017).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Chirwa, U., Liu, E., Shi, J., 39th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, "Production of biocontrol agents using soybean processing wastes," Accepted, International, San Francisco, CA, United States. (May 2, 2017).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Liu, E., Das, L., Zhao, B., Crocker, M., Shi, J., 2016 Frontier in Biorefining, "Fractionation and characterization of lignin streams from engineered switchgrass," Accepted, International, St Simmons Island, GA, United States. (November 4, 2016).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rhea, N., C. Crofcheck, J. Groppo. 2017. Evaluation of flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration for dewatering of Scenedesmus algae. Transactions of the ASABE, Accepted March 2017.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Embry, M. and C. Crofcheck. Evaluation of white rot fungus as a pretreatment for thermochemical processing of biomass. Poster presentation at the ASABE Annual International Meeting, Spokane, WA, July 2017.


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

Outputs
Target Audience:The audience includes the research community in the fields of biosystems engineering, chemical engineering, agricultural engineering; the biofuels industry; the government agencies, e.g. USDA, DOE, EPA and NSF. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided training for 5 undergraduate research assistants during the reporting period in Biosystems andAgricultural Engineering, Chemistry, Microbiology, Agronomy, and Chemical Engineering at UKY. We have graduated 4 Master ofScience students with projects related to this project, with 4 more students to finish this coming year. One PhD havecompleted degrees with projects related to this project, with three PhD students still in the pipeline. Two post-doctoral scholarsalso received training related to this grant during this year. In addition, we have given numerous tours to school groups wherewe discussed the objectives of the project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our results have been disseminated to the scientific community through conference presentations at venues which include the AIChE International Meeting, the ASABE International meeting,the 2016 Frontier in Biorefining conference, theNorth American Membrane Society, and thethe 39th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Next year will focus on analyzing the data collected this year and preparing manuscripts. New students will continue their research and finish their thesis/dissertation as planed.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal 1: Develop a reliable biomass feedstock supply system using agricultural residues. Dr. Nokes' team completed the BRDI project on the development of "On-Farm Biomass Processing: Towards an Integrated High Solids Transportation/Storing/Processing System". Goal 2: Anovel pretreatment system biomass using a recirculating, saturated calcium hydroxide (lime) solution in an up-flow, high solids (14-16% w/w) configuration at ambient conditions was developped. This system brings a few advantages such as: 1) efficiently distribution of lime solidsand elimination of post-pretreatment substrate washing; 2)conserved energy and resources; 3) lost chemical cost ($8.67 per 100 kg glucose) as compared to NaOH pretreatment ($22.38 per 100 kg glucose); 4) improved pretreatment effectiveness at glucose yields 100 kg per 350 kg of dry stover with 5 mm particle size. Lignin engineering is one of the one of the focus areas on the development of biomass feedstocks with desirable traits for cost effective conversion to biofuels and chemicals. We investigated the fate of lignin and its structural and compositional changes during aqueous ionic liquid (IL) pretreatment of wild type and engineered switchgrass. Results indicate that switchgrass mutant 4CL was more susceptible to aqueous IL pretreatment and more digestible during enzymatic saccharification due to its lower lignin content, higher S/G ratio, strikingly higher amount of b-O-4' linkages, and greater pCA and FA amounts as compared with the WT and mutant AtLOV1 switchgrass. Aqueous IL (10% cholinium lysinate) was highly effective in solubilizing and depolymerizing lignin with decreased molecular weight of lignin in residual solids and a liquid stream containing low molecular weight lignin oligomers. Results provide insights on the impact of lignin manipulation on biomass fractionation and lignin depolymerization. Furthermore, this study leads to possible directions for developing a more selective and efficient lignin valorization process based on the aqueous IL pretreatment technology. Goal 3: Develop heat and mass transfer in baled switchgrass for storage and bioconversion applications. The temperature and moisture content of biomass feedstocks both play a critical role in minimizing storage and transportation costs, achieving effective bioconversion, and developing relevant postharvest quality models. Wecharacterizes the heat and mass transfer occurring within baled switchgrass through the development of a mathematical model describing the relevant thermal and physical properties of this specific substrate. This mathematical model accounts for the effect of internal heat generation and temperature-induced free convection within the material in order to improve prediction accuracy. Inclusion of these terms is considered novel in terms of similar biomass models. Two disparate length scales, characterizing both the overall bale structure (global domain) and the individual stems (local domain), are considered with different physical processes occurring on each scale. Material and fluid properties were based on the results of hydraulic conductivity experiments, moisture measurements and thermal analyses that were performed using the constant head method, TDR-based sensors and dual thermal probes, respectively. The unique contributions made by each of these components are also discussed in terms of their particular application within various storage and bioconversion operations. Model validation was performed with rectangular bales of switchgrass (102 x 46 x 36 cm3) stored in an environmental chamber with and without partial insulation to control directional heat transfer. Bale temperatures generally exhibited the same trend as ambient air; although initial periods of microbial growth and heat generation were observed. Moisture content uniformly declined during storage, thereby contributing to minimal heat generation in the latter phases of storage.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2016 Citation: M. Kaitlyn Clark Wooten, Venkat R. Koganti, Shanshan Zhou, Stephen E. Rankin, and Barbara L. Knutson, "Nanofiltration Membranes Synthesized from Oriented Mesoporous Silica Thin Films on Macroporous Supports," Submitted to Journal of Membrane Science
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Shanshan Zhou, Hsin-Fen Li, Ravinder Garlapalli, Sue E. Nokes, Michael D. Flythe, Stephen E. Rankin, Barbara L. Knutson, Hydrolysis of Model Cellulose Films by Clostridium thermocellum: Extension of Quartz Crystal Microbalance Techniques to Cellulosomes
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Daniel M. Schlipf, Stephen E. Rankin, Barbara L. Knutson, "Effects of Pore Size and Tethering on the Diffusivity of Lipids in Pore-Filled Mesoporous Silica," Submitted to Langmuir 2016
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: S. Das, S. Nagpure, R.K. Garlapalli, Q. Wu, S.Z. Islam, J. Strzalka and S.E. Rankin (2015) Pore Orientation Effects on the Kinetics of Mesostructure Loss in Surfactant Templated Titania Thin Films. Phyical Chemistry Chemical Physics, doi: 10.1039/C5CP05178A.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Joshua Jackson, Aaron Turner, Tyler Mark, Michael Montross, Densification of biomass using a pilot scale flat ring roller pellet mill, Fuel Processing Technology, Volume 148, July 2016, Pages 43-49, ISSN 0378-3820, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2016.02.024. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378382016300789
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Hickman, A.N., Nokes, S.E., Sympson, W.S., Ruwaya, M.J., Montross, M.D., and B.L. Knutson. 2016. The confounding effects of particle size and substrate bulk density on Phanerochaete chrososporium pretreatment of Panicum virgatum. BioResources 11(3): 7500-7511. DOI: 10.15376/biores.11.3.7500-7511.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Noelia M. El�a, Sue E. Nokes, Michael D. Flythe. 2016. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) fermentation by Clostridium thermocellum and Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum sequential culture in a continuous flow reactor. AIMS Energy. 4(1):95-103. DOI: 10.3934/energy.2016.1.95
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Keene, T., K.L. Lea, K.J. Prince, T. Phillips, B.M. Goff, and S.R. Smith (2016) Switchgrass yield and quality with multiple fertilizer applications and harvest dates. Agronomy Journal
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2016 Citation: Sena, K, S.R. Smith, and B. Goff. (2016) Growth curve of switchgrass varieties for yield and fiber quality. Agronomy Journal, in preparation.
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Switchgrass for Biomass Production in Kentucky. University of Kentucky Extension Bullentin AGR 201.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Rodrigues, Carla Ines Soares; Jackson, Joshua J.;�Montross, Michael D. (2016) A molar basis comparison of calcium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide on the pretreatment of switchgrass and miscanthus under high solids conditions. Industrial Crops and Products. 92: 165-173.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: H Wang, B Zhang, S Xiu, R Li, J Shi (2016) Densification and pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass for renewable energy. Current Organic Chemistry, 20: 2480  2488
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: J Sun, S Konda, J Shi, R Parthasarathi, T Dutta, F Xu, CD Scown, BA Simmons, S Singh (2016) CO2 enabled process integration for the production of cellulosic ethanol using bionic liquids, Energy and Environmental Science, 9: 2822-2834.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: YF Li, J Shi, MC Nelson, PH Chen, J Graf, Y Li, Z Yu (2016) 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: 744752.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: J Shi, S Pattathil, R Parthasarathi, NA Anderson, JI Kim, S Venketachalam, MG Hahn, C Chapple, BA Simmons, S Singh (2016) Impact of engineered lignin composition on biomass recalcitrance and ionic liquid pretreatment efficiency. Green Chemistry, 18: 4884-4895
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: F Xu, J Sun, S Konda, J Shi, T Dutta, CD Scown, B Simmons, S Singh (2016) Transforming biomass conversion with ionic liquids: process intensification and the development of a high-gravity, one-pot process for the production of cellulosic ethanol. Energy & Environmental Science, 9, 1042-1049
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Dutta T, Shi J, Sun J, Zhang X, Cheng G, Simmons BA, and Singh S (2016) Ionic liquid pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuels and chemicals. In Ionic Liquids in the Biorefinery Concept: Challenges and Perspectives, Rafal Bogel-Lukasik Edition, Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Halich, G., Kindred, S. 2016.��Switchgrass Budgets - Cost and Returns.� Cooperative Extension Service, College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Halich, G., Kindred, S. 2016.��Corn Stover�Budgets - Cost and Returns.� Cooperative Extension Service, College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ray Smith, Tom Keene, Peter Robuck, Kelly Prince and Krista Lea. 2016. Switchgrass Quality and Biomass Suitability over Fertilizer Type and Rate and Maturity. Proceedings of the International Rangeland Congress. 17-22 July 2016. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Amanda Hickman, Sue Nokes, William S. Sympson, Mathew J. Ruwaya, Michael Montross, and Barbara L. Knutson. The confounding effects of particle size and substrate bulk density on Phanerochaete chrososporium pretreatment of Panicum virgatum as a function of incubation time and percent of unsterilized substrate. Presented at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL. July 17-July 20, 2016. Paper no. 162461610.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Amanda Hickman, Bobby Carey, Smruti Patel, William S. Sympson, and Sue Nokes. Pretreatment effectiveness of Phanerochaete chrososporium on Panicum virgatum. Presented at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL. July 17-July 20, 2016. Paper no. 162461639.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Megan Walz, Danielle Empson, Sue Nokes, and Barbara Knutson. Use of mesoporous silicon nanoparticles to concentrate glucose from lignocellulosic hydrolysate for downstream fermentation. Presented at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL. July 17-July 20, 2016. Paper no. 162461640.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Jordyn Tucker, Amanda Hickman, and Sue Nokes. The effect of ?-glucosidase supplementation on the saccharification of pretreated switchgrass (NaOH and Phanerochaete chrososporium) using commercial cellulase enzymes. Presented at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL. July 17-July 20, 2016. Undergraduate student poster competition.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: B. Knutson, ""Engineering tools for advancing plant-derived natural products,"" Invited speaker, Monie A. Ferst Award Symposium In Honor of Charles Eckert, Georgia Institute of Technology, Feb. 10, 2016.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Characterization of a B-O-4 trimeric lignin model compound and post Fenton chemistry products using HRAM mass spectrometry. Fan Huang, B.C. Lynn, June 5- June 9, 2016, 64th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry, San Antonio, TX
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Kwabena Darkwah, Jeffrey R. Seay, Barbara L. Knutson, In silico analyses of cell-based unsteady-state batch Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol (ABE) fermentation and in situ gas stripping,, 4th International Conference on Sustainable Chemical Product and Process Engineering (SCPPE 2016), Najing China
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Shanshan Zhou, Stephen Rankin, Barbara Knutson, Functionalization of silica membranes with lipid bilayers for sugar recovery, NAMS (North American Membrane Society) 2016
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: L Das, J Stevens, R Kalinoski, J Shi. Catalytic conversion of lignin in ionic liquids via catalysis and biocatalysis. Oral presentation at the 2016 Frontier in Biorefining, St Simmons Island, GA, 11/04/2016
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: E Liu, L Das, B Zhao, M Crocker, J Shi. Fractionation and characterization of lignin streams from engineered switchgrass. Poster presentation at the 2016 Frontier in Biorefining, St Simmons Island, GA, 11/04/2016
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: E Liu, L Das, J Shi. Lignin fractionation and characterization from engineered switchgrass. Oral presentation at the 2016 Annual International Meeting of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Orlando, FL, 07/18/2016
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: L Das, J Shi. Catalytic oxidation of lignin in ionic liquids. Oral presentation at the 2016 Annual International Meeting of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Orlando, FL, 07/20/2016
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: U Chirwa, E Liu, J Shi. Bioprocessing of soybean processing waste for bacterial biocontrol agents. Poster presentation at the 2016 Annual International Meeting of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Orlando, FL, 07/19/2016
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: E Liu, L Das, J Shi. Lignin fractionation and characterization from engineered switchgrass. Oral presentation at the 39th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, Baltimore, MD, 04/26/2016
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: E Liu, J Shi. Comparing three pretreatment methods for lignin fractionation from engineered switchgrass. Oral presentation at KY NSF Super Collider 2016, Lexington, KY, 02/26/2016
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: William Sympson, Recirculating Calcium Hydroxide Solution: A Practical Choice For On-Farm High Solids Lignocellulose Pretreatment, 2016, Masters Thesis
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Danielle Empson, Induction of Cellulose in High Solids Cultivation of Trichoderma Reesi for Enhanced Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Lignocellulose, 2016, Masters Thesis
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Julie Baniszewski, Irrigated Zea Mays Response To Nitrogen And High Plant Population Density In Narrow Rows, 2016, Masters Thesis
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Mathew Ruwaya, Automated Solid-Substrate Cultivation Of The Anaerobic Bacterium Clostridium Thermocellum, 2016, Masters Thesis
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Drew Shiavone, Heat And Mass Transfer In Baled Switchgrass For Storage And Bioconversion Applications, 2016, PhD Dissertation


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

Outputs
Target Audience:Scientific commuity interested in biomass conversion. Graduate students intersted in biomass logistics and conversion. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided training for 10 undergraduate research assistants (NCSU, UK and ORNL) in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Chemistry, Microbiology, Agronomy, and Chemical Engineering. We have graduated 11 Master of Science students with projects related to this project, with five more students to finish this coming year. Ten PhD have completed degrees with projects related to this project, with four PhD students still in the pipeline. Two post-doctoral scholars also received training related to this grant during this year. In addition, we have given numerous tours to school groups where we discussed the objectives of the project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our results have been disseminated to the scientific community through conference presentations at venues which include the AIChE International Meeting and the ASABE International meeting. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Next year will focus on analyzing the data collected this year and preparing manuscripts.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal 1: Develop a reliable biomass feedstock supply system using agricultural residues. Field scale yields are 4-7 tons (plots yield 6-8 tons). Single pass harvesting worked well, except for moisture issues in the biomass. When the grain is ready to harvest, the biomass is usually at a higher moisture content than desired for baling. Crushing stalks increased density 10-15% when off the baler, however no increase in density was seen when the crusher was mounted on the baler. Equipment project on hold given the current lack of interest in biofuels nationally. A heat and mass balance mathematical model was developed that predicts moisture migration in large rectangular bales. Geographical information study conducted to evaluate cost in dollars per liter crude biobutanol of transporting crude biobutanol to decentralized refineries versus a centralized refinery. For hauling distances between 8 and 80 km, the cost for transporting to decentralized refineries was approximately half to two-thirds that of transporting to a centralized refinery. Goal 2:Pretreatment (Phanerochaete chrysosporium, NaOH, Ca2 (OH)2 , lignin byproduct analysis) Corn stover: 80% moisture content on 2 mm particle sizes showed 33% lignin degradation after 10 day growth of Phanerochaete crysosporium. Hydrolysis (C. thermocellum, enzymes) An interfacial model of cellulose thin film hydrolysis has been developed, and has been used to quantify the effect of cellobiose inhibition on T. reesei cellulase system on the molecular level. Work has also progressed in using C. thermocellum in this thin film cellulose hydrolysis system. Data were collected for the temperature response curve of C. thermocellum growth and enzymatic activity as a function of solids concentration in the fermentation. Fermentation C. beijerinckii SA-1 was grown on sucrose (with and without syngas) and on cellobiose (without syngas). When no syngas was present, C. beijerinckii SA-1 preferred sucrose, producing approximately 13 g/L butanol as opposed to approximately 6.5 g/L biobutanol on cellobiose. When syngas was present, C. beijerinckii SA-1 produced about 6.5 g/L biobutanol on sucrose. C. beijerinckii grown on 60 g/L NaOH pretreated, enzymatically hydrolyzed corn stover yielded 11.0 g/L butanol (no syngas present). Goal 3:Separation Linking ABE fermentation and product recovery using experimental data and simulation will enable us to determine the effects of fermentation stream and product stream recycle on the fermentation yield and selectivity. The model will also allow us to identify and optimize feasible separation approaches, with an emphasis on low-energy adsorption and membrane separation processes. Previously fermentations were modeled as steady state (even in batch), relative fixed fractional conversion, irrespective of environmental variables such as substrate concentration, and by neglecting autocatalytic cell production. We have developed amodel that uses ASPEN Plus (the industrial standard for the simulation of process unit operations) yet allows for cell growth, dynamic process inputs (substrate concentration, cell biomass), substrate and product inhibition, and recycle streams.Develop and validate integrated geographic information system (GIS)-based economic and life cycle analysis models to provide strategic guidance to the development of the proposed on-farm processing system. Farm profitability models have been developed for switchgrass and corn stover used as feedstock for bio-butanol production. Areas identified where data needs to be shared between laboratories. LCA model is complete, and will be used to provide numbers for the Comparison of on-farm with a large bio-refinery; comparing machine costs versus "real" economics using custom rates; rerun LCA on different scenarios and different feedstocks.

Publications


    Progress 07/14/14 to 09/30/14

    Outputs
    Target Audience:Scientific community interested in biomass converion to biofuels and added-value products. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided training for 19 undergraduate research assistants in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineeirng, Chemistry, Microbiology, Agronomy, and Chemical Engineering. Fourteen MS students are working on projects related to this porjects, and fifteen PhD students are being trained on projects related to this multi-state project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our results have been disseminated to the scientific community through conference presentations at multiple venues. We have published refereed journal articles in a wide variety of journals. Three master's theses and one PhD dissertation were also published and are accessible to the scientific community. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Goal 1: Testing of modified baler, optimization of the ideal transport distance using GIS and GPS. Calibration of TDR sensors. Develop a 3 moisture profile for small rectangular bales with the ultimate goal of provising dynamic measurement of the spacial moisture distribution within herbaceous biomass. Move towards decodinga regulatory framework for lignicellulosic biomass biosysnthesis in the Sorghum mutant RG and Dwarf1 mutants. Goal 2 Scale up butanol fermentation from bench scale to 12 L. Understand the response of metabolic flux in acidogenesis and solventogenesis to different process scenarious, including pretreatment, hydrolysis as well as nutrient supplementation. Goal 3: Incorporate an ABE fermentation model, separation, and recycle in an ASPEN simulation of the on-farm biomass processing. Integrate production data into economic analysis for switchgrass and stover yields: costs, yields, and production practices.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Goal 1. Lignocellulosic biomass, even when baled is not dense enough to fully-load a semi-truck. Alternative equipment to preprocess biomass prior to baling was evaluated. The proposed strategy was able to increase bale density by approximately 10%. The system was tested with wheat straw, corn stover, and miscanthus. This equipment redesign will enable biomass to be transported at a reduced cost, enabling lignocellulosic feedstock to be more economically competitive with other more energy-dense feedstocks. Stored lignocellulose is subject to biological degradation if the moisture content of the bales is too high. Large rectangular bales experience significant heat and mass tranfer effects when stored in variable climates, such as outdoors or in unheated buildings. Effective quantification of bale moistuer content has eluded researchers, and it was unknown whether this was a problem with the sensors or becasue of inherent variability within a bale. Our experiments have shown the importance of good contact between the sensor and material. These results will enable us to devleop a mechanistically-based heat and mass transfer model for switchgrass bales, which will enable better management decision in terms of drying and storage of biomass. Energy crop genetic modification research has suffered from not previously having an easily-transformed model C4 plant to study. We have been studying Seteria viridis to potentially fill this role. Our work to date has resulted in our transformed understanding of the machanism by which the model C4 grass makes cellulose. We have also successfully mapped a cellulose regulatory feature in Sorghum as well as a lignin modification locus, which we expect will ultimately lead to an energy crop that is more easily hydrolyzed to simple sugars than the current wild types. Goal 2. Biomimetic synthetic lignin model compounds were created in our lab and characterized using mass spectrometry (MS) and MS/MS. There are significant structural differences in products resulting form different reaction conditions. During our study of lignin model compounds, we observed significant electrospray response factors for model compounds with a,b-diaryl ether linkages using different ionization conditions. Clostridium beijerinckii was shown to be capable of metabolizing both cellobiose and glucose in hydrolyzate, thereby saving the cost of beta-glucosidases. Pretreated corn stover (PCS) was successfully converted to ABE products using C. beijerinckii without additional nutrients. PCS loadings at 60 g/L (6% w/v solids loading) corresponded to the highest butanol yield of 11.0 g/L with butanol/ABE yields of 0.18g/g to 0.24 g/g. The maximum overall butanol/ABE yield (i.e. 0.22 g/g corn stover obtained in this work was approx. twice as high as th eoverall yield that was previously obtained using corn stover in the literatures (0.13 g/g corn stover) or using any other agricultural lignocellulose of which we are aware. Goal 3: Aspen simpulation process models of gass stripping and adsorption were developed using model ABE fermentation product streams as inputs. The experimental adsorption isotherms for ABE fermentation products on activated carbon were used as parameters in the process simulation model.

    Publications

    • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Elia, Noelia. 2014. Sequential co-culture of anaerobic bacteria on switchgrass in a continuous flow-through reactor for biofuel production. University of Kentucky
    • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Wooten, Mary K. 2014. Nanofiltration membranes from oriented mesoporous silica thin films. University of Kentucky.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: January 13, 2014 presented paper at the American Forage and Grassland Council annual meeting in Memphis, TN on completed tissue analysis research.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Graduate Student Martin Battagalia attended the Agronomy Society of America-Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America International Meetings and presented the results of his thesis.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: W. Yao, Sue E. Nokes, Michael D. Flythe, Barbara L. Knutson, Bert C. Lynn, Stephen E. Rankin, Michael Montross. Improvement of biomass conversion by periodic flushing system. Institute of Biological Engineering 2014 Annual Conference, Lexington, KY March 6-8, 2014.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2014 Citation: Sukumara, S., W. Faulkner, J. Amundson, F. Badurdeen, and J. Seay. 2014. A comprehensive techno-economic analysis tool to validate long-term viability of emerging biorefining processes. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy. Invited paper submitted April, 2014.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2014 Citation: Petti, C., DeBolt, S. 2014. Gibberellic acid regulates expenasion via cellulose biosynthesis in the C4 grain crop Sorghum biocolor (L.) Moench.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2014 Citation: Petti, C., Kushwaha, R., Tateno, M., Stork, J. Harman-Ware, A.E., Crocker, M., Awika, J., and DeBolt, S. 2014. Mutagenesis breeding for increased 3-deoxyanthocyanidin accumulation in leaves of Sorshum biocolor (L.) Moench: a source of natural food pigment. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Kato, D., and Bert C. Lynn. A potential alternate synthesis of Thioacidylosis. Presented at the 62nd ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, Baltimore, MD June 15-19, 2014.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Huang, F., and B.C. Lynn. 2014. Elucidation of synthetic lignin oligomers by tandem mass spectrometry. Presented at the 62nd ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, Baltimore, MD June 15-19, 2014.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Yao, W. and S. Nokes. 2014. Phanerochaete chrysosporium pretreatment of biomass to enhance solvent production using solid-substrate cultivation. Biomass and Bioenergy. 62, 100-107.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2014 Citation: Yao, W. and S. Nokes. 2014. First proof of concept of sustainable metabolite production from high solids fermentation of lignocellulosic biomass using a bacterial co-culture and cycling flush system. Bioresource Technology
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Modenbach, A., and S. Nokes. Effects of solids loadings in sodium hydroxide pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stover. Presented at the Institute of Biological Engineering 2014 Annual Conference, Lexington, KY March 6-8, 2014.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Joshi, S., Rao, A., Lehmler, H-J, Knutson, B. and Ranking, S. 2014. Interfacial molecular imprinting of Stober particle surfaces: A simple approach to targeted saccharide adsorption. Jouranl of Colloid and Interface Science. 428(2014): 101-110.