Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences include the biofuel and bioproduct research community, the farmers and processors, and biotechnology industry. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Through the support of S-1075, six graduate students (including three minority and two female students) were trained. Trainees Ryan Kalinoski, PhD candidate Rilwan Oyetunji, PhD candidate Toby Adjuik, PhD student Can Liu, PhD Student Julia Parker, MS student Jameson Hunter, MS student How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The research outcomes were presented at international conferences and published as journal articles. The results of antimicrobial and biocontrol related study were presented at the annual meeting of ASABE and other professional societies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to explore lignin derived antimicrobial compounds. We will also continue to investigate the other activities proposed in the Objective B. Graduate students will be trained.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective A: Develop deployable biomass feedstock and supply knowledge, processes and logistics systems that economically deliver timely and sufficient quantities of biomass with predictable specifications to meet efficient handling, storage and conversion process requirements. N/A Objective B: Research and develop technically feasible, economically viable and environmentally sustainable technologies to convert biomass resources into chemicals, energy, materials in a biorefinery methodology including developing co-products to enable greater commercialization potential. 1) The Impact of Red Clover Drying Rate and Storage Conditions on Isoflavone Bioavailability Isoflavones are biologically active plant secondary metabolites that have various benefits in humans and animals. Benefits of isoflavones derived from forage plants fall into the categories of natural products, nutraceuticals, natural feed additives and functional feeds. Isoflavones have been seen to serve as anticarcinogens due to their antioxidant properties. They have also been seen to reduce cardiovascular diseases and reduce hot flashes in menopausal women. In ruminants, biomass isoflavones derived from forage plants, like red clover, have been seen to improve meat quality, reduce acidosis, improve fiber digestion, increase muscle mass ratio, and promote weight gain. The aim of this project is to add value to red clover, by studying how different drying and storage conditions sustain red clover isoflavones before it is fed to ruminants. This study is important because red clover grows only in the summer and it is necessary to feed it to ruminants, as stored hay, during the Fall and winter seasons. An ex-vivo study is also going to be done to further understand how the ruminant's digestive system responds to the various drying conditions used to dry the red clover before its stored. 2) Application of bio-based super absorbent polymers (hydrogels) for efficient soil water management and improved soil health The productivity of crops depends to a large extent on the ability of soil to provide the right amount of water to the growing plants while supporting beneficial soil microorganisms. Hydrogels have emerged as a viable option to use in retaining rain and irrigation water which is made available to the crop as soil dries. This project seeks to utilize lignin-based hydrogels as a means of efficiently managing soil water availability while acting as carriers of beneficial soil microorganisms. Lignin is a by-product of the bio-refinery industries, so lignin is relatively inexpensive to obtain and use for the synthesis of hydrogels. Many studies have used hydrogels for soil water management, however synthetic hydrogels are expensive and have slow biodegradation rates. There is a dearth in knowledge about how lignin hydrogels will affect soil moisture retention and beneficial microbes like Rhizobia. Further research is thus needed to quantify the performance of lignin-based hydrogels as soil amendments for increasing soil water retention and acting as beneficial microbial carriers. The use of lignin as a source of hydrogel production will eventually lead to the reduction of waste streams of lignin from biorefineries and potentially be a means of carbon sequestration by returning carbon to the soil. 3) Solid State Cultivation of Biocontrol Microorganisms As an effort to valorize natural resources for agricultural uses, we investigated the production of biocontrol agents using solid state cultivation of two model biocontrol microorganisms (Bacillus pumilus and Streptomyces griseus). In this study, "the effects of cultivation parameters such as initial moisture content, water activity, and cultivation time on microbial growth and spore production were studied. Furthermore, texture profile analysis was performed to test the stress and strain curve and the hardness and stickiness of the substrates. The greatest spore production occurred at 50% moisture content with millets as a substrate, yielding a count of 1.34 × 108 spores/g-wet-substrate enumerated with plate count analysis and 1.70 × 108 events/g-wet-substrate using flow cytometry analysis. Substrate texture profile was highly correlative to the initial moisture content and substrate type and all proved to be essential process variables in controlling the bacterial growth and sporulation during SSC processes." (this work has been published as a journal article in MDPI Fermentation Journal) 4) Lignin derived antimicrobial compounds Overuse of antibiotic agents in agriculture sectors has become a growing issue. On the other hand, as a natural source of phenolic compounds, lignin plays an important role in plant defense. We examined lignin derived phenolic compounds for their antimicrobial properties. In this study, "purified alkali-enzymatic corn stover lignin (AEL) was depolymerized by catalytic transfer hydrogenolysis using supercritical ethanol and a Ru/C catalyst, generating a bio-oil stream at high yields. Sequential extraction using hexane, petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethyl acetate extracted the raw bio-oil into 5 fractions at 50.7-5.8 wt% yields of total bio-oil in the order of chloroform > hexane > petroleum ether ≈ water > ethyl acetate. Extraction efficiency followed the trend that the first solvent used in each change in polarity during sequential extraction had the highest percentage of products extracted. Molecular weights of the raw bio-oil and sequential extraction fractions (SEF) were much lower than the purified AEL, demonstrating depolymerization of lignin into low molecular weight products. The monomers in the bio-oil fractions contained primarily alkylated phenols, hydrogenated hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, syringol and guaiacol-type lignins. Results suggest that the total monomer concentration and the presence of specific monomers (i.e., syringyl propane) may correlate to the antimicrobial activity, but the exact mode of action or antimicrobial activity caused by the complex mixtures of monomers and unidentified oligomers remains unclear." (this work has been published as a journal article in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering) Objective C: N/A
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Kalinoski RA, Li, W, Mobley J, Asare, S, Dorrani, M, Lynn B, Chen X, Shi J (2020) Antimicrobial properties of corn stover lignin fractions derived from catalytic transfer hydrogenolysis in supercritical ethanol with a Ru/C catalyst, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, accepted
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
GY Lee, W Li, UM Chirwa, J Shi (2020) Effect of substrate characteristics on the growth and sporulation of two biocontrol microorganisms during solid state cultivation. Fermentation, 6, 69
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
L Das, W Li, LA Dodge, JC Stevens, DW Williams, H Hong, C Li, AE Ray, J Shi (2020) Comparative evaluation of industrial hemp cultivars: agronomical practices, feedstock characterization and potential for biofuels and bioproducts, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 8, 16, 62006210
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Toby Adjuik, Ole Wendroth, Michael Sama. The Effect of Different Moisture Content Super Absorbent Polymer on Water Retention of a Silt Loam Soil. ASABE Annual International Meeting, Online. Poster Presentation. July 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Ryan Kalinoski Jian Shi. Controlling Bacterial Contamination during Fuel Ethanol Fermentation by Utilizing Thermochemical Depolymerized Lignin Bio-Oils, ASABE Annual International Meeting, Online. On-demand Oral Presentation. July 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Kalinoski R.M., Shi J. et al., 2019. Comparative Evaluation of 11 Industrial Hemp Varieties as Potential Energy Crops, the Hemp Field Day, Lexington, KY. Aug 23.
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Progress 11/16/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The biomass research community. Farmers that are interested in crops such as hemp, switchgrass, and biogas. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate students trained:Hunter, Jameson;Kalinoski, Ryan;Liu, Can; Oyetunji, Rilwan;Parker, Julia;Vin-Nnajiofor, Makua;Zhang, Yuxuan;Adjuik, Toby;Lopez, Gary; Dixon, Seth. Undergradaute student trained:Nguyen, Truc How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been presented at professional conferences including the annual international meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers; Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals; annual meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objetive 1: Comparative Evaluation of Industrial Hemp Cultivars: Agronomical Practices, Feedstock Characterization and Potential for Biofuels and Bioproducts:Industrial hemp has gained resurgent interest recently for applications in various sectors. This study evaluated 11 different industrial hemp [6 fiber-only and 5 dual-purpose (fiber and grain)] cultivars and compared their potential as a commodity crop for biofuel and bioproducts via combined agronomical, experimental, and economic analysis approaches. Composition analyses suggest large variations on the glucan, xylan and lignin contents among the tested hemp cultivars while the theoretical ethanol yields ranged from 91 to 101 gallons/dry ton hemp stems predicted based on the glucan and xylan contents. Results from dilute acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis suggest practical ethanol yields of 70-91 gallons /dry ton hemp stems, with the highest ethanol yield of 91.1 gallons /dry ton hemp stems from the Futura 75 cultivar and the lowest of 70.6 gallons /dry ton hemp stems from the Codimone cultivar. Based on the agronomic data, the per hectare hemp stem biomass yield ranged 2933 kg to 8340 kg for fiber-only cultivars, while 3582 kg to 7665 kg for the dual-purpose cultivars. In addition to the stems, field trial for the dual-purpose cultivars showed grain yields ranges from 555 to 1083 kg/ha. Preliminary cost analysis indicates that overall dual-purpose cultivars have advantages over fiber-only cultivars in terms of potential per hectare gross profit, with Bialobrzeskie and NWG 331 being the highest among all tested cultivars. These combined evaluations illustrate that industrial hemp has a significant potential becoming a promising regional commodity crop for producing both biofuels and value-added products. Objetive 2: Natural deep eutectic solvent mediated extrusion for continuous high-solid pretreatment:Several deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been demonstrated to be highly effective for biomass pretreatment, combining the advantages of simple synthesis, relatively low chemical cost and better biocompatibility as compared to certain ionic liquids. However, low biomass loading reported in literature hinders its practical use. In this study, a twin-screw extruder was used for pretreating biomass sorghum bagasse at solid loadings up to 50%, mediated by a neutral pH DES, choline chloride: glycerol (ChCl:Gly). This continuous extrusion process led to high glucose and xylose yields of >85% from enzymatic saccharification of the pretreated sorghum. A combination of microscopic, spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction analyses demonstrate high degree of defibration and disruption of the biomass structures; however, little or no change in chemical compositions. Further evidences from gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and NMR spectroscopic analysis indicate that ChCl:Gly-mediated extrusion preserved the basic lignin structure characteristics and showed insignificant differences between extruded biomass at solid loading of 30% and 50%. This study demonstrates the potential of DES-mediated extrusion as a highly effective continuous high-solid biomass pretreatment technology for industrial-relevant applications. Upgrading thermohydrolysis-treated biosolids as granular enzyme supplements for anaerobic digestion:Steam explosion-based thermohydrolysis technique such as the one commercialized by CAMBI® has been applied on a large scale in many municipal wastewater treatment plants across the world for intensified sewage sludge management and Class-A biosolid production. The sterile nature of biosolids as a result of the steam explosion offers new opportunities for culture-based value-added bioproduct which was not possible directly with the untreated sewage sludge. To explore the feasibility of valorizing steam explosion-pretreated biosolids, selected fungal strains were inoculated into the biosolids obtained from the full-scale CAMB® facility at DCWater to produce cellulolytic, lignolytic, lipolytic and proteolytic enzymes possessing commercialization potential for accelerating anaerobic digestion, composting, or even landfill of biosolids. Variables tested and optimized for maximum enzyme production in this study include inoculation ratios, temperatures, C/N ratios, loading rates, and agitation intensity. The produced enzyme-rich granules greatly boosted biogas yield when supplemented to anaerobic digestion of municipal solid wastes. This study opens a new avenue of biosolids valorization using culture-based techniques and demonstrates potential use of biosolids as a bio-augmentation strategy of anaerobic digestion.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Kalinoski, R. M., Shi, J. (2019). Hydrogels derived from lignocellulosic compounds: Evaluation of the compositional, structural, mechanical and antimicrobial properties, (vol. 128, pp. 323-330) Industrial Crops and Products
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Dodge, L. A., Kalinoski, R. M., Das, L., Bursavich, J., Muley, P., Boldor, D., Shi, J. (2019). Sequential Extraction and Characterization of Lignin-Derived Compounds from Thermochemically Processed Biorefinery Lignins, (5 ed., vol. 33, pp. 4322-4330) Energy & Fuels
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Kalinoski, R., Shi, J., "Exploring Antimicrobial Properties of Lignin Derived Compounds and Materials," 2018 AIChE Annual Meeting, Pittsburg, PA, United States. (October 30, 2018).
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Li, W., Amos, K., Li, M., Pu, Y., DeBolt, S., Ragauskas, A. J., Shi, J. (2018). Fractionation and characterization of lignin streams from unique high-lignin content endocarp feedstocks, (1 ed., vol. 11, pp. 304) Biotechnology for Biofuels
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Stevens, J. C., Shi, J. (2019). Biocatalysis in ionic liquids for lignin valorization: Opportunities and recent developments, (pp. 107418) Biotechnology Advances
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Stevens, J. C., Das, L., Mobley, J. K., Asare, S. O., Lynn, B., Rodgers, D. W., Shi, J. (2019). Understanding laccase-ionic liquid interactions toward biocatalytic lignin conversion in aqueous ionic liquids, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Liu, C., Wang, Z., Shi, J., "Valorization of Steam Explosion-Pretreated Biosolids for Value-Added Enzymatic Bioproducts.", 2019 ASABE AIM, Boston, MA
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