Progress 03/01/24 to 02/28/25
Outputs
Target Audience:The Sustainable Wood to Fuel and Fish Feed (SWF3) website has been created and can be accessed through this link https://umaine.edu/swf3/. The website will continue to be developed throughout the project, including the addition of a resources page where informational materials become available, information about micro-credential opportunities, and a section linking to relevant external and university news stories that are published later into the project. The SWF3 research outcomes were presented at two international conferences attended by industrial stakeholders and the academic community. Four articles based on the SWF3 research outcomes have been submitted to peer-reviewed journals. The project team is working directly with five bioeconomy companies. The status of technological development is communicated to these companies regularly through status reports and virtual meetings. Additionally, the project team is sharing project results with researchers at the two Department of Energy National Laboratories via regular virtual meetings. Feedback from industrial and national laboratory partners is being incorporated into the ongoing SWF3 research. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate Student Education: Six graduate students pursuing Ph.D. degrees were recruited to the SWF3 program. These students were trained to use analytical instruments needed to accomplish their respective research tasks. Four course modules were developed and integrated into the undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum. To date, approximately 70 undergraduate students have been trained using these modules. Undergraduate Student Education: Course Module 1: CHE 111 is structured to introduce students to the chemical engineering profession. A teaching module titled "Design and Analysis of a Chemical Process for Fish Feed Production from Wood Waste" was introduced to CHE 111 students in the Fall 2024 semester. The objective was to have the students design a process concept for producing fish feed from wood waste and identify challenges and opportunities for sustainability and profit. An SWF3 researcher from the Aquaculture Research Institute gave a presentation on raising salmon for food as an introduction to the teaching module. Student outcomes included learning how to describe a conceptual chemical process using process flow diagrams with unit operations and material streams. Students learned how to work in teams to synthesize ideas and present them orally. Course Module 2: CHE 112 (Introduction to Chemical Engineering II) is structured to introduce students to chemical engineering calculations while teaching python programming for problem solving. The CHE 112 course module asked students to assess yeast filtration at constant pressure. The students derived a design relationship from data provided and appropriate equations. The students evaluated production economics for two different membranes and compared results. The students were asked to comment on filtration operation trade-offs and potential optimization. Course Module 3: CHE 479 (chemical engineering senior design) students were provided with a design project titled "Lignocellulosic biomass as a protein source for commercial fish feed" based on pilot-scale dilute acid pretreatment and bench-scale enzymatic hydrolysis data. Students were asked to select the optimal separation and purification processes for recovering the yeast cells after the fermentation process before drying. Students were further asked "Are we ready to commercialize? Develop a process flowsheet for converting woody biomass to fish feed. Based your analysis on a feed rate of 100 metric tons/day of wood processing capacity. Prepare a process flow diagram (PFD), justify the selection of separation and purification unit processes in PFD, estimate material and energy balances, provide major equipment design specification, and an estimate of capital and operating costs. Finally, identify environmental, health, and safety concerns and possible solutions to these concerns for producing fish feed." Course Module 4: A life cycle assessment (LCA) module was developed and integrated into CHE 478 (Analysis/Simulation/Synthesis of Chemical Processes). This LCA module is taught over three class periods. The first period introduces the need for conducting an LCA, the different types of LCA, and the definition of goals and scope within the LCA framework (ISO 14040/44). The second period covers process boundaries and inventory analysis, following the LCA framework (ISO 14040/44). In the third period, students learn how to translate inventory data into impacts using mid-point and end-point impact assessment methods. Additionally, data interpretation and uncertainty analysis are discussed in the third lecture of the LCA module. A video was created to teach students how to use the Open LCA tool. LCA projects compared the environmental impacts of traditional fish feed production with alternative wood-derived fish feed production. Evaluation of Course Modules: The external evaluators provided surveys to students who were trained with course modules to assess the effectiveness of the training materials. The survey results indicate that the material in all course modules was new to almost all participants, which is a positive outcome. Students generally responded positively regarding the presentation of the modules. All students in CHE 112 agreed or strongly agreed that the module provided "a preliminary understanding of what a chemical engineering plant design involves," which is a strong endorsement. As for whether students "foresee using what I learned from this module in my future career," the responses were mixed for both modules. Mixed responses are expected for this question, as not all students are anticipating a career in the bioeconomy sector and thus would not be expected to report that they would be "using what I learned from this module in my future career." More than half of the first-year students were either not aware of, or were "neutral," regarding their awareness of the bioeconomy and bioproducts at the start of the semester. It is notable, however, that while there was initial "unawareness," 52% of first-year students reported gaining "interest in pursuing a career in the bioeconomy sector" after completing the module. The course modules in CHE 112 increased the interest of 55% of its total participants in pursuing a career in the bioeconomy sector. This includes 52% of freshmen noting an increased interest due to the module and 66% of CHE 479 and LCA trainees reporting the same. We will continue to refine the course modules using the student feedback as we progress with the SWF3 research outcomes, while also developing new modules. Feedback and perspectives from our External Advisory Board members will also be used to improve the course modules. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The SWF3 website has been created and can be accessed through this link https://umaine.edu/swf3/ . The website will continue to be developed throughout the project, including the addition of a resources page where informational materials become available, information about micro-credential opportunities, and a section linking to relevant external and university news stories that are published later into the project. The SWF3 research outcomes were presented at two international conferences attended by industrial stakeholders and the academic community. Four articles based on the SWF3 research outcomes have been submitted to peer-reviewed journals. The project team is working directly with five bioeconomy companies. The status of technological development is communicated to these companies regularly through status reports and virtual meetings. Additionally, the project team is sharing project results with researchers at the two Department of Energy National Laboratories via regular virtual meetings. Feedback from industrial and national laboratory partners is being incorporated into the ongoing SWF3 research. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The research, education, and extension activities will continue in alignment with the second-year project objectives outlined in the proposal. The impact of mechanical preprocessing of waste wood on its bulk rheological properties will be investigated. We will analyze differences in the chemical composition of biocrude produced from waste wood using both batch and continuous hydrothermal liquefaction reactors. Metal catalysts will be screened for their effectiveness in upgrading biocrude into jet fuel. The results of the biocrude chemical composition analysis will be used to validate and further enhance our Artificial Intelligence models. Pilot-scale production of sugars from waste wood biomass will be completed using state-of-the-art dilute acid pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. These sugars will be supplied to our industrial partner to produce fish feed ingredients, which will then be formulated into fish feed. Novel deep eutectic solvents will be designed and characterized to improve biomass pretreatment efficiency compared to conventional dilute acid pretreatment. A preliminary supply chain analysis of low-quality waste wood, along with an economic analysis of the co-production of fish feed and fuel in a biorefinery, will be conducted. The fifth course module, focusing on comparing the flowability of low-quality woody biomass slurries using centrifugal and progressive cavity pumps, will be developed and incorporated into the undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum. We will recruit undergraduate student interns for the SWF3 project through a merit-based selection process. We are developing course content for Bioeconomy and Systems Thinking courses. Where applicable, newly developed course modules will be incorporated. A YouTube video demonstrating the conversion of low-quality biomass into fish feed ingredients will be created. Additionally, a preliminary factsheet and infographic will be developed using findings from the SWF3 research. A macroeconomic analysis will be initiated to identify policy gaps in the U.S. With our SWF3 research findings, we plan to deliver at least three conference presentations and are on track to submit a minimum of two peer-reviewed articles. We continue to expand our network of industrial partners and maintain effective communication with both current and prospective collaborators to support technology development and transfer.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A. Research Objectives In Year 1, our team investigated the flowability of mechanically preprocessed low-quality woody biomass (LWB) slurries (A.1), produced bio-crude via batch hydrothermal liquifaction(HTL) and designed a continuous HTL reactor (A.2). We developed a preliminary artificial intelligence (AI) model to assess combustion properties of HTL-derived fuels (A.3), initiated pilot-scale sugar production from LWB (A.4), and established analytical tools to evaluate wood-derived protein for fish feed (A.5). A preliminary process model was also created to assess the economic potential of converting LWB into fuel and feed (A.6) A.1 : When LWB was processed at pilot-scale by dilute acid pretreatment for sugar production (Objective A.4), we encountered dewatering of the pretreated slurries in the process piping prior to the pilot plant filter press. Mechanical and thermal preprocessing of LWB, along with the addition of rheological modifiers, can help address these issues. The forest bioproducts research institute (FBRI) at UMaine has been using a small-scale flow loop to study these types of effects in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory. As a result of this collaboration, an invention disclosure was submitted to UMaine for using a particular biomass-derived flow aid to improve the pumpability of biomass slurries. As an example of reducing the invention to practice, we applied the invention to successfully process 250 kg of the dilute acid pretreated solids through the filter press (Objective A.4). A.2: The continuous HTL reactor system design is complete, and all custom high-pressure (>4000 psi) pumps, high-temperature (>400°C) and high-pressure (>4000 psi) reactors have been ordered from U.S. suppliers, with a 4-6-month lead time. We hypothesize that the slower heating and cooling of batch HTL reactors may alter the chemical profile of biopolymer depolymerization products compared to those from continuous HTL. To investigate this hypothesis, batch-scale HTL reactions of LWB were conducted in Year 1, including tests at supercritical conditions (375°C) and elevated pressures. GC-MS analysis showed the resulting bio-crude was rich in aromatic compounds, with minimal effect from supercritical water density. UMaine also acquired and was trained on a 2D GC-MS system for detailed compound identification in complex samples like bio-crude. A.3: Datasets, created using published studies, were used to create models that can predict outputs based on process inputs (like temperature, pressure, or biomass type). Several different modeling approaches were assessed, and the XGBoost was determined to have the best performance. Lastly, the research team has continued to refine models for predicting fuel properties based on molecular structure. Two different molecular classes, namely terpenes and lactones, have been the focus of the research due to their large range of carbon numbers and categorical variety of structures. To identify promising lactone biofuels, the present work leverages predictive models (artificial neural networks) to predict the sooting tendency (quantified by the yield sooting index, YSI), kinematic viscosity (KV), energy density (quantified by the lower heating value, LHV), and cetane number (CN) of various classes of lactones. Expected prediction errors as defined by blind test set median absolute error are within 7.12 ± 3.96 YSI units, 0.12 ± 0.07 KV units, 0.85 ± 0.23 MJ/kg, and 4.11 ± 0.40 CN, respectively. The analysis indicates that 12-carbon dodecalactones possess fuel properties near Diesel fuel, indicating their potential as a drop-in fuel. A.4: The target is to produce approximately 80 kg of fish feed protein ingredients. To produce 80 kg of protein, about 160 kg of mixed sugars derived from LWB are required. State-of-the-art dilute acid pretreatment technology is being used to reduce the recalcitrance of LWB prior to enzymatic hydrolysis. The performance of the dilute acid pretreatment, in terms of saccharification efficiency at a given enzyme loading on the pretreated solids, will be used as a baseline for comparing the potential of novel biomass pretreatment technologies developed at the bench scale in the coming years. Industrial partners Novonesis and Enzyme Solutions have supplied enzymes for both pilot scale and bench scale enzymatic saccharification processes. The pilot scale facility with a LWB processing capacity of one metric ton per day was used to pretreat LWB using the dilute acid pretreatment. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the dilute acid-pretreated solids was studied at laboratory scale. Our industrial partner, Arbiom, advised us to minimize the use of citrate buffers during enzymatic hydrolysis, as it could negatively impact the downstream fermentation process. Consequently, we performed experiments to assess the effect of reducing buffer usage on the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. A.5: The goal of the 5-year nutrition research task is to increase aquaculture sustainability by transforming the high-quality protein (Single cell protein-derived from LWB) into a practical feedstuff for aquafeeds. At present, we have developed most of the research protocols (including obtaining approval for the protocols from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IUCAC), completed the AU480 professional training. Sixteen plasma parameters related to fish health were calibrated using the AU480. Cooke Aquaculture, the largest U.S. salmon producer, has agreed to serve as an external advisory board member, providing valuable expertise to ensure the program's successful integration into the aquaculture sector. A.6: A process model to make fish feed ingredients and fuel from LWB was created to simulate material and energy balances. The pilot-scale-generated data was used to select the appropriate unit processes for the conversion of LWB to fermentable sugars. B. Education Four teaching modules were developed based on SWF3 research and introduced in four chemical engineering undergraduate courses at UMaine. Two of these courses were first-year courses (CHE 111 and CHE 112). The other two courses were fourth-year courses (CHE 479 and CHE 478). Assessment data that was collected by the external evaluator from undergraduate students was positive, and their feedback is being used to refine the modules. One of the course modules gained attention from the Maine College of Engineering and Computing Dean's office, which used the module as part of promotional materials to encourage high school students to pursue degrees in engineering and computer science. C. Extension The SWF3 project has launched a website that will continue to evolve throughout the project's duration, including updates such as a resources page, micro credential opportunities, and links to relevant news. The data management outcome portal (DOP) was deployed and was made accessible to all the project participants. The DOP was used to collect publications, conference presentations, and other outcomes. The project's research outcomes have been presented at two international conferences with industrial and academic participants, and four articles based on these outcomes have been submitted to peer-reviewed journals. The team collaborates with five bioeconomy companies, providing regular updates through reports and virtual meetings. They are also sharing results with researchers at two Department of Energy National Laboratories, incorporating feedback from both industrial partners and national laboratories into the ongoing research.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Glenn Matamoros, Sampath Gunukula, M.C. Wheeler, Luke Williams, Understanding the Effect of Particle Characteristics on Flowability of Biomass Slurries (2024), AIChE Annual Conference, San Diego.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Rutvi Patel and J. Hunter Mack, Predicting the Properties of Lactones as Alternative Fuels for Compression-Ignition Engines, U.S. National Combusting Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, March 16-19, 2025.
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