Annual/Termination Reports:

[10/01/2008] [10/14/2009] [08/04/2010] [10/05/2011] [10/22/2012] [10/09/2013]

Report Information

Participants

Carrier, Julie (carrier@uark.edu)- University of Arkansas;
Chen, Chengci (cchen@montana.edu) - Montana State University;
Chen, Jay (Jay_Cheng@ncsu.edu) - North Carolina State University;
Chen, Yan ( ychen@agcenter.lsu.edu) - Louisiana State University;
Columbus, Eugene (columbus@abe.msstate.edu) - Mississippi State University;
Gunasekaran, Sundaram (Guna) (guna@wisc.edu) University of Wisconsin;
Hanna, Milford (mhanna1@unl.edu) - University of Nebraska;
Klindt, Tom (tklindt@utk.edu) - University of Tennessee;
Lira, Carl (lira@egr.msu.edu) - Michigan State University;
Nokes, Sue (snokes@bae.uky.edu) - University of Kentucky;
Ruan, Roger (ruanx001@umn.edu) - University of Minnesota;
Rausch, Kent (krausch @uiuc.edu) - University of Illinois;
Tao, Bernie (tao@ purdue.edu) - Purdue University;
Tumbleson, Mike (mtumbles@uiuc.edu) - University of Illinois;
Viamajala, Shridhar (sviamajala@cc.usu.edu) - Utah State University;
Walker, Terry (walker4@clemson.edu) - Clemson;
Wang, Donghai (dwang@ksu.edu) - Kansas State;
Wen, Zhiyou (wenz@vt.edu) - Virginia Tech;
Wilkins, Mark (mark.wilkins@okstate.edu) - Oklahoma State University;
Wiesenborn, Dennis (@ars.usda.gov) - North Dakota State University;
Womac, Al ( awomac@utk.edu) - University of Tennessee;
Young, Eric (eyoung@ncsu.edu) - North Carolina State University;

Brief Summary of Minutes

September 15, 2008 Waterfront Building, Washington, DC

Meeting was called to order at 8:05 AM by Chair Julie Carrier. The Chair convened the meeting, welcomed the attendees, and informed the group of some challenging developments with respect to the proposed new 5-year project submission. The SDC-325 group was mistaken on the deadline for the new project proposal submission. The SDC-325 group found out at the meeting that the new Multi-State project needed to be completed and approved by September 30, 2008, and not by September 30, 2009. The Chair became aware of this misunderstanding in early August, and was forced to promptly submit an early draft of the proposal. The Southern Multistate Research Committee voted to defer approval of the project, and the Chair was informed of this decision only on Friday, Sept. 12. Tasks that needed to be completed to obtain approval of the new 5-year project included: 1) identify how possible collaborations among the SDC-325 participants; 2) list possible outcomes; 3) Identify key review articles; and 4) Search the CRIS database for projects that were related to the current SDC-325. Submission of the revised SDC-325 proposal was set for September 19, 2008, so that approval could be obtained by September 30, 2008.

At 8:10 Thomas Klindt addressed the committee as the new administrative advisor of this committee, replacing Roland Mote. Tom reviewed the circumstances that make this committee particularly timely. He reminded the committee that integrated research between participants is one of the main expectations of this committee.

8:20 Self introductions by all in attendance

8:25 Minutes for the 2007 meeting were approved with the following corrections (in bold, under section 8:00): SDC 325&will exist from Oct. 1, 2006 to Sept. 30, 2008. And The new 5-year project should be submitted by Apr., 2008 to ensure approval by Oct. 1, 2008.

8:30 Hongda Chen and Carmela Bailey, who are both CSREES National Program Leaders of Plant and Animal Systems Unit, welcomed the group to its third meeting in Washington, D.C., reviewed the history of this group, and explained some logistics for this meeting.

8:40 Brad Rein, CSREES Director of Plant and Animal Systems Unit, provided an overview of the recent Farm Bill and updates on the Science Road Map, restructuring of CSREES into the new National Institute of Food & Agriculture, Sun Grant and the Biomass R&D Initiative. NRI and IFAFS will be restructured into the new Agriculture & Food Research Initiative (AFRI) effective 2009.

8:50 Bill Goldner, CSREES Program Leader of SBIR programs, provided insight into USDAs growing role among federal agencies in the area of renewable energy and provided an overview of the Energy Science & Education Workshop in September, 2007, the Strategic Energy Science Plan, and SBIR programs targeting industrial crop products.

9:25 Marie Walsh, a CSREES consultant, reported on a comprehensive review of active and pending CSREES programs in bioenergy and bioproducts, as described in the CRIS database for the period Jan. 1, 2006 to Jan. 31, 2008. The total number of projects deemed to be substantially bioenergy and/or bioproducts in this period was 640 with $85 M in funding, mainly through federal earmarks. The projects were extensively cross-listed in a MS Access database for ready analysis of research overlap and gaps.

The meeting was suspended for a break at 10:15

10:30 Bruce Hamilton, NSF CBET Program Director, provided an overview of NSFs organization and programs, especially those which relate closely to this group.

11:00 John Ferrel, DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Biomass Program Feedstock Development, provided an overview of DOE Bioenergy Centers and partnerships with the Landgrant Universities. DOE currently budgets $4 M/yr to biomass energy through a variety of solicitations.

The meeting was suspended for a lunch break at 11:50

12:50 The Chair led a session that was aimed at obtaining input from the group as to how to best address the weaknesses that were pointed out in the SDC-325 proposal. It was decided that Kent Rausch was to collect information to document the outcomes. The group identified key review articles that should be included in the revised SDC-325 proposal. Informal breakout sessions provided details to help articulate how Multi-State collaboration will occur in certain projects. Professional meetings, in which the SDC-325 group is well represented, were identified. SDC 325 was cognizant of the Multi-State Project SERA 38 Biobased energy research and information exchange committee, which is an extension and outreach committee aimed at complementing SDC-325. SDC 325 was also aware of NC 506  Sustainable biorefining systems for corn in the NC region, which is devoted to examining the sustainability of corn to ethanol operations. NC 506 is complementary to SDC 325 and little duplication was reported. A CRIS data search showed the projects Management of Grain Quality and Security for World Markets and Wood Utilization Research on US Biofuels, Bioproducts, Hybrid Biomaterials Composites Production, and Traditional Forest Products, which did not present significant overlap because this current project is not devoted solely either to corn or to forestry-derived feedstock. The project  New Technologies for the Utilization of Textile Materials was located on the CRIS data search and some overlap is detected in Objective C Task 4.

Participants took a short break from 2:10 to 2:30 pm

2:30 Presentation by Marie Walsh on biofuel database derived from CRIS reports. Database constructed in MS access. She used 81 key terms to pull out relevant research projects. Her question to the committee was Can we standardize these terms and reduce the number and still have meaningful results? The general consensus was yes, that would be something this committee could assist with. Maria agreed to post the database on the S-1007 website. A discussion ensued about character limitations in CRIS reports, and that might be a result of older technology. The question was raised to Hongda Chen as to whether the size of the CRIS reports could be enlarged. Hongda asked if the four knowledge areas (KAs) were helpful. There was general agreement as to their usefulness; however, the group questioned the fact that these knowledge areas were slanted more towards production Agriculture rather than towards Value-Added Processing.

3:30 -5:00 Station Reports started

1. University of Minnesota (Roger Ruan);

2. Mississippi State (Eugene Columbus);

3. Kansas State (Donghai Wang);

4. University of Tennessee (Al Womac);

5. Michigan State University (Carl Lira);

6. North Carolina State (Jay Cheng);

7. Montana State (Chengci Chen);

September 16, 2008 Waterfront Building, Washington, DC

8:05 The Chair began with Committee Business. Mark Wilkins was nominated as Secretary by Bernie Tao. Milford Hanna seconded this motion. Mark Wilkins was unanimously elected.

The current officers (2008-2009) are: Dennis Weisenborn  Chair, Sue Nokes - Vice-Chair, Mark Wilkins  Secretary.

The 2009 meeting will be held at PNNL (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) September 21-22, 2009. Travel arrangements should be made to Richland Airport, Washington State.

Mark Wilkins moved we have the 2010 meeting in Knoxville, TN. Sue Nokes seconded it. The motion was approved unanimously. The intent is to tour the lignocellulosic pilot plant being built in TN.

9:00 am Station Reports were delivered:

8. University of Kentucky (Sue Nokes);

9. Louisiana State University (Jonathon Chen);

10. Utah State (Sridar Viamajala);

11. Virginia Tech (Zhiyou Wen);

12. Purdue (Bernie Tao);

13. Clemson (Terry Walker);

14. Oklahoma State University (Mark Wilkins);

15. North Dakota State University (Dennis Wiesenborn);

16. University of Nebraska (Milford Hanna);

17. University of Illinois (Kent Rausch);

18. University of Arkansas (Julie Carrier);

The meeting was adjourned at 11:50.

Accomplishments

Objective A. Reduce costs of harvesting, handling, and transporting biomass to increase competitiveness of biomass as a feedstock for biofuels, biomaterials and biochemicals. <br /> <br /> MT S U participates in a regional biomass feedstock partnership project with U IL. The project is studying the potential of using CRP land for bioenergy feedstock production. The MT site represents the Northern Great Plains environment, where a mixture of perennial cool season grasses and legumes could be grown. Soil fertility, growing responses of different species of grasses as well as their quality at different growing stages are currently being evaluated (IL, MT). <br /> <br /> The University of Tennessee, DOE Oak Ridge National Lab, DOE Idaho National Laboratory and equipment manufacturers are collaborating to comprehensively investigate switchgrass supply from harvest through pre-processing. Experiments address issues with harvesting high yield grass crops, densification, and quality metrics of supply (TN).<br /> <br /> Investigations on how the bulk density of biomass as a major factor in determining the cost and logistics requirements of handling and moving biomass from farm to biorefinery were conducted. Bulk density is a strong function of the size and shape of the particle and particle density. Mean loose-filled bulk densities were 67.5±18.4 kg/m3 for switchgrass, 36.1±8.6 kg/m3 for wheat straw, and 52.1±10.8 kg/m3 for corn stover. Mean tapped bulk densities were 81.8±26.2 kg/m3 for switchgrass, 42.8±11.7 kg/m3 for wheat straw, and 58.9±13.4 kg/m3 for corn stover. Pressure and volume relationship of chopped biomass during compression with application of normal pressure was observed to fit well for Walker model and Kawakita and Ludde model. Parameter of Walker model was correlated to the compressibility with Pearson correlation coefficient of greater than 0.9. Relationship between volume reduction in chopped biomass with respect to number of tapings studied using Sones model indicated that the infinite compressibility was highest for chopped switchgrass followed by chopped wheat straw and corn stover. Degree of difficulty in packing measured using the parameters of Sones model indicated that the chopped wheat straw particles compacted very rapidly by tapping compared to chopped switchgrass and corn stover (TN). <br /> <br /> The flowability of biomass as a major factor in determining the cost and logistics requirements of handling and moving biomass from farm to biorefinery was investigated. Chopped switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover at pre-consolidation pressures of 3.80 kPa and 5.02 kPa indicated Mohr-Coulomb failure. The measured angle of internal friction and cohesive strength indicated that chopped biomasses cannot be handled by gravity alone. The measured angle of internal friction and cohesive strength were 43° and 0.75 kPa for chopped switchgrass; 44° and 0.49 kPa for chopped wheat straw; and 48° and 0.82 kPa for chopped corn stover. Unconfined yield strength and major consolidation strength used for characterization of bulk flow materials and design of hopper dimensions were 3.4 and 10.4 kPa for chopped switchgrass; 2.3 and 9.6 kPa for chopped wheat straw and 4.2 and 11.8 kPa for chopped corn stover. These results are useful for development of efficient handling, storage, and transportation systems for biomass in biorefineries (TN).<br /> <br /> Corn and sorghum were subjected to size reduction in a hammer mill at speeds of 2330, 3503 and 4674 rpm and feed rates of 1.2, 2.6 and 4.0 kg/min. The study was extended to corn at moisture contents of 9, 15 and 20% (dry basis) and temperatures of 10, 21 and 35°C. Kicks law predicted the grinding characteristics of corn and sorghum (NE).<br /> <br /> Corn kernel biomass composition methods were developed using wavelet compressed Fourier Transform-Near Infra Red (FT-NIR) spectroscopy, which could eventually be an alternative to wet chemistry quantification protocols. FT-NIR spectroscopy generated spectral data with high dimensionality and collinearity. The conventionally used Partial Least Square (PLS) regression showed disadvantages in building accurate, robust, and broad-based models (TN).<br /> <br /> Densified feedstock from biomass, such as switchgrass, wheat straw, giant miscanthus, elephant grass, cotton gin trash, and softwood forest trimmings, were produced through pelleting and briquetting. These densification studies showed that biomass moisture content, grind size, and pellet mill die specification were critical parameters for pelletization. Heat value of switchgrass, wheat straw, giant miscanthus, elephant grass, cotton gin trash, and softwood forest trimmings ranged from nearly 7700 to 8100 BTU/lb. Pelletization did not affect the heat value of switchgrass. A sieveless particle size distribution analysis method using computer vision is currently being developed (MS).<br /> <br /> Baling agricultural residue or material other than grain is significantly influenced by the moisture content, density, and storage conditions. This material was compressed into bales of different bulk densities and moisture contents to evaluate the storability of the material. The bales were wrapped in plastic for ensiled storage, covered with plastic in ambient conditions, and stored under ambient conditions outdoors. The bales are currently being analyzed for changes in sugar content and combustion characteristics. (KY).<br /> <br /> IL is collaborating with BP (Energy Biosciences Institute) to propose engineering solutions for biomass feedstock production. The five tasks that are currently being address are: pre-harvest crop production; harvesting; transportation; storage; and systems informatics and analysis. Approaches are to evaluate existing technologies, characterize task features, identify information needs and researchable questions, develop prototypes and computer models, conduct experiments and computer simulations, analyze experimental data and simulation output, and deliver results in the forms of operational machinery design/prototype and decision support information/tools (U IL).<br /> <br /> Consumption of corn in Nebraska has drastically changed in recent years due to tremendous increases in ethanol production. To find locations for new ethanol plants, it is economically necessary to know the availability of corn in the surrounding area. In this study, a GIS-based spatial model was developed to predict the net availability of corn at any location in Nebraska. The net available corn at any location was determined after subtracting the corn consumption by livestock and current ethanol plants from the corn production. Livestock was limited to hogs and cattle on feed because they consume approximately 92% of corn consumed by all livestock in Nebraska. Corn consumption by ethanol plants was assumed to be from a fixed-mile radius, which was varied from 20 to 25 mile to show graphically the net effect on corn availability. The final spatial model shows the regions in Nebraska where there is a corn deficit because of the overlapping influences of the ethanol plants. The spatial model also shows graphically the regions in Nebraska where corn is available for supporting new ethanol plants or other corn based industries ( NE).<br /> <br /> Objective B. Improve biofuel production processes Improve biofuel production processes <br /> <br /> Biochemical platform <br /> <br /> Sweet sorghum, grown at U KT farm located in Lexington, was extracted, filtered and centrifuged. Yeast from a commercial ethanol plant was used to perform the fermentation under non-sterile conditions with no temperature control. Complete fermentation took seven days due to the lack of temperature control, but nearly 95% of the sugar was converted to ethanol. Juice from the Dale variety, which is a common sweet sorghum variety, produced over 400 gallons of ethanol per acre during a two month window. As a comparison, the highest corn yield on the farm was 125 bu/ac and this would result in 340 gal/ac of ethanol. Using the grain from the sweet sorghum increases the ethanol yield by almost 90 gal/ac (U KY). <br /> <br /> The effect of pretreatment was studied in forage sorghum, where four varieties of forage sorghum, including stems and leaves, were characterized and evaluated as feedstock for fermentable sugar production. Fourier Transform-Near Infra Red (FT-NIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to determine changes in structure and chemical composition of forage sorghum before and after pretreatment as well as after the enzymatic hydrolysis process. Up to a 72% hexose (6 carbon sugars) yield and a 94% pentose (5 carbon sugars) yield were obtained using modified steam explosion with 2% sulfuric acid at 140°C for 30 min and enzymatic hydrolysis with cellulase (15 FPU/g. cellulose) and ²-glucosidase (50 CBU/g. cellulose) (KS S).<br /> <br /> Dilute sulfuric acid concentrations of 0.3% (w/w) to 1.2% (w/w) at temperatures from 120 ºC to 180 ºC over residence times of 5 to 60 minutes were tested on switchgrass and bermuda grass. Carbohydrates were measured using the standard NREL analytical procedures. Of the conditions tested, 1.2% sulfuric acid (w/w) for 30 minutes yielded the highest sugar production of 300 mg sugars / gram of un-pretreated biomass. NaOH pretreatment was tested on bermudagrass. The effect of the NaOH pretreatment at 121°C using 1%, 2% and 3% (w/v) NaOH for 15, 30, 60 and 90 minutes was evaluated. Lower NaOH concentrations (0.5% and 0.75%) and lower temperatures (50, 80 and 100°C) were also examined. The optimal NaOH pretreatment conditions at 121°C for glucose and xylose production were 15 minutes and 0.75% NaOH. To maximize total reducing sugars production, pretreatment at 121°C for 30 minutes using 1% NaOH was needed, and this condition allow for the recovery of 83% of the theoretical maximum (NC S). Ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX) pretreatment strategies are currently being investigated at MI SU (MI, NC). <br /> <br /> In the scope of a USDA National Research Initiative project, hydrolysis enzymes expression by Aspergillus nidulans and Phaenerochaete chrysosporium growing on sorghum stover is currently investigated. The fluid excreted by both fungi, while growing on sorghum stover, was tested for xylanase, cellulase, exopolygalacturonase, and mannanase activities. Xylanase activity was greatest followed by exopolygalacturonase activity, then cellulase activity over 7 days of fungal growth on raw sorghum stover. Little mannanase activity was expressed. Microarrays for both fungi are being constructed to test the levels of gene expression for each of the genes coding for hydrolysis enzymes (OK). <br /> Five Kluyveromyces marxianus strains were screened according to their ethanol production during a simultaneous saccharification and fermentations (SSF) process at 45°C using switchgrass pretreated using a liquid hot water process. K. marxianus IMB3 gave the greatest yield and productivity, however, the cells died after 4 days. Saccharomyces cerevisiae D5A produced more ethanol at a faster rate than did IMB3 despite the SSF temperature being lower (37°C) (OK).<br /> <br /> Gasification <br /> <br /> Biomass gasification was performed on a bench-scale fluidized-bed gasifier with steam and air as fluidizing and oxidizing agents. Distillers grains and solubles, a byproduct of ethanol production, were used as the biomass feedstock for the gasification. The goal was to investigate the effects of furnace temperature, steam to biomass ratio and equivalence ratio on gas composition, carbon conversion efficiency and energy conversion efficiency of the product gas. The experiments were conducted using a 3 x 3 x 3 full factorial design with temperatures of 650, 750 and 850 °C, steam to biomass ratios of 0, 7.30 and 14.29 and equivalence ratios of 0.07, 0.15 and 0.29. Gasification temperature was found to be the most influential factor. Increasing the temperature resulted in increases in hydrogen and methane contents, carbon conversion and energy efficiencies. Increasing equivalence ratio decreased the hydrogen content, but increased carbon conversion and energy efficiencies. The steam to biomass ratio was optimal in the intermediate levels for maximal carbon conversion and energy efficiencies. A model was developed to describe the performance of a bench scale fluidized bed gasifier and predict product composition, flow rate and temperature from a given biomass composition, steam to biomass ratio, equivalence ratio and furnace temperature profile using Aspen Plus. The gasifier was divided into zones which had different reaction temperatures. Mass balance and minimization of Gibbs free energy were applied for determining the product composition. Experiments for validation of the model were performed on a bench-scale fluidized bed gasifier using distillers grains as the feed material. The results showed that the predicted flow rate of hydrogen was similar but the predicted flow rate of methane was lower and the predicted total gas flow rate was higher than the experimental results (NE). <br /> <br /> An exploratory downdraft gasifier was designed, fabricated and extensively tested using switchgrass. This gasifier had an internal separate pyrolysis and tar cracking section (PTC). High temperatures in the cyclonic section facilitated biomass pyrolysis. Combustion products from the cyclonic section passed through a char gasification chamber, where additional tar cracking occurred. Gasification tests on 11.6% dry basis switchgrass showed the oxidation zone temperatures in the range of 1000 to 1110°C. Conclusions that were drawn from this testing were the following: Among the four levels of specific air input rate tested, 542 kg/ h-m2 of combustion zone area resulted into highest performance; the average values for hot gas and cold gas efficiencies were 82% and 72%, respectively; the lowest heating value of gas was 1566 kcal/Nm3; CO, H2 and CO2 concentrations were 23%, 12% and 9%, respectively; the corresponding average specific gasification rate was 663 m3 dry gas/h-m2 of combustion zone area; as the specific air input rate increased to 647 kg/h-m2 of combustion zone area, CO2 concentration increased to 14%, while the CO and H2 concentrations decreased to 19 and 10%, respectively; and, the anticipated establishment of high temperature swirling flows in annular section of the PTC could not be achieved because the high temperature zone was shifted downward mainly because of the low-density nature of the chopped biomass (OK). <br /> <br /> A catalyst-based process is currently being developed, where the synthesis gas, will be converted to gasoline. This technology is made possible by a dual-function catalyst that reduces the CO to methanol and then condenses the methanol to gasoline with the elimination of water (MS). <br /> <br /> Pyrolysis <br /> <br /> U MN and MS SU have collaborated for developing a reaction model to describe the pyrolysis of corn cobs. MN is determining that performing a chemical pretreatment to the biomass prior to the pyrolysis step resulted in an increase in the product selectivity. The addition of catalyst in the pyrolysis process increased the bio-oil proportion ( MN). MS is developing a generation II Pyrolysis Reactor, which produces 120 gallon of raw bio-oil per dry ton of biomass. MS is producing bio-oil with desirable properties, a water content of 5% water and an acid value of 32. The bio-oil was upgraded by hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) and produced a 35% yield by weight of upgraded oil in a 30 minute autoclave batch run (MN, MS).<br /> <br /> Biodiesel<br /> <br /> MT S U is currently evaluating camelina and canola as a biodiesel feedstock. In partnership with camelina and canola breeders, work is currently underway to improve camelina and canola yields, oil profile, and to reduce glucosinolate content in camelina meal. Funded by a Western Sustainable Research and Extension grant, a cropping systems study is currently underway at two locations in Montana and one location in Wyoming by incorporating camelina into wheat rotation systems. Since wheat is the major cash crop in the Northern Plains, it is not feasible to replace wheat acreage with camelina for biodiesel feedstock production. However, camelina production may not have to compete with wheat acreage by considering camelina as a rotation crop for wheat. As stated, the study is currently underway and results will be published in the project cycle (MT). <br /> <br /> UT SU is working on producing oil from algal culture. UT SU has characterized over 30 different algal and cyanobacterial species. These cultures are now routinely cultivated and maintained in the laboratory. In addition to lab-scale studies on growth and lipid production by these strains, researchers in UT have been able to cultivate mass cultures of algae in open raceway ponds. In addition, UT researchers are also working on developing a system for integrating algal biofuel production with municipal wastewater treatment and nutrient removal (UT).<br /> <br /> The most urgent need of the biodiesel industry is increased supply of vegetable oil. High-throughput methods are needed to analyze new, higher-yield canola varieties. A Perten Near Infra Red analyzer was calibrated to determine oil and moisture content and fatty acid profile for whole, intact samples of canola seed, and used to screen 3,000-5,000 canola samples within four weeks. This rapid analysis made possible the selection of varieties for a winter nursery in Chile, which in turn helped accelerate the breeding effort. Oil yield per acre of top-yielding lines was 18% greater than checks (ND).<br /> <br /> The economics of extracting oil from corn at different processing stages during corn ethanol production were evaluated. The oil can be extracted from the corn germ, the DDGS (dried distillers grains with solubles) or the thin stillage by mechanical expression, hexane extraction, supercritical extraction using carbon dioxide or centrifugation. An Excel program was developed for the above scenarios to calculate net feedstock cost, total capital cost, total operating cost, annual oil revenue, annual saving and net profit. The program also compared the costs and profits during each process. Using the case of a 50 MM gal/year ethanol plant, and based on current available information, it was estimated that maximum net profits were $21.18 MM/year for hexane extraction from DDGS and $21.75MM/year for supercritical extraction from DDGS. The profits from the oil extraction during the above two process were 18.8 and 19.3 % of ethanol revenue, respectively. However, more information about the process operating parameters and more accurate price information for the commodities and operations at the industrial scale are being obtained. This information will lead to more accurate predictions about the feedstock cost, operating cost, capital cost and finally net profit during each extraction scenario (NE).<br /> <br /> Evaluations for oil yield of the 100 top producing shrubs at Arbor Day Farm, Nebraska City, NE and selected properties of hazelnut oil, including fatty acid profile, free fatty acid, iodine value, viscosity, oxidative onset temperature and cloud point, of the top 25 producing shrubs were conducted. Investigations on the preparation of hazelnut oil based biodiesel were performed. Hazelnut oil was extracted from hybrid hazelnuts and the crude oil was refined. Hazelnut oil-based biodiesel was prepared via transesterification of the refined hazelnut oil with excess methanol using an alkaline catalyst. The effects of reaction temperature, time and catalyst concentration on the yield of diesel were examined, and selected physical and chemical properties (including viscosity, oxidative onset temperature, cloud point, and heat of combustion) of the biodiesel were evaluated. The results showed that hazelnut oil-based biodiesel had better fuel properties than its soy oil-based counterpart (NE).<br /> <br /> U IL is funded by the DOE Graduate Automotive Technology Education Center of Excellence to evaluate the performance of advanced biofuel combustion engines. This collaboration includes investigating biodiesel fueled engines under low temperature combustion (LTC), which are able to address NOx and particulate matter emissions simultaneously. This investigation included estimating properties of pure biodiesel and biodiesel/diesel blends for LTC modeling, investigating the effect of biodiesel fuel properties on LTC engines and their emissions, and developing strategies for reducing emissions and increasing efficiency from biodiesel combustion (IL).<br /> <br /> The conversion of crude glycerol to acrolein is currently studied. Acrolein is a versatile intermediate for methionine, acrylic acid, glutaraldehyde, methyl pyridine, 1,3 propanediol synthesis. The current selling prices are of crude glycerin are $0.25/lb, while those of acrolein are $1.33/lb. Currently, acrolein is produced from propylene oxidationpetroleum based (TN).<br /> <br /> Glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production, was investigated as a substrate to algae system for high value lipids generation. When algae was fed 90 g/L of crude glycerol in a batch culture process, the cell density reached 18 g/L in 5-6 days, while the specific glycerol consumption rate was 2.41 g glycerol /g biomass×day. The specific growth rate of the alga was 0.68 d-1, corresponding to a ~1.0 day of doubling time. The study demonstrated that, as a substrate, crude glycerol was similar to glucose in terms of maximum cell dry weight and biomass productivity. Based on this preliminary study, the effect of feeding biodiesel-derived glycerol, which contained impurities, on algal biomass composition was investigated. Although the crude glycerol contained methanol and soap, its use had no bearing on the final content of the desired high value lipids. The total cellular lipid content ranged between 43 and 51%, with the major fatty acids as palmitic (C16:0) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6, w-3) (VA). <br /> <br /> Objective C. Identify, develop, and evaluate sustainable processes to convert biomass resources into biochemicals, biocatalysts, and biomaterials (non-fuel uses) <br /> <br /> Approximately 6 to 7 L thin stillage is produced concomitantly with 1 L ethanol. Thin stillage concentration requires evaporation of large amounts of water. IL evaluated the use of ultrafiltration as an alternative to evaporation. Total solids, ash and neutral detergent fiber contents of thin stillage were measured. Total solids in retentate streams were found similar to those from commercial evaporators used in industry (25 to 35% total solids). Fat was concentrated from 9.7 to 21.4% (dry basis) in the retentate stream. Ash content was reduced 60% in the retentate stream. Membrane filtration appears to be a method to reduce or eliminate evaporator energy requirements and a method to provide new coproducts from thin stillage (IL).<br /> <br /> Dry distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) were blended with starch at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 50%, and extruded into thin films at barrel temperatures of 100, 110 and 120 oC. Moisture and glycerol, at 20 and 40%, respectively, were added as plasticizers to improve the film forming characteristics of the starch-DDGS mixture. The effect of DDGS concentration in starch films was analyzed by characterizing the physical, tensile, thermal and water vapor permeability properties. Addition of DDGS resulted in films with rough surface texture, but higher flexibility as compared to starch films. The tensile stress, percent tensile strain and Youngs modulus decreased progressively with increasing concentration of DDGS, while the water vapor permeability was largely unaffected. Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy showed formation of new peaks between the starch and DDGS (NE). <br /> <br /> The use of high value lipids, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6, w-3) which are produced from algae grown on glycerol, was investigated. To prevent oxidation of DHA, 22:6, w-3, 400 ppm of vitamin E were added to the lipid mixture. The degradation of DHA in algal oil was modeled by an auto catalytic equation. A response surface design was used to determine the optimum concentration of algal oil and vitamin E for maximum DHA and minimum oxidation during a two week storage period. The optimum combination was determined to be 3 % algal oil and 110 ppm of vitamin E. The combination of 3 % algal oil and 110 ppm of vitamin E was added to mozzarella cheese and stored for 3 weeks; and, results showed that the oxidation and degradation of DHA, 22:6, w-3 was arrested. Approximately 0.1 g of DHA, 22:6, w-3 is delivered with the consumption of a 28g serving of this fortified- mozzarella cheese. Two to 25 servings of this fortified- mozzarella cheese are approximately equivalent to the DHA, 22:6, w-3 consumed from a 3 oz serving of fish, depending on the type of fish (VA).<br /> <br /> Lipid materials from sorghum DDGS were extracted using a reflux method of extraction with hexane. Extractions for 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 6 h were completed. Extraction yields and the amount of plant sterols and policosanols in the hexane extracts were quantified by Gas Chromatography. The amount of lipids recovered increased from 6.7 to 7.5 g /100 g of dry DDGS as extraction time increased from 0.5 to 6 h. The amounts of plant sterols and policosanols extracted by the reflux method were not influenced by the times of extraction investigated. Total plant sterols (sum of sitosterol, stigmasterol and campesterol) averaged 67.2 mg /100 g of dry DDGS and total policosanols (sum of C26, C28, C30, C32) averaged 71.6 mg /100 g of dry DDGS (NE). <br /> <br /> OK SU and U of AR collaborated to determine if switchgrass contained policosanols. Policosanols, are a mixture of long-chained primary alcohols, which are composed mainly of docosanol (C22), tetracosanol (C24), hexacosanol (C26), octacosanol (C28), triacontanol (C30) and dotricontanol (C32). This study tracked policosanols and ±-tocopherol concentrations of Cave-in-Rock and Blackwell switchgrass cultivars during maturation from July to December in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Total policosanol concentration ranged between 89 mg/kg for July harvested Cave-in-Rock switchgrass from Arkansas and 182 mg/kg for August harvested Cave-in-Rock switchgrass for Oklahoma, and was constant throughout the season. Total switchgrass policosanol concentrations were lower than those typically reported for sorghum grains; however, switchgrass extracted policosanols contained different policosanol ratios, wherein C30 and C32 alcohol ranges were 36-41% and 43-50%, respectively. ±-Tocopherol (Vitamin E) extracted from both switchgrass cultivars varied between 320 and 400 mg/kg, but decreased after the October harvest after frost (AR, OK).<br /> <br /> Resins for composite use were produced from canola oil. It is stipulated that the characteristics which make canola oil a very good oil for nutrition and biodiesel use (high monounsaturates, low saturates), also make it well suited for use in resins. Initial work has focused on a conversion known as epoxidation; the epoxidized oil contained up to 6.5% oxirane content, and when blended at up to 40% with synthetic epoxy produced satisfactory fiberglass composites (ND).<br /> <br /> Objective D. Identify and develop needed educational resources, develop distance based delivery methods, and develop a trained work force for the biobased economy. <br /> <br /> IL gave a first offering of a short course on corn dry grind processing in May 2008, which was well received by participants from industry. New courses in biofuel production were offered on campus. In 2009, IL is planning to offer a short course on corn wet milling and hosting the Sixth International Starch Technology Conference.<br /> <br /> OK SU, U AR, U NE and KS S are involved with the Biobased Materials Sciences & Engineering Collaborative Initiative, which is led by the Great Plains Initiative, who is working to establish a graduate certificate program in the area of Biobased Materials Sciences and Engineering. This group has begun curriculum planning and identifying faculty to teach courses in the program. <br />

Publications

Adhikari S, Fernando S, To F, Bricka R, Steele P and Haryanto A. 2008. Conversion of glycerol to hydrogen via a steam reforming process over nickel catalyst. Energy and Fuels. 22(2):1220-1226. <br /> <br /> Chen Y, Sharma-Shivappa R, Keshwani D and Chen C. 2007. Potential of agricultural residues and hay for bioethanol production. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 142(3):276-290. <br /> <br /> Chen Y, Sharma-Shivappa R and Chen C. 2007. Ensiling agricultural residues for bioethanol production. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 143(1):80-92.<br /> <br /> Chinn M, Nokes S and Strobel H. 2007. Influence of Process conditions on end product formation from Clostridium thermocellum 27405 in solid substrate cultivation on Paper Pulp Sludge. Bioresource Technology. 98:2184-2193.<br /> <br /> Corredor D, Bean S and Wang D. 2007. Pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of sorghum fiber. Cereal Chemistry 84(1):61-66.<br /> <br /> Duguid K, Montross M, Radtke C, Crofcheck C, Shearer S and Hoskinson R. 2007. Screening for sugar and ethanol processing characteristics from anatomical fractions of wheat stover. Biomass and Bioenergy. 31(8): 585-592<br /> <br /> Igathinathane C, Pordesimo L, Batchelor W, Columbus E and Methuku S. 2008. Shape identification and size distribution of particles from basic shape parameters using images. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 63:168-182.<br /> <br /> Igathinathane C, Womac A, Pordesimo L and Sokhansanj S. 2008. Mold appearance and modeling on selected corn stover components during moisture sorption. Bioresource Technology. 99(14): 6365-6371.<br /> <br /> Igathinathane C, Womac A, Sokhansanj S and Narayan S. 2008. Knife grid size reduction to preprocess packed beds of high- and low-moisture switchgrass. Bioresource Technology .99(7):2254-2264.<br /> <br /> Keshwani D and Cheng J. 2008. Switchgrass for bioethanol and other value-added applications: A Review. Bioresource Technology. Available online October 30, 2008. <br /> Kumar A, Wang L, Dzenis Y, Jones D and Hanna M. 2008. Thermogravimetric characterization of corn stover as gasification and pyrolysis feedstock. Biomass and Bioenergy. 32:460-467.<br /> <br /> Lewis R, Frankman A, Tanner R, Ahmed A and Huhnke R. 2008. Ethanol via biomass-generated syngas. International Sugar Journal 110(1311):150-155.<br /> Liao W, Liu Y, Wen Z, Frear C and Chen S. 2008. Kinetic modeling of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose in differently pretreated fibers from a nitrogen-rich lignocellulosic material  dairy manure. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 101(3), 441-451. <br /> <br /> Mapemba L, Epplin F, Taliaferro C and Huhnke R. 2007. Biorefinery feedstock production on Conservation Reserve Program land. Review of Agricultural Economics 29(2):227-246.<br /> <br /> Mapemba L, Epplin F, Huhnke F and Taliaferro C. 2008. Herbaceous plant biomass harvest and delivery cost with harvest segmented by month and number of harvest machines endogenously determined. Biomass and Bioenergy. 32:1016-1027.<br /> <br /> Prewitt R, Montross M, McNeill S, Stombaugh T, Shearer S, Higgins S and Sokhansanj S. 2007. Corn stover availability and collection efficiency using typical hay equipment. Transactions of ASABE. 50(3): 705-711. <br /> <br /> Pyle D, Garcia R and Wen Z. 2008. Producing docosahexaenoic acid-rich algae from biodiesel derived-crude glycerol: effects of impurities on DHA production and algal biomass composition. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. 56 (11): 3933  3939. <br /> <br /> Ruan R, Chen P, Hemmingsen R, Morey V and Tiffany D. 2008. Size matters: small distributed biomass energy production systems for economic viability. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. 1(1):64-68.<br /> <br /> Selig M, Viamajala S, Decker S, Tucker M, Himmel M and Vinzant T. 2007. Deposition of lignin droplets produced during dilute acid pretreatment of maize stems retards enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose. Biotechnology Progress. 23(6); 1333-1339.<br /> <br /> Wang L, Weller C, Jones D and Hanna M. 2008. Contemporary issues in thermal gasification of biomass and its application to electricity and fuel production. Biomass and Bioenergy. 32: 573-581. <br /> <br /> Wang L, Weller C, Schlegel V, Carr T and Cuppett S. 2008. Supercritical CO2 extraction of lipids from grain sorghum dried distillers grains with solubles. Bioresoure Technology. 99(5):1373-1382. <br /> <br /> Wang D, Bean S, McLaren J, Seib P, Madl R, Tuinstra M, Lenz M, Wu X and. Zhao R. 2008. Grain sorghum is a viable feedstock for ethanol production. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology. 35(5):313-320.<br /> <br /> Wu X, Zhao R, Liu L, Bean S, Seib P, McLaren J, Madl R, Tuinstra M, Lenz M and Wang D. 2008. Effects of geographic location and irrigation on attributes and ethanol yields of selected grain sorghums. Cereal Chemistry 85(4):495-501.<br /> <br /> Xu Y, Hanna M and Scott J. 2007. Hybrid hazelnut oil characteristics and its potential oleochemcial applications. Industrial Crops and Products. 26: 69-76.<br /> <br /> Xu Y, Hanna M and Isom L. 2008. Green chemicals from renewable agricultural resources- a mini review. The Open Agriculture Journal. 2: 54-61.<br /> <br /> Ye X, Liu L, Hayes D, Womac A, Hong K, and Sokhansanj S. 2008. Fast classification and compositional analysis of cornstover fractions using Fourier transform near-infrared techniques. Bioresource Technology. 99(15):7323-32.<br /> <br /> Yu F, Deng S, Chen P, Liu Y, Wang Y, Olsen A, Kittelson D and Ruan R. 2007. Physical and chemical properties of bio-oils from microwave pyrolysis of corn stovers. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 136-140:957-970. <br /> <br /> Yu F, Ruan R, Chen P, Deng S, Liu Y and Lin X. 2007. Liquefaction of corn cobs with supercritical water treatment. Transactions of ASABE. 50(1):175-180. <br /> <br /> Yu F, Ruan R and Steele P. 2008. Consecutive reaction model for pyrolysis of corn cob. Transactions of ASABE. 51(3):1023-1028. <br /> <br /> Zhuang J, Marchant M, Nokes S and Strobel H. 2007. Economic analysis of cellulase production methods for bioethanol. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 23(5):679-687.<br />

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Brief Summary of Minutes

September 21-22, 2009, Washington State University-Tri Cities & Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington

Members present: Carmela Bailey (USDA advisor), William Batchelor (MS), Dorin Boldor (LA), Julie Carrier (AR; past chair), Chengci Chen (MT), Jonathan Chen (TX), Shulin Chen (WA), Eugene Columbus (MS), Oladiran Fasina (AL), William Gibbons (SD), Milford Hanna (NE), Prabhjot Kaur (IL), Samir Khanal (HI), Esha Khullar (IL), Thomas Klindt (TN; administrative advisor), Carl Lira (MI), K. Muthukumarappan (SD), Mike Penner (OR), Kent Rausch (IL), Roger Ruan (MN), Vijay Singh (IL), Xiuzhi Sun (KS), Bernard Tao (IN), Mike Tumbleson (IL), Bernardo Vidal (IL), Terry Walker (SC), Donghai Wang (KS), Zhiyou Wen (VA), Dennis Wiesenborn (ND; chair), Mark Wilkins (OK; secretary), and Fei Yu (MS)

9/21/09 8:01 Meeting starts. Dennis Wiesenborn gave introductory remarks, introduced committee officers, and recognized Julie Carrier for efforts in getting the 5 year outline for S 1041 approved. Wiesenborn acknowledged Thomas Klindt and Carmela Bailey, the committees sponsors. Wiesenborn acknowledged Deborah Anderson and Jonathan Male for their efforts in organizing the meeting. The committee reviewed the agenda, S 1041 objectives and mission. There are 4 objectives for S 1041, which are feedstock supply, biofuels processing, bioproducts, and education. Biofuels is split into biological conversion, thermochemical conversion, and biodiesel. S 1041 has an official website that can be found by entering S1041 Energy on Google. The website contains information on our objectives, list of members, minutes of meetings, and other information. Mission of multi-state committees is to stimulate collaboration between agricultural experiment stations.

8:12 Members introduced themselves.

8:32 Thomas Klindt addressed the committee. He reminded the committee that this is a research committee. Dont let the minutiae of procedures get in the way of getting new members into the committee. The Ag experiment station staff in your state can aid you. This is a unique group that can change the world. We are uniquely positioned to take us further down the road to the bioeconomy. Three hurdles to this process are creating the biomass, the conversion process, and the logistics of getting the biomass from the field to the processing plant. The last challenge is the most difficult. Many of us are agricultural engineers and are good at figuring out logistics. This is Klindts last meeting as he is retiring. The Southern directors will appoint a new advisor. Bernie Tao thanked Klindt for his help.

8:40 Carmela Bailey addressed the committee. Bailey explained what CSREES is. Carmela is one of three National Program Leaders responsible for bioenergy, and the two other NPLs are Bill Goldner with the Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR), and Daniel Cassidy with Forest-Based Energy. CSREES will be changing its name to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. There is a new undersecretary named Rajik Shah. He has stated four main focus areas: Energy and climate, food safety/obesity/human health, human capacity (education and economic development), and traditional production agriculture. Nanotechnology, nanomaterials for catalysis, nanostructure for catalysis for bioenergy, nanostructure for catalysis for environmental purposes, and nanostructure of catalysts for green chemistry are research areas being promoted by Hongda Chen. Nanotechnology is a topic area for AFRI every other year. There was $190 million for AFRI in fiscal year 2009. One topic area is bioenergy and biobased products. 8 of 86 proposals were funded in FY 2009 for this topic area. FY 2009 also had funding for education projects, and 2 were funded. FY 2010 solicitation is under construction. Focus will be on biobased products, regional conversion processes, and feedstock production. Bill Goldner and Daniel Cassidy will be responsible for this program. The Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) is USDAs largest biomass program. BRDI has moved back to USDAs Rural Development mission area, and CSREES is finishing out the awards for FY 2009. 822 preapps were submitted, 108 full apps were submitted, and 9 will be awarded by USDA. In FY 2010 BRDI will have $28 million from USDA and by FY 2012 BRDI will have $40 million. There are other programs in CSREES that have a bioenergy and biobased products components.

8:50 am Wiesenborn asked for any corrections to the minutes. Tao moved to approve the 2008 minutes. Hanna seconded. Motion approved.

8:51 am Jonathan Male addressed the committee with a welcome and overview of PNNL activities. PNNL is operated by Batelle for the Department of Energy (DOE). There are 4000 employees. There are 6 sites, with the main campus at Richland, Washington. There were $1.1 billion of sales in 2008, 61% of PNNL research was DOE, 22% National Security. 74 R&D 100 awards and 1660 patents have been awarded to PNNL. There will be workshops on biopower and bioproducts this Fall or early Winter. John Holladay addressed the committee about biomass research at PNNL. PNNLs focus is on next generation biofuels and chemicals, green gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. They are working on lower cost enzymes, improved productivity for fuels/chemicals, optimized biorefinery economics, and understanding and reducing water and environmental impacts. Energy and environmental impacts are tied together in PNNL research. Environment and energy research represent 25% of PNNL research. PNNL is a world leader in proteomics. Sustainability issues are a prime focus. Science is based on the market drivers of market economics, raw material resources, technology development, and sustainability. PNNL is working in fungi. PNNL has a joint building with WSU on biofuels called the biobased science and energy laboratory (BSEL). BSEL is working in thermochemical conversion. Catalyst development is a key focus. Wiesenborn asked about what the tour will include. Male said that the Environmental Mechanics and Science Laboratory (EMSL) and BSEL will be on the tour. EMSL has wonderful spectroscopic tools, 11 NMR magnets, a supercomputer, and a proteomics facility. BSEL is a $25 million lab that is partnered with WSU. They have a combinatorial lab for catalyst development, systems biology lab, and lab-scale to pilot-scale development. Sun asked if the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and PNNL work together. Holladay indicated that the labs are complimentary and he is working on several joint proposals with NREL. Sun asked what biomass feedstocks that PNNL focuses on. Holladay stated PNNL works with woody biomass, ag residues, energy crops and algae. Penner asked what the responsibilities of senior scientists are and how do we collaborate with PNNL. Holladay said that EMSL is a user facility and outside researchers can come and work at the facility. You need to write a proposal to use the facility. Scientists are on soft money and are responsible for funding themselves. NSF and USDA monies are difficult for PNNL to work under. PNNL generally work with DOE grants and some other federal agencies.

9:41 Coffee break

10:01 Debbie Anderson addressed the committee. Anderson went through the badging process.

10:04 Station reports.

10:05 North Dakota. Dennis Wiesenborn. Wiesenborn is working on biodiesel, canola breeding for biodiesel, developing high-throughput methods for biodiesel testing, and biobased composites. Scott Pryor is looking at canola meal for industrial products and pectin from sugar beets. North Dakota State is getting a new professor from Mississippi State working on biomass production.

10:08 Virginia. Zhiyou Wen. 5 or 6 faculty are working on bioenergy development. Areas of research are logistics for biomass production, hydrogen production from sugars, directed evolution for cellulase performance, value-added products from algal processes, and genetic transformation for algae.

10:10 am Mississippi. Eugene Columbus. They have looked at direct comparison of switchgrass and miscanthus in terms of yield and using legumes with grasses for nitrogen. Mississippi State has licensed two varieties of switchgrass and giant miscanthus. They have explored thermochemical conversion using a downdraft gasifier (19% H2, 20% CO) using various feedstocks. They are doing hay cubing, pyrolysis, syngas to gasoline (96 octane), and hydrodeoxygenation. They also are working on lipids from sludge.

10:13 Oklahoma. Mark Wilkins. Oklahoma State has hired Mike Buser and Ajay Kumar to work on biomass logistics and gasification, respectively. Efforts in Clostridial gene expression during syngas fermentation, syngas fermenter design, hydrogenase activity, thermotolerant yeast, enzyme optimization, and effect of harvest time on ethanol production are some of the efforts that are ongoing at OSU.

10:16 Oregon. Mike Penner. Areas of research at Oregon State include lignin modifying enzymes, life cycle assessment, grass seed straws for bioproducts, inhibitors and their effect on yeast, analytical method development and polysaccharide degrading enzymes, milling, and on-farm gasification.

10:19 Washington. Shulin Chen. Areas of research at Washington State include lignin synthesis, feedstock production, pretreatment and ethanol at Tri-Cities, thermochemical conversion, sugar extraction from biooil, termite systems for lignocellulose conversion, autotrophic and heterotrophic algae production, and biopolymers.

10:21 Nebraska. Milford Hanna. Report was available at the meeting on specific projects. Grants are getting harder to get. Hanna commented on funding situation in Nebraska. Work continues of hazelnut oil. More effort is needed on oilseed production.

10:26 Montana Chengci Chen. Areas of research at Montana State include thermotolerant organisms from Yellowstone, algae production, plant genetic engineering for camelina oil profile, DOE regional biomass feedstock partnership, using CRP land for biomass, camelina production, and camelina oil for jet fuel.

10:29 Alabama. Oladiran Fasina. Research at Auburn is focused on woody biomass. A new lab for fractionation and gasification has been built. A mobile gasification unit was constructed. Several bioenergy courses are being offered. Also, researchers are looking at socioeconomic and ecological effects of bioenergy.

10:33. Tennessee. Thomas Klindt. A new grant was awarded for switchgrass logistics, storage, grinding, and using a cotton module builder for switchgrass. A company was created to build a plant with Dupont/Danisco to use biomass to make ethanol at a rate of 0.25 million gallons ethanol/yr. 3000 acres of switchgrass are growing for the plant. Other areas of research are pelletizing of switchgrass, carbon sequestration, and feedstock production systems. Private entities are approaching Tennessee to research various aspects of the system. Solar energy R&D also part of the research by the company created by the University.

10:37. Indiana. Bernie Tao. Areas of research at Purdue include gasification, lignocellulose ethanol, direct catalytic conversion of biomass to fuels, producing fuels in the plant, green aviation group for green fuels and chemicals for airplanes and airports, biodiesel from mixed fuels, fractionation of biodiesel, concrete sealants from biomass, computer process control for using biodiesel to improve NOx and noise, soybean products contest, and use of protein DNA conjugates.

10:41 Kansas. Susan Sun. 20 faculty in biomass. Kansas State has a new NSF EPSCoR project for climate change and bioenergy funded at $20 million for 5 years. Research includes densification of biomass, biobased adhesives, pressure sensitive adhesives, biodegradable plastics, functional and structural properties of biopolymers, nanocatalysis for biofuel production, algae biorefining, extrusion of biomass, and pyrolysis for biooils. Kansas State established a certificate for bioenergy and bioproducts. A multi-state program developing shared courses in biofuels and bioproducts was funded by USDA. Other universities participating are South Dakota State, Oklahoma State, and Arkansas.

10:50 Minnesota. Roger Ruan. 100 faculty are working on renewable energy at Minnesota. Areas of research are pyrolysis, gasification, algae processing, microwave assisted pyrolysis, developing a mobile pyrolysis system, algae production in wastewater, photobioreactors using solar energy, and conversion of algae with autocatalytic reforming. Collaborations with Tennessee and South Dakota State are ongoing.

10:54 Louisiana. Dorin Boldor. Louisiana State is researching biopolymers, bioenergy from sugar cane, butanol and ethanol, energy cane, woody biomass for chemicals and ethanol, gasification, hydrogen production from algae, oil extraction from oil crops, Chinese tallow, and economics of biomass transportation.

10:58. South Dakota. Bill Gibbons. 20 people are working in bioenergy and biobased products at South Dakota State. Areas of research include thermochemical conversion, production of prairie cordgrass, densification of grass, enzymatic and microbial conversion, gasification, biochar, membrane separations and cyanobacteria.

11:02 Texas. Jonathan Chen. The University of Texas developed a new Energy Institute. UT researches materials from biomass, biobased composites for auto industry, specialty fiber products, and cotton fiber bioconversion.

11:07. Illinois. Bernardo Vidal. The University of Illinois is mainly interested in corn bioprocessing, coproduct quality and recovery, membrane separation, media modification, enzymatic application to enhance dry grind processes, describe kinetic modeling of starch hydrolysis, impact of protease treatment to enhance corn milling and fermentation, and modified acid hydrolysis.

11:10 Arkansas. Julie Carrier. The University of Arkansas is working on sustainability of bioenergy and bioproducts, life cycle analysis, growing woody biomass and herbaceous crops, biobutanol, and hemicellulose depolymerization kinetics.

11:13 Hawaii. Samir Khanal. The University of Hawaii is looking at tropical feedstocks, bana grass, guinea grass, eucalyptus, bagasse to ethanol, yields of crops at different elevations and soil types, conversion of tropical crops, on-farm processing, the interaction of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin, syngas fermentation and effect on mass transfer, nanomaterial to selectively absorb acetic acid, jatropha for biodiesel, value added fish meal from seed cake from jatropha, and genetic engineering of algae.

11:19 Michigan. Carl Lira. Michigan State is researching pyrolysis, cellulosic feedstock pretreatment, microscale pyrolysis, pulping pretreatments and extractions, tethering enzymes for redox reactions, fungal fermentations, catalytic upgrading of organic acids, conversion of glycerol to cyclic ethers, properties of biochemicals and biofuels, fuel properties for engines, and new ways to predict properties of biofuels.

11:23 South Carolina. Terry Walker. Clemson is researching fungal and algal oil production, extraction of oil from algae and fungi, biological hydrogen production, ethanol production, production of pilot scale facility for ethanol production, and algal ponds.

11:26. Wiesenborn addressed the committee and asked the committee to invite other researchers into the committee. Wiesenborn introduced the breakout sessions. Sun asked the committee to think about whether the universities should offer a bioenergy or bioproducts degree. Purdue is offering a separate biological engineering degree.

11:37 Breakout sessions start. Chairs are to give a 5 minute report to the committee.

14:05 Committee reconvenes.

14:06 Chengci Chen gave a report for feedstock production breakout group. The Air Force is trying to replace 50% of jet fuel with renewables by 2015. Feedstocks vary by region making it difficult to cooperate. 5 people met in the group. One area that was identified for collaboration was densification of biomass, particularly looking at minimizing energy usage. They want to look at feedstock type and location. Oladiran Fasina was identified as co-chair for the group. The group did not report a list of attendees to the chair.

14:11 Mark Wilkins gave the report for the biological conversion to biofuels group. The group included 9 members and Scott Baker from PNNL. The group discussed various conversion technologies as well as potential funding sources for research. They also discussed mechanisms of obtaining funding for S 1041 through Sun Grant, USDA, and NSF. Some researchers indicated interest in discussing collaborations with one another at a later time. Bill Gibbons is the co-chair. Those attending this sub-group were Wilkins, Gibbons, Singh, Wang, Khanal, Wen, Khullar, and Kaur.

14:20 Roger Ruan gave the report for the thermochemical conversion group. The researchers had a lot in common. They are very interested in collaboration. They spent time getting to know each other. They decided to do some things like exchanging samples, non-proprietary data, and catalysts. They also proposed to invite each other to give seminars at each others institutions. They proposed new sections in meetings that they attend where they can publicize their group. They also talked about doing some joint papers. Over 10 people participated. Donghai Wang is the co-chair. Those attending this sub-group were not reported to the secretary.

14:24 Milford Hanna gave the report for the biodiesel group and Dennis Wiesenborn is co-chair. They talked about possible funding and research opportunities. Biodiesels future is dependent on feedstock cost reduction and process cost reduction. Then they talked about that if you dont think biodiesel is good, what other opportunities are there. There are opportunities for methyl esters. They may talk about that tomorrow. If you believe biodiesel is possible, what are the other issues. Cold flow was identified. Also, processing of the biodiesel to make it look the same regardless of feedstock is important through fractionation. 8 people participated. Bernie Tao then said that there are some niche applications of using fractionated biodiesel. Hanna would welcome committee members comments on biodiesels feasibility. Wiesenborn stated that several have interest in algal biodiesel. Hanna said that algae should be the focus area that the committee should focus on. Hanna expressed interest in talking about other uses of methyl esters tomorrow. Tao suggested that they combine with the bioproducts group tomorrow. Those attending this subgroup were: Hanna, Wiesenborn, Tao, Lira, Walker, Vidal, Boldor, and a PNNL researcher.

14:35 Julie Carrier gave the report on bioproducts. 8 people met together. They talked about obvious research ideas. They talked about giving a mini-symposium on our research. PNNL researchers would be interested in that. Then the proceedings would be published via the web or through a government agency. They also talked about the web-based graduate certificate organized by Kansas State. They also talked about producing a book on fundamentals for biomass products. Jonathan Chen is the co-chair. Some members suggested a book targeted to middle school and high school students. Susan Sun suggested that S 1041 have a multi-society symposium. Tao asked Carmela Bailey about whether we could get some money for a conference grant. Bailey indicated that there was this type of grant from USDA. Klindt thought that Sun Grant might want to fund that. Shulin Chen brought the point that the symposium needs to be unique. He suggested that maybe having a discussion of the issues involved in bioenergy and bioproducts. Tao thought that we could talk with local researchers and more interaction would have resulted. Those attending this sub-group were: Sun, Chen, Penner, Rausch, Tao, Klindt, Carrier, and three PNNL researchers.

14:50 The committee saw a slide show on hay bales and unique ways to decorate with them.

14:52 The committee adjourned for the tour.

9/22/09

8:02 Debbie Anderson gave several announcements to the committee.

8:03 Dennis Wiesenborn reviewed the agenda.

8:07 Dennis Wiesenborn opened nominations for secretary. Kent Rausch nominated Samir Khanal for secretary. Muthukumarappan moved to close nominations. Tao seconded. Motion passed. Khanal was accepted as secretary for 2010.

8:09 Tumbleson addressed the committee. He suggested that the ARS Lab in Wyndmoor, PA be the site in 2010. We discussed moving the dates to August 2-3. The group was asked if they could attend those dates. The August dates were preferred over a September meeting. Wilkins moved that USDA-ARSs Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, PA be the site for the 2010 meeting. Singh seconded. The committee approved the motion. Sites for 2011 were proposed. Hawaii and Port Hueneme (Los Angeles) were proposed. Wilkins moved that the 2011 Meeting be in Manoa, Hawaii. Tao seconded. The motion passed. WRRC (ARS), Sandia National Lab, Washington, DC and Port Hueneme were proposed for future meetings. S 1041 runs until 2013. Klindt suggested that our next development committee (SDC) be started in 2012 and run through 2014. A committee to propose an SDC needs to be formed at the 2011 meeting. At the 2012 meeting, a proposal for a new committee will need to be started.

Wiesenborn moved on to discussing our education objective. Sun discussed the multi-state graduate certificate that was approved through the USDA Higher Education Challenge grant. Tao asked if other states would like to participate in a bioproducts design contest. Gibbons stated that Oak Ridge had a similar contest. Wilkins noted that ABET is focusing on social and economic impacts in engineering curricula. Tao has a design contest already running in Indiana. The soybean and corn groups in Indiana are funding the contest for $250,000. Sun supported Taos contest, but she would like to discuss how curricula for bioenergy and biobased products should be structured among various universities that would be developed by the committee. Hanna would like to compile what classes members are offering in bioenergy and biobased products. Gibbons also suggested that it would be helpful if we knew if courses were offered on the Internet. A list of courses offered at the four universities in the multi-state certificate project is being compiled. Wiesenborn proposed that Samir Khanal chair a committee on education objectives. Hanna suggested we also compile the minors and options offered at our universities. Please submit your station reports to Wiesenborn so that he can compile the committee report. This should include a list of peer-reviewed publications and short summaries of important results under each objective. This needs to be submitted to Wiesenborn by September 30. Keep the summaries to less than 300 words per project listed by objective. Wiesenborn reviewed what is on the S 1041 website. Wiesenborn acknowledged Muthukumarappan for managing the listserv. Lira suggested that we put some keywords on the website, visit the page, and then visit Google. Google tracks this activity. It would also be helpful to link between faculty websites and the S 1041 website. Mark Worden was managing the website, but we dont know who is managing it now. The breakout sessions were asked to develop 1 goal for 2010 and report a list of participants to Wilkins. Members were asked to consider if there was a professional meeting that members could meet at to further discuss goals.

9:09 Committee dispersed to breakout sessions.

10:48 Committee reconvenes. Breakout session chairs reported on their meetings.

Jonathan Chen reported for bioproducts. Their #1 goal was to have a symposium in conjunction with the annual meeting. A second goal was having cooperation with PNNL personnel and developing new proposals. They also discussed writing a book. A concern was the timeline for doing the book. Another concern would be the format of the book and who is the audience. The group also mentioned other colleagues that might be able to participate in the meeting in the future. The listserv is a major avenue for communication that needs to be updated regularly. Those who attended this group were: Yu, Wen, Lira, Vidal, Rausch, and Kaur.

Samir Khanal reported for the education session. There were 7 participants. They agreed that there should not be an undergraduate program specific to bioenergy. Having a few courses as electives is better, and this is done at many universities. They also talked about having undergrads be a part of our meeting presenting a poster or a design project. Some universities will fund this. Iowa State has an interdisciplinary program in bioresource technology that offers a major and minor. There is not a handbook for biofuels and biobased products properties. This would be helpful to researchers and industry. Developing a textbook is not easy, but it could be done by the committee. Bailey said that Robert Brown published a book on biofuel processes. Boldor thought it was too general and did not have enough technical detail. Tao thought that having several people get together to write the book would ensure the depth of material would be there. Khanal thinks we need a book that has more fundamentals, especially about plant structure. Boldor thought it would easier to do a handbook focusing on processes from the farm to the final product. Tao said that 4 universities agreed to try to do a contest. Those who attended this session were: Wilkins, Tao, C. Chen, Fasina, Khullar, Boldor, and Khanal.

Tumbleson reported on the symposium group. They want to have focused presentations. There will be a proceedings handed out at the meeting with a 3 or 4 page summary of each talk. There will at least 6 papers. 3 from S 1041 and 3 from ERRL. One grad student presentation could be a part of the symposium. The focus will be conversion as a general topic on Tuesday morning, August 3, 2010. Monday morning, the ERRL will make a presentation on their lab. After the meeting, Wilkins will make the proceedings available on the web. This needs to be an annual symposium. The vice-chair of the committee should compile the proceedings each year. Those who attended this group were Wilkins, Tumbleson, Klindt, Bailey, Gibbons, and Penner.

Klindt gave some final comments. He enjoyed working with the group. He emailed the executive director of the southern directors for this group to ask for a new advisor. Remember this is a research committee. Remember in 3 or 4 years that the committee need to justify what you have done. That needs to be a part of what we are doing. This is key in the review of the next committee. Bailey gave some final comments. She is going to follow up on the memorandum of understanding with the US Navy and what activities are on their list. She is also going to check on conference dollars from the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). She doesnt know if she has any money to fund a competition. She thinks the group could go through the education solicitations. Measurable goals are commendable. We need written reports for the next meeting from each station. CSREES is developing a new website on energy and S1041s website will be linked on the site. The committee applauded the work of our hosts, especially Deb Anderson. Anderson then gave some comments about the tour to WSU-Prosser. Tao moved to adjourn, Penner seconded. Motion approved. Meeting adjourned at 11:20.

Respectfully submitted.

Mark R. Wilkins, Secretary, S 1041 Multi-state research committee

Accomplishments

The participants of this project have made substantial progress in the past year towards achieving the project objectives, commensurate with the recent, excellent funding for research in biofuels. For a fuller understanding of the considerable scope of these accomplishments, please refer to the annual CRIS reports from each of the member stations. One limitation to date, however, is that linkages have been slow to develop between participating stations. Participants recognize that such linkages will significantly increase the impact of this group; thus, S1041 is implementing a subcommittee structure to facilitate collaboration. The future productivity of this structure depends upon the continued leadership of the S1041 officers, especially the subcommittee chairs. <br /> <br /> A key goal identified for the coming year is a symposium in conjunction with the 2010 annual meeting. This effort is led by Mike Tumbleson (chair) and Mark Wilkins (co-chair).<br /> <br /> The following vignettes are provided as examples of the accomplishments of S1041 participants for 2008-2009 under the four project objectives, and are mainly based on reports volunteered by a number of participants.<br /> <br /> A. Reduce costs of harvesting, handling and transporting biomass to increase the competitiveness of biomass as a feedstock for biofuels, biomaterials and biochemicals<br /> <br /> Participants from AL, AR, GA, KY, KS, MN, MT, ND, NE, NY, OK, SD, TN, TX, and elsewhere will develop linkages to investigate densification for feedstock supply, particularly pellets, cubes, grinding, etc., and to identify the corresponding required biomass specifications, energy, and costs. The required degrees of densification needed will be taken into consideration, according to the particular application (transport (& distance)/ storage/ end use/ etc.), as well as the type of feedstock (wood, grasses, crop residues). The final results should provide a framework for the selection of the degree of densification, list alternatives to achieve each degree and the known issues associated with each, and identify potential solutions for each issue. This effort is led by Al Womac (chair) and Chengci Chen (co-chair).<br /> <br /> The minimum pressure required to densify agricultural and forest biomass is being investigated at AL and elsewhere, due to the high cost of pelleting. Pelleting is very expensive, mostly because the pressure applied is not efficiently utilized. For poultry litter, moisture content and pressure applied during compaction significantly affected the energy required for compaction and the strength of the densified material after 2 mo storage. The density of the compacted material was only affected by pressure applied during compaction after 2 mo storage. The specific energy required to produce the densified material varied from 0.25 to 2 kJ/kg (significantly less than the energy required to produce pellets). The ultimate goal is to develop a system for on-farm compaction of biomass.<br /> <br /> The performance of an integrated biomass pretreatment (AFEX) and densification (billet compaction) process is under development at SD, using corn stover, switchgrass and prairie cordgrass as model feedstocks. Preliminary results show that pretreated billets hold together well without use of added binders. <br /> <br /> Innovative methods for biomass physical property measurement are under development at MS, ND and elsewhere. For example, 3D laser scanner images were analyzed using image processing software. Cotton gin trash briquettes, switchgrass pellets, switchgrass cubes, hardwood pellets, and softwood chips were the test materials. Physical property determination using 3D scanning and image analysis determination methodology appears to be an accurate, non-invasive, and highly repeatable (coefficient of variation <0.3%) alternative. A digital torque wrench (DTW) in combination with a common bypass lopper was utilized to determine the cutting energy of wet corn stalks and compared to a universal testing machine (UTM). DTW peak torque and UTM standard net cutting energy (r > 0.95), and DTW specific torque and UTM specific energy (r > 0.98) were strongly correlated. The DTW cutting energy measurement method is fast, simple, less expensive than a UTM, portable, and suitable for onsite field measurements.<br /> <br /> B1. Improve biofuel production via biological conversion processes.<br /> <br /> Participants from HI, IL, KS, OK, SD, VA and elsewhere will develop linkages for the investigation of biological conversion processes. This effort is led by Mark Wilkins (chair) and Bill Gibbons (co-chair).<br /> <br /> Kluyveromyces marxianus IMB3 was used at OK in an SSF process using switchgrass pretreated at 200°C for 10 min with pressurized liquid hot water. SSF was done in a 2 L bioreactor with pH controlled at 5.0 or 5.5. The reactor controlled at pH 5.0 resulted in a maximum theoretical ethanol yield of 84% with the reactor controlled at pH 5.5 reached a yield of 78%. Fermentation continued for a longer period of time at pH 5.5, but ethanol production rate was faster at pH 5.0.<br /> <br /> Research investigating Clostridium strain P11 potential to produce ethanol from syngas continued at OK. It was discovered that the defined media that has been used for years to grow P11 can be replaced, completed with a media containing 0.5 g/L cotton seed extract (CSE). The CSE media resulted in faster ethanol production than did the defined media. It was also discovered that reducing calcium pantothenate and vitamin B12 concentrations can enhance ethanol production. Also, a 59 day batch fermentation was completed in a 75L bioreactor. The ethanol concentration reached over 25 g/L, and isopropanol was also produced. Also, P11 ethanol production was greatly enhanced by the addition of 10 mM methyl viologen to media while 10 mM neutral red had only a minimal effect on ethanol production and 10 mM benzyl viologen killed P11.<br /> <br /> Acid-functionalized nanoparticles were synthesized at KS for pretreatment and hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass to increase conversion at mild conditions. Functionalized metal nanoparticles have acidic properties to catalyze hydrolysis, are able to penetrate into the lignocellulosic structure, and are easily separable from products using a strong magnetic field. Cobalt spinel ferrite magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized using a microemulsion method and then covered with a layer of silica to protect them from oxidation. TEM images and FTIR methods were used to characterize the properties of acid-functionalized nanoparticles in terms of nanoparticle size, presence of sulfonic acid functional groups, and pH as an indicator of acid sites present. Wheat straw and wood fiber samples were treated with the acid supported nanoparticles at 80°C for 24 h to hydrolyze its cellulose fraction to sugars, with results that compared favorably to hydrothermolysis. The acid functionalized nanoparticles may have broken down the non soluble polysaccharides to oligomeric components.<br /> <br /> Work at IL aims to improve the corn-ethanol production process by improving process efficiency, developing methods of analysis for process improvement, understanding enzyme and starch degradation kinetics, and development of improved coproduct value. Concentration of thin stillage requires evaporation of large amounts of water and maintenance of evaporators. Ultrafiltration of thin stillage was evaluated as an alternative to evaporators in the ethanol industry. Total solids contents recovered through membrane separation processes were similar to those from commercial evaporators. Effects of operating variables such as transmembrane pressure and temperature on permeate flux rate and resistances were determined and optimum conditions for maximum flux rates were evaluated. Modeling results were in agreement with experimental results (R2>0.98).<br /> <br /> A laboratory procedure was developed at IL for screening corn hybrids for ethanol production. Effects of mill type, dry solids, Tf, glucoamylase dose, and yeast addition were evaluated and found to be significant (P < 0.05). Using the procedure developed, ethanol yields for five diverse hybrids (dent, waxy, white, high oil, and high amylose) were measured. The procedure is suitable for routine testing of ethanol yield potential and as a reference method for verifying more rapid measurement techniques, and will benefit corn seed companies, corn producers and ethanol processors. <br /> <br /> Task 1: Develop pretreatment methods for biological conversion processes<br /> <br /> Work has been started on investigating the effect of pretreatment of sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) Due to equipment limitations, this work reports solely on pretreatments carried out at a maximum temperature of 130 °C. Using the compositional data previously reported in scientific literature, bark pretreated a 130 °C enabled the recovery of 37% of the bark xylose. Similarly, using reported wood compositional for de-barked wood, 54% of the xylose was obtained.<br /> <br /> B2. Improve biofuel production via thermochemical conversion processes.<br /> <br /> Participants will develop linkages through exchange of samples, catalysts and non-proprietary data for the investigation of biological conversion processes. The group will also exchange seminars at participants institutions and develop relevant sessions at professional meetings. This effort is led by Roger Ruan (chair) and Donghai Wang (co-chair). <br /> <br /> The composition of bio-oil and its potential as a microbial growth medium are being assessed collaboratively by MN and SD. Bio-oil was fractionated into aqueous and non-aqueous phases, with the aqueous phase subsequently fractionated with ether and the non-aqueous phase extracted with dichloromethane. <br /> <br /> Bio-oils from southern forestry and agricultural feedstocks were characterized by AL and MS. Bio-oil was produced at AL from poultry litter, peanut, pine wood and switchgrass via pyrolysis in a bench scale auger reactor at four different temperatures (450 to 600 C). Maximal bio-oil yield for pine wood was obtained at 600 C; whereas, the maximal yield for switchgrass, peanut hulls and poultry litter was at 450 C. Bio-oil yield varied from 18 wt% to 37 wt% and switchgrass gave the highest bio-oil yield of all feedstocks. Bio-oil from poultry litter showed the highest heating value despite the fact that poultry litter has the lowest feedstock heating value. <br /> <br /> The performance of a lab-scale gasifier was simulated at NE, using Aspen Plus software to predict flow rate and composition of product from given biomass composition and gasifier operating conditions. Mass balance, energy balance and minimization of Gibbs free energy during the gasification were applied to determine the product gas composition. Carbon conversion efficiency and tar content were provided to the model as inputs as these could not be predicted by the model based on minimization of Gibbs free energy. Validation of the model was performed on a lab-scale fluidized bed gasifier using corn stover and distillers grains as the feed materials. The temperature of the gasifier bed was most influential on the product gas composition. The cold gas efficiencies for gas production were 57 and 52%, and selling prices of gas were $11.49 and $13.08/GJ, respectively, for corn stover and DDGS. When used together with a model for CHP generation, the models showed the electrical and net efficiencies were as high as 37 and 88%, respectively for corn stover and 34 and 78%, respectively for DDGS. The selling price of electricity was estimated to be $0.1351 and $0.1287/kWh for corn stover and DDGS, respectively.<br /> <br /> <p>C. Identify, develop and evaluate sustainable processes to convert biomass resources into biochemicals, biocatalysts and biomaterials <br /> <br /> <p>Participants from AR, IL, IN, KS, MI, MS, OR, TN, TX, VA, WA, and elsewhere will develop linkages for the investigation of bioproducts. A key goal for this group is participation in a symposium in conjunction with the next annual meeting, as mentioned above. This effort is led by Julie Carrier (chair) and Jonathan Chen (co-chair). <br /> <br /> <p>Soybean meals were converted at KS into soy surface active polymers (SSAP) that have potential uses for adhesives (packaging and labeling) and coatings (surfactants, additives, and co-polymers for coating materials, such as stain, paints, ink, etc). SSAP shows promise for packaging and labeling applications. SSAP is compatible with soy oil based resins, such as alkyds. One potential application of alkyds is as the carrier of pigments for stain coatings. However, the pigments are often precipitated and stirring is needed during application. Another important issue is the incompatibility of alkyds with water-based coating resins, which limits the use of soy alkyd in stain applications. The SSAP overcomes these limitations and is perfectly dispersible in alkyd resins. The SSAP contains many functional surface groups that would be compatible with water based resins. Therefore, SSAP-based products will help expand soy meal to new markets.<br /> <br /> <p>An elutriation apparatus was developed at IL to process DDGS to fiber at high rates. Fiber was then evaluated for corn fiber gum (CFG) production, which has uses as an emulsifier and thickener in foods. Total CFG yields from fiber varied from 35.8% to 44.2%. CFG will raise the value of DDGS, which will in turn improve the long-term sustainability of the corn kernel ethanol industry.<br /> <br /> <p>Corn starch-low density polyethylene (LDPE) blends were processed into thin films at NE by either single-step twin-screw extrusion or by a two-step process involving compounding (pelleting) of the ingredients before film formation. SEM micrographs of the uncompounded film blends were characterized by the presence of cracks and a distinct interface between starch and LDPE. Compounding, on the other hand, improved the continuity between the starch and LDPE phases by lowering the viscosity of the thermoplastic starch (TPS) melt and by improving the dispersion of LDPE on the film surface. As a result, the stress transfer between the starch and LDPE phases was improved. Addition of glycerol decreased the tensile strengths and moduli but did not necessarily improve the tensile strains. The FTIR spectra indicated only weaker interactions between the two immiscible polymers in the compounded blends. The DSC scans revealed phase separation in the TPS. The water vapor barrier properties of the composites were improved by 7.3-25.4% after compounding. <br /> <br /> Task 1: Discover and characterize biochemicals, biocatalysts, and biomaterials in biomass.<br /> <br /> Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) bark was extracted with 65 °C water and yielded 1.7 mg/g of shikimic acid, while sweetgum de-barked wood yielded 0.2 mg/g of shikimic acid. Shikimic acid is a precursor for the drug Tamiflu®. The Cave-in-Rock and Blackwell switchgrass(Panicum virgatum L.) varieties were shown to contain policosanols. Policosanols are composed mainly of docosanol (C22), tetracosanol (C24), hexacosanol (C26), octacosanol (C28), triacontanol (C30) and dotriacontanol (C32). Total policosanol concentration ranged between 89 mg/kg for July harvested Cave-in-Rock switchgrass from Arkansas and 182 mg/kg for August harvested Cave-in-Rock switchgrass for Oklahoma, and these values remained relatively constant throughout the season. ±-Tocopherol extracted from both switchgrass cultivars varied between 320 and 400 mg/kg, but decreased in the October harvest after frost. Switchgrass was determined to contain quercitrin (quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside) and rutin (quercetin-3-O-rutinoside). Extraction of switchgrass with 90 °C water gave rutin and quercitrin yields of 185 mg/kg and 193 mg/kg, respectively.<br /> <br /> Task 2: Develop separation processes for biochemicals, biocatalysts, and biomaterials.<br /> <br /> The flavonoids, rutin and quercitrin, were separated from switchgrass crude water extract by centrifugal partition chromatography, using a solvent system comprised of ethyl acetate/ethanol/water (2:1:2, v/v/v). <br /> Task 3: Develop applications for biochemicals and biocatalysts with biological activity.<br /> Preparations of 9 ¼M, of rutin and quercitrin inhibited the oxidation of Low Density Lipoprotein, indicating that these compounds have antioxidant activity. <br /> <br /> <p>D. Identify and develop needed educational resources, develop distance based delivery methods, and develop a trained work force for the biobased economy <br /> <br /> <p>Participants from AL, AR, LA, HI, IL, IN, KS, KY, MT, ND, OK, SD and elsewhere will develop linkages for education in biofuels and bioproducts. This effort is led by Sue Nokes (chair) and Samir Khanal (co-chair).<br /> <br /> <p>KS, AR, OK, and SD were recently awarded a USDA Higher Education Challenge grant to develop a graduate certificate program in Biobased products and Bioenergy. The recipients of this grant partly credit S1041 for this successful partnership. <br /> <br /> <p>A short course on fundamentals of corn wet milling was held at IL, with 18 attendees from wet milling and allied industries. <br /> <br /> Task 2: Distribute new knowledge to train the work force and general public in biobased products and processing.<br /> <br /> Application, # 2009-00926, Biobased Products and Bioenergy Multi-University Graduate Program, from Kansas State University submitted to the USDA Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program for Fiscal Year 2009 was selected for funding. AR is responsible for designing the conversion overview course. <br /> <br /> <p>E-glass composites which incorporated up to 40% epoxidized canola oil (ECO) were developed at ND. Although the resulting composite specimens had lower flexure strength and glass transition temperature than the zero-ECO control, the flexure modulus and toughness were similar to the control. Thus, composites prepared using ECO-blends should perform well in applications requiring flexibility and toughness. <br /> <br />

Publications

Peer-reviewed Journal Publications for Oct. 2008-Sept 2009, including accepted and in press publications, as submitted by these participating stations: AL, IL, KS, MS, ND, NE, OK, SD<br /> <br /> <p>Acioli-Moura R, and Sun X. S. 2008. Thermal degradation and physical aging of poly(lactic acid) and its blends with starch. Polymer Engineering and Science. DOI 10.1002.pen.21019: 829-836.<br /> <br /> <p>Adhikari S, Fernando S, and Haryanto A. 2008. Hydrogen production from glycerin by steam reforming over nickel catalysts. Renewable Energy. 33: 10971100.<br /> <br /> <p>Adhikari S, Fernando S, To F, Bricka R, Steele P, and Haryanto A. 2008. Conversion of glycerol to hydrogen via a steam reforming process over nickel catalysts. Energy & Fuels. 22(2): 1220-1226.<br /> <br /> <p>Adhikari S, Fernando S, To F, Bricka R, Steele P and Haryanto, A. 2008. Conversion of glycerol to hydrogen via a steam reforming process over nickel catalysts, Energy & Fuels, 22: 1220-1226. <br /> <br /> <p>Adhikari S, Fernando S, and Haryanto A. 2008. Hydrogen production from glycerin by steam reforming over nickel catalysts. Renewable Energy. 33: 1097-1100. <br /> <br /> <p>Arora A, Dien B.S, Belyea R.L, Wang P, Singh V, Tumbleson M.E, and Rausch K.D. 2009. Thin stillage fractionation using ultrafiltration: resistance in series model. Bioprocessing Biosysystems Engineering. 32:225-233. <br /> <br /> <p>Beaver E. K, Klabunde B, Wang X, and Sun S. 2009. Lactic acid-magnesium oxide nanocomposites: how nanoparticle size and shape affect initial polymerization and the resulting properties of the prepolymer. New Journal of Chemistry. 33:1951-1959.<br /> <br /> <p>Bernhart M. and Fasina O. O. 2009. Physical properties and pyrolysis behavior of fractionated poultry litter. Transactions of ASABE. 52: 531-538. <br /> <br /> <p>Bernhart M. and Fasina O. O. 2009. Moisture effect on the storage, handling and flow properties of poultry litter. Waste Management. 29: 1392-1398. <br /> <br /> <p>Bhadra R, Muthukumarappan K. and Rosentrater K.A. 2009. Understanding and modeling flowability in DDGS. Cereal Chemistry. 86(2): 170-180.<br /> <br /> <p>Bhadra R, Rosentrater K.A., and Muthukumarappan K. 2009. Surface characteristics and flowability in distillers dried grain with solubles. Cereal Chemistry. 86(4): 410-420.<br /> <br /> <p>Chakraborty P, Gibbons W.R, and Muthukumarappan K. 2009. Conversion of volatile fatty acids into polyhydroxyalkanoate by Ralstonia eutropha. Journal of Applied Microbiology (In press).<br /> <br /> <p>Espinoza-Perez J.D, Wiesenborn D.P, Haagenson D, Ulven C.A. and Pryor S. 2009. Production and characterization of epoxidized canola oil. Transactions of ASABE. 52(4):1289-1297.<br /> <br /> <p>Fasina O.O. 2008. Physical properties of peanut hull pellets. Bioresource Technology. 99: 1259-1266. <br /> <br /> <p>Gibbons W.R. and Hughes S.R. 2009. Integrated biorefineries with engineered microbes and high-value co-products for profitable biofuels production. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology  Plant. 45:218-228.<br /> <br /> <p>Hughes S.R, Gibbons W.R, and Kohl S. 2009. Chapter 4: Advanced biorefineries for production of fuel ethanol. In: Biomass to Biofuels, A. Vertes, N. Qureshi, H. Yukawa, and H. Blaschek (eds). John Wiley and Sons, England (In press).<br /> <br /> <p>Cannayen I, Pordesimo L.O, Batchelor W. D, Columbus E.P, and Methuku S. 2008. Shape identification and size distribution of particles from basic shape parameters using ImageJ. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 63:168-182.<br /> <p>Karunanithy C. and Muthukumarappan K. 2009. Influence of extruder temperature and screw speed on sugar recovery from corn stover through enzymatic hydrolysis while varying enzymes and their ratio. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. DOI: 10.1007/s12010-009-8757-y.<br /> <br /> <p>Kumar A, Eskridge K, Jones D.D, and Hanna M.A. 2009. Steam-air fluidized bed gasification of distillers grains: effects of steam to biomass ratio, equivalence ratio and gasification temperature. Bioresource Technology. 100(6):2062-2068.<br /> <br /> <p>Kumar A, Wang L, Yuris D, Jones D.D, and Hanna M.A. 2008. Thermogravimetric characterization of corn stover as gasification and pyrolysis feedstock. Biomass and Bioenergy. 32:460-467.<br /> <br /> <p>Kun F, Wang B, Sheng K, and Sun X.S. 2009. Properties and morphology of poly(lactic acid) / soy protein isolate blends. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 114(2): 754-759.<br /> <br /> <p>Kundiyana D, Wilkins M.R, Huhnke R.L, and Banat I.M. 2009. Effect of furfural addition on xylose utilization by Kluyveromyces marxianus IBMm4 under anaerobic and microaerobic conditions. Biological Eng. (in press).<br /> <br /> <p>Lee S.Y, Eskridge K.M, and Hanna M.A. 2009. Effects of extrusion variables on organoclay intercalation and properties of tapioca starch-poly(lactic acid) nanocomposite foams. International Polymer Processing. 24:59-66<br /> <br /> <p>Leguizamón C, Weller C.L, Schlegel V.L, and Carr T.P. 2009. Plant sterol and policosanol characterization of hexane extracts from grain sorghum, corn and their DDGS. Journal of American Oil Chemists Society. 6(7):707-716.<br /> <br /> <p>Lemuz C.R, Dien B.S, Singh V, McKinney J, Tumbleson M.E, and Rausch, K.D. 2009. Development of an ethanol yield procedure for dry grind corn processing. Cereal Chemistry. 86:355-360. <br /> <br /> <p>Li X, Li Y, Zhong Z, Wang D, Ratto J.A, Sheng K, and Sun X.S. 2009. Mechanical and water soaking properties of medium density fiberboard with wood fiber and soybean protein adhesive. Bioresources and Technology. 100(2009): 3556-3562.<br /> <br /> <p>Mo X, Hiromasa Y, Al-Rawi A, Warner M, Iwamoto T, Rahman T, Sun X.S, and Tomich J.M. 2008. Design of bio-based 11- residue adhesive peptides with different properties: Induced secondary structure in the absence of water. Biophysical Journal. 94: 1807-1817.<br /> <br /> <p>Pushpadass H.A, and Hanna M.A. 2009. Age-induced changes in the microstructure and selected properties of extruded starch films plasticized with glycerol and stearic acid. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research (In Press).<br /> <br /> <p>Pushpadass H.A, Kumar A, Dumais J, Wehling R.L, Jackson D.S, and Hanna M.A. 2008. Macromolecular changes in extruded starch films plasticized with water, glycerol and stearic acid. Starch/Stärke. 61:256-266.<br /> <br /> <p>Pushpadass H.A, Marx D.B, and Hanna M.A. 2009. Effects of extrusion temperature and plasticizers on the physical and functional properties of starch films. Starch/Stärke. 60(10):527-538.<br /> <br /> <p>Pushpadass H.A, Marx D.B, Wehling R.L, and Hanna M.A. 2009. Extrusion and characterization of starch films. Cereal Chemistry. 86(1): 44-51.<br /> <br /> <p>Pushpadass H.A, Weber R.W, and Hanna M.A. 2008. Expansion, morphological, and mechanical properties of starch-polystyrene foams containing various additives. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research. 47(14): 4736-4742.<br /> <br /> <p>Ravindranath S.V, Uppugundla N, Lay J, Clausen E, Wilkins M, Ingraham R, West C, Wu Y, and Carrier D.J. 2009. Policosanol, ±-tocopherol and moisture content as a function of timing of harvest of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.). Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry. 57:3500-3505.<br /> <br /> <p>Shera J, and Sun X.S. 2009. Effect of peptide sequence on surface properties and self-assembly of an amphiphilic ph-responsive peptide. Biomacromolecules. 10(8): 2201-2206<br /> <br /> <p>Singh S.K, Kakani V.G, Brand D, Baldwin B, and Reddy K.R. 2008. Assessment of cold and heat-tolerance of winter-grown canola cultivars by pollen-based parameters. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science. 194: 225-236.<br /> <br /> <p>Srinivasan R, Yadav M.P, Belyea R.L, Rausch K.D, Pruiett L.E, Johnston D.B, Tumbleson M.E, and Singh V. 2008. Fiber separation from distillers dried grains with solubles using scaled up elutriation apparatus and use of fiber as a feedstock for corn fiber gum. Biol. Engr. 1:39-49. <br /> <br /> <p>Steele P.H, Mitchell B.K, Cooper J.E, and Arora S. Bundled slash: a potential new biomass resource for fuels and chemicals. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 148 (1):1-13. 2008. <br /> <br /> <p>Sun X.S, Wang D, Zhang L, Mo X, Zue L, and Boyle D. 2008 Morphology and phase separation of hydrophobic clusters of soy globular protein polymers. Macromolecular Bioscience. 8(4):295-303.<br /> <br /> <p>Suryawati L, Wilkins M.R, Bellmer D.D, Huhnke R.L, Maness N.O, and Banat I.M. 2009. Effect of hydrothermolysis process conditions on pretreated switchgrass composition and SSF ethanol yield using Kluyveromyces marxianus IBM4. Process Biochem. 44:540-545. <br /> <br /> <p>Suryawati L, Wilkins M.R, Bellmer D.D, Huhnke R.L, Maness N.O, and Banat I.M. 2008. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of Kanlow switchgrass pretreated by hydrothermolysis using Kluyveromyces marxianus IBM4. Biotechnology Bioengineering. 101:894-902.<br /> <br /> Uppugundla N, Engelberth A, Vandhana Ravindranath S, Lay J, Clausen E, Lay M, Gidden J and Carrier DJ. (2009). Switchgrass water extracts: Extraction, separation and biological activity of rutin and quercitrin. Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry 57: (in press). <br /> <br /> Vandhana Ravindranath S, Uppugundla N, Lay J, Clausen E, Wilkins M, Ingraham R, West C, Wu Y and Carrier DJ. (2009). Policosanol, ±-tocopherol and moisture content as a function of timing of harvest of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.). Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry 57: 3500-3505.<br /> <br /> <p>Venkateshan K. and Sun X.S. 2009. Thermodynamic and microscopy studies of urea-soy protein composites, Polymer Preprints. 50(2): 71-72. <br /> <br /> <p>Vidal B.C. Jr, Rausch K.D, Tumbleson M.E, and Singh V. 2009a. Determining corn germ and pericarp residual starch by acid hydrolysis. Cereal Chemistry. 86:133-135.<br /> <br /> <p>Vidal B.C. Jr, Rausch K.D, Tumbleson M.E, and Singh V. 2009b. Protease treatment to improve ethanol fermentation in modified dry grind corn processes. Cereal Chemistry. 86:323-328. <br /> <br /> <p>Wang D, Sun X.S, Yang G, and Wang Y. 2009. Improved water resistance of soy protein isolate from neutral surface charge. Transactions of ASABE. 52(1):173-177.<br /> <br /> <p>Wang B, Sun, X.S, and Klabunde K. 2009. Poly(lactic acid)/multi-hydroxyl magnesium oxide nanocomposites prepared by melt compounding. Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy. 3: 130-138.<br /> <br /> <p>Wang L, Weller C.L, Schlegel V.L, Carr TP, and Cuppett S.L. 2008. Supercritical CO2 extraction of lipids from grain sorghum dried distillers grains with solubles. Bioresoure Technology. 99(5):1373-1382. <br /> <br /> <p>Wang L, Hanna M.A, Weller C.L, and Jones D.D. 2009. Technical and economical analyses of combined heat and power generation from distillers grains and corn stover in ethanol plants. Energy Conservation and Management. 50:1704-1713.<br /> <br /> <p>Wang L, Kumar A, Weller C.L, Hanna M.A, and Jones D.D. 2009. Thermal degradation kinetics of distillers grains in nitrogen and air part a: recovery, utilization, and environmental effects. Energy Sources. 31(10):797-806.<br /> <br /> <p>Wang P, Johnston D.B, Rausch K.D, Schmidt S.J, Tumbleson M.E, and Singh, V. 2009. Effects of protease and urea on a granular starch hydrolyzing process for ethanol production. Cereal Chemistry. 86:319-322.<br /> <br /> <p>Wang Y, Tilley M, Bean S, Sun X.S, and Wang D. 2009. Comparison of methods for extracting sorghum proteins from distillers dried grains with solubles. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(18):8366-8372.<br /> <br /> <p>West T. P. 2009. Effect of yeast extract supplementation on curdlan production from condensed corn distillers solubles. Res. J. Microbiol. 4:202-207.<br /> <br /> <p>Widmer W, Narciso J, Grohmann K, and Wilkins M. 2009. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of orange processing waste to ethanol using Kluyveromyces marxianus. Biological Engineering (in press).<br /> <br /> <p>Wilhelmi A.J, Wiesenborn D,P, Gustafson C.R., and Pryor S.W. 2009. Models for fractionation of field peas to supplement corn ethanol, Applied Engineering in Agriculture (in press).<br /> <br /> <p>Wilkins M.R. 2009. Effect of orange peel oil on ethanol production by Zymomonas mobilis. Biomass and Bioenergy. 33:538-541.<br /> <br /> <p>Wolf-Hall C.E, Gibbons W.R, and Bauer N.A. 2009. Development of a low-cost medium for production of nisin from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis. W. J. Micr. Biotechnol (accepted 6/09). 10.1007/s11274-009-0102-7.<br /> <br /> <p>Xie G, and West T.P. 2009. Citric acid production by Aspergillus niger ATCC 9142 from a treated ethanol fermentation coproduct using solid-state fermentation. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 48:639-644.<br /> <br /> <p>Xu Y.X, Hanna M.A, and Josiah S.J. 2009. Evaluation of Nebraska hybrid hazelnuts: nut and kernel characteristics, proximate, oil and protein compositions . Industrial Crops and Products. Accepted. <br /> <br /> <p>Xu Y.X, and Hanna M.A. 2009. Synthesis and characterization of hazelnut oil-based biodiesel. Industrial Crops and Products. 29: 473-479. <br /> <br /> <p>Xu Y.X, Hanna M.A, and Isom L. 2008. Green chemicals from renewable agricultural biomass-a mini review. The Open Agriculture Journal. 2:54-61. <br /> <br /> <p>Yu F, Ruan R, and Steele P.H. 2008. Consecutive reaction model for the pyrolysis of corn cob. Transactions of ASABE. 51(3): 1023-1028. 2008.<br /> <br /> <p>Zhang L, and Sun X.S. 2008. Effects of sodium bisulfite on soybean glycinin. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. 56(23):11192-11197.<br /> <br /> <p>Zhao H, Zhang J, Sun X.S, and Hua D.H. 2008. Syntheses and properties of cross-linked polymers from functionalized triglycerides. Journal Applied Polymer Science. 110: 647-656.<br /> <br />

Impact Statements

1. incorporated into accomplishments

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Report Information

Participants

Peter Arbuckle NIFA, USDA
Carmela Bailey NIFA, USDA
Rekha Balachandran University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Dorin Boldor Louisiana State University
William Brown University of Tennessee
Igathinathane Cannayen North Dakota State University
Sergio Capareda Texas A&M University
Danielle Julia Carrier University of Arkansas
Yan (Jonathan) Chen University of Texas Austin
Oladiran Fasina Auburn University
Ken Goddard University of Tennessee
Sundaram Gunasekaran University of Wisconson
Milford Hanna University of Nebraska
Andrew Hashimoto University of Hawaii
Samir Khanal University of Hawaii
Esha Khullar University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Carl Lira Michigan State University
Michael Mailander Louisiana State University
G.S. Murthy Oregon State University
Sue Nokes University of Kentucky
Kent Rausch University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Roger Ruan University of Minnesota
Vijay Singh University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Bernie Tao Purdue University
Mike Tumbleson University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mark Wilkins Oklahoma State University
Fei Yu Mississippi State University
Wenquiao Yuan Kansas State University

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting
USDA Eastern Regional Research Center
Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania
August 2 and 3, 2010
8:07 am Sue Nokes, S1041 chairwoman, opens the meeting and greets members.
8:08 am Sevim Erhan, ERRC director, addresses the members. Dr. Erhan has been the director of ERRC for 2 years. Before that, she worked at the ARS lab in Peoria.
8:10 am Dr. William Brown, U. of Tennessee and S1041 advisor, introduces himself. He commented that S1041 is doing timely and important research. He stressed that publishing and writing grants together is important. Also, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is stressing multi-state and multi-disciplinary research. He commented on the excellent symposium to be held the next day. Dr. Brown informed the members about a new report by the National Research Council (NRC) called Biology for the 21st Century that may interest members. This report is available for the NRC website.
8:16 am Members introduce themselves.
8:23 am Carmela Bailey, NIFA National Program Leader for Bioenergy addresses the committee. NIFA has been in existence for one year and consists of four institutes. NIFA lacks an undersecretary (as of the meeting date) since the Presidents nomination has not been confirmed. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has stressed bioenergy as a means for revitalization of rural America. The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI, the old NRI) has changed. It now includes large Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAPs) for regional feedstock development. Successful projects will use a systems approach. The funding for these projects is $9 million/year for 5 years, which is the largest award ever funded by NIFA or its predecessor CSREES. Ethanol research will not be funded, only advanced biofuels. The Obama Administration wants near- term impacts from these CAPs. Post award management will be very important with the CAPs. Dr. Bailey also commented that some NIFA stakeholders feel that basic agricultural research is being neglected by NIFA. The Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) is now administered by NIFA. This program also stresses a systems-based approach. Both BRDI and the CAPs will require site visits, which is something the committee has done in the past. Peter Arbuckle will lead the post award evaluation of NIFAs bioenergy projects.
8:42 am Peter Arbuckle addressed the committee. Mr. Arbuckle presented some Powerpoint slides on how projects will be assessed. 29 projects are closing in 2011 and need to be visited. Arbuckle asked if S1041 would like to assist NIFA in post-award evaluation of projects.
Nokes asked if projects will be followed by NIFA after their termination. Arbuckle replied that they will not. Bailey emphasized that she and others are not trying to force S1041 into evaluating projects. Dr. Julie Carrier, U. of Arkansas, encouraged the committee to participate. Dr. Alvin Womac, U. of Tennessee, stated he had been an evaluator and had been evaluated and that this was an excellent opportunity. Arbuckle stated that previous feedback indicated that S1007s (the predecessor of S1041) reviews were valuable to both PIs and reviewers. Dr. Dorin Boldor, Louisiana State U., asked who pays for the reviews. Bailey stated that NIFA does. Dr. Bernard Tao, Purdue U., asked how many reviews need to be done. Arbuckle said 15 or so next year. Dr. Hashimoto, U. of Hawaii, asked if funding of a CAP can be cut in the middle of a project. Bailey stated yes since they are renewable every year. BRDI projects get their money upfront.
9:06 am Dr. Milford Hanna, U. of Nebraska, addressed the members about past reviews. Hanna will coordinate the reviews if the members want to participate. Pairs of reviewers will do the reviews.
Tao moved that S1041 participate in the NIFA post-award reviews. Motion passed unanimously.
9:24 am Break
9:55 am Erhan gave an overview of the ERRC. Tours of the facility then began.
12:10 pm Lunch
12:50 pm Breakout sessions on different objectives begin.
2:39 pm Members reconvene. The logistics objective group discussed a specifications database for feedstocks that could be developed. Coordination between conversion researchers and companies and logistics and handling researchers is needed to ensure that biomass is prepared in a manner suitable for conversion.
The bioconversion group debated about the economic viability of algae for biodiesel or other fuels.
The biomaterials group about various projects that each members was doing and whether researching biofibers would be a good area for the group.
The education objective group discussed compiling a list of bioenergy textbooks.
3:25 pm Members gave station reports. A summary of these is given in the S1041 report.
4:23 pm Business meeting. Boldor was elected secretary. Stillwater, Oklahoma was selected for the site of the 2011 meeting on August 1 and 2. Washington, DC will be the site of the 2012 meeting. Wenqiao Yuan, Kansas State U., Fei Yu, Mississippi State U., and Ajay Kumar, Oklahoma State U., will organize the 2011 symposium. Carrier agreed to coordinate the writing of the next committee proposal.
5:00 pm Meeting adjourned. A symposium was held on August 3 and the proceedings of that symposium can be found on the S1041 website.

Research Report
Investigators
Adhikari, Sushil Auburn University
Baldwin, Brian Plant and Soil Science Department, Mississippi
Carrier, Julie Danielle University of Arkansas
Chen, Paul
Cherney, D.J.R. Cornell University
Cherney, J.H. Cornell University
Clausen, Ed University of Arkansas
Fasina, Oladiran Auburn University
Hashimoto, Andrew UHM
Huhnke, Raymond L. Oklahoma University
Jung, Hail Cornell
Ketterings, Q.M. Cornell University
Khanal, Samir Kumar UHM
Montross, Michael University of Kentucky
Nokes, Sue University of Kentucky
Rausch, Kent ABE, University of Illinois
Ruan, Roger University of Minnesota
Singh, Vijay ABE, University of Illinois
Tumbleson, Mike ABE, University of Illinois
Vatamaniuk, Olena Cornell
Wilkins, Mark R Oklahoma University
Womac, Al University of Tennessee
Ye, Drs. Phillip University of Tennessee
Yu, Fei Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Mississippi

Co-Investigators
Belyea, Ron Animal Sciences, MU
Clevenger, Tom Civil Engineering, MU
Crofcheck, Czar Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky
Dien, Bruce NCAUR, ARS
Johnston, David ERRC, ARS
Atiyeh, Hasan Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Oklahoma State University
Bellmer, Danielle Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Food and Agricultural Products Center, Oklahoma State University
Patil, Krushna Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Oklahoma State University
Lewis, Randy Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University
Tanner, Ralph Botany and Microbiology, University of Oklahoma

Accomplishments

Objective A. Reduce costs of harvesting, handling, and transporting biomass to increase competitiveness of biomass as a feedstock for biofuels, biomaterials and biochemicals. <br /> Task 1: Quantify and characterize biological feedstocks <br /> Montana State University is evaluating camelina and other oilseed crops as potential feedstock for biodiesel and aviation fuels. The major work includes: 1) camelina cultivar development and evaluation for higher yield and better oil content/profile; and 2) cropping system development for camelina feedstock production. <br /> The DOE/Sun Grant Regional Biomass Feedstock Partnership project. The major work includes 1) assessing the yield potential of existing CRP fields at different climate and geographic regions; 2) developing management strategies to increase yield, sustainable production, and less impact to environment and wildlife habitat. Current harvesting method is baling. The CRP biomass is harvested at two growing stages, i.e. at peak biomass production and at frost kill. The project involves University of Illinois, Kansas State University, University of Missouri, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, University of Georgia, and Montana State University. <br /> Michigan State University Chemical and Biological Engineering Department and the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department at the University of Kentucky are working on algae and thermal tolerant microorganisms for biofuel production. The University of Minnesota are developing technologies to mass produce microalgae as biomass feedstock. Among the many aspect of this algae-to-fuels approach, cost effective harvest techniques are being studied, including the use of bioflocculants to improve recovery efficiency and reduce energy consumption.<br /> An experiment was initiated in 2009 at the Cornell University Willsboro Research Farm to investigate the impacts of soil type and fertility treatments on productivity and composition of switchgrass, tall fescue and reed canarygrass. Cool-season grasses were harvested twice/season, while switchgrass was harvested once in October. Composition was greatly affected by species and treatment, with fewer differences due to soil type. Manure treatment generally resulted in highest ash, K and Cl, with compost ranking second among treatments for ash, K and Cl. Chlorine, a problematic element for combustion, ranged from 13.6 g/kg in first growth of cool season grasses with manure, to 0.1 g/kg in switchgrass with or without N fertilizer applied. Harvest management of switchgrass was evaluated in two fields on a high elevation marginal soil site. Harvest management included an October mowing and baling treatment, an October mowing with a flat swath overwintered in the field, and an October mowing with a windrowed swath overwintered in the field. A spring mowing/baling treatment also was included. Spring mowed-Spring baled was 38% lower yielding, Fall windrowed-Spring baled was 32% lower yielding, and Fall flat swath-Spring baled was 56% lower yielding, compared to the Fall mowed-Fall baled yield mean. <br /> Prediction of biomass composition was improved using reproducing kernel methods with wavelet compressed FT-NIR spectra. FT-NIR spectroscopy generates spectral data with high dimensionality and collinearitythe conventionally used Partial Least Square (PLS) regression shows disadvantages in building accurate, robust, and broad-based models. Kernel Partial Least Squares (KPLS) regression and Kernel Ridge Regression (KRR) with wavelet-compressed spectral data promise improved prediction performance.<br /> Biomass feedstock research was continuing in Mississippi. Several feedstocks, such as switchgrass, giant miscanthus, energy cane and sweet sorghum were grown in the Mississippi State University south farm for three years. Giant miscanthus yielded more than switchgrass at the third year, however, the yields of giant miscanthus and switchgrass were at the same level. Yield of switchgrass was 8-10 tons/acre. Yield of energy cane was maximum of 22 tons/acre (dry weight), while yield of sweet sorghum ranged from 8-18 tons/acre.<br /> Oklahoma State University is studying the effect of harvest time on conversion of switchgrass to ethanol via a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF. The initial hydrolysis rate of cellulose was greater for switchgrass harvested in July and August than for switchgrass harvested in September, October, and November. Theoretical yields of ethanol produced from SSF were greater for July, August, and November than for September and October. Switchgrass harvested in September and October had more lignin than did switchgrass harvested in July and August. November switchgrass also had similar amounts of lignin to September and October. <br /> DDGS samples from dry grind processing plants in the upper Midwest were analyzed for nutrient concentrations and sources of variationwere evaluated at the University of Illinios. Differences in maize characteristics and in processing conditions probably were responsible for batch to batch effects. Fat content of DDGS samples was relatively uniform, but there was considerable variation in protein concentration (260-380g/kg db). Low lysine (8.9g/kg db) and elevated pepsin insoluble (bound) protein concentrations were additional concerns. Published values for ruminally undegradable protein content were as accurate as estimates using specific plant data.<br /> Task 2: Develop and evaluate harvest, process and handling methods <br /> The University of Tennessee, DOE Oak Ridge National Lab, DOE Idaho National Laboratory and equipment manufacturers are collaborating to comprehensively investigate switchgrass supply from harvest through pre-processing. Experiments address issues with harvesting high yield grass crops, densification, and quality metrics of supply. Emphasis addresses use of bales and bulk supply. The University of Kentucky is working with CNH on a similar project.<br /> The University of Tennessee teamed with Deere & Co. to identify forage equipment performance in high-yielding switchgrass, effect of switchgrass supply quality on cellulosic ethanol potential, and a cost model for switchgrass feedstock: Drying potential was greatly aided with the use of a mower conditioner, either in June harvest or November harvest periods. Late-season, single-cut harvests with a disk mower was hindered by curtain frame interference with crop flowability through the mower. <br /> A representative lab-scale, "biorefinery process" for cellulosic ethanol potential was developed to identify the impact of switchgrass supply chain feedstock "specifications." Factors examined included field-scale samples of multiple cut, single cut, cut timing, storage method, exposure to elements, and harvest as bales, low moisture chopped, and ensiled chopped. Samples were pretreated using liquid ammonia fiber explosion process (LAFEX) at 100°C in which the ammonia was maintained in liquid form throughout, including filling, until explosive release. LAFEX samples were enzymatic hydrolyzed for 72 h using Accellerase 1000 enzyme. Then from the fermentable sugars identified through liquid chromatography, cellulosic ethanol production was predicted. The most dramatic reduction in cellulosic ethanol potential (from ~60 to 18 gal/ dry matter ton) was from portions of stored switchgrass that got wet and stayed wet for extended periods, usually due to continuous contact with soil. <br /> Planning for a funded high-tonnage logistics project was initiated to leverage the advantages of low-moisture bulk supply - that will be used to supply a cellulosic ethanol demonstration in Vonore, TN. The project involves bulk compaction and bulk conveyance to maximize handling efficiencies.<br /> The University of Hawaii-Manoa (UHM) research team has developed a new concept of "green" or wet processing of tropical grasses that can be harvested during any growth stage and processed wet or green. Green processing can be carried-out onsite, thus eliminating the costs associated with long-distance handling of biomass. <br /> The University of Minnesota has been developing distributed conversion systems which are intended to be installed and operated on or near biomass feedstock production sites so that costs for handling and transportation will be significantly reduced.<br /> Task 3: Model and analyze integrated feedstock supply and process systems <br /> UT has developed a switchgrass supply cost model built around equipment ownership concept for various switchgrass yields and harvested switchgrass area. Spreadsheet model input incorporates field equipment observations and measurements from switchgrass harvest experiments conducted as described above. Numbers of equipment harvest units were based on windows of opportunity for harvest. Switchgrass supply costs to the biorefinery gate as round bales ranged from $72/ dry matter ton (1000 acre, 15 ton/ac yield) to $190/ dry matter ton (100 acre, 5 ton/ac yield). <br /> Several investigators at Auburn University continue to work on developing technologies and process to effectively and efficiently handle, store and transport biomass. Some of the studies carried out include densification studies on various biomass feedstocks, optimizing the fast pyrolysis of switchgrass and woody biomass, fractionation of woody biomass into lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses streams, and conversion of the fractionated streams into compact forms. The investigators are also involved in the Department of Energys high tonnage loblolly pine project at Auburn University that involves developing efficient and economical logistical system for delivering forest biomass to biorefinery. <br /> <br /> Objective B. Improve biofuel production processes <br /> Cornell is studying Brachypodium distachyon as a model grass species of a particular value in the cell wall biogenesis research for biofuel production. However, functional genomics tools have not been fully developed in Brachypodium, and its cell-wall biogenesis pathway is not understood. Since protoplasts regenerate their cell walls, gene expression silencing via double-strand (ds) RNA interference (RNAi) in protoplasts emerges as a rapid approach for discovery of genes involved in cell wall biogenesis. The aim of the project is to develop double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) interference (RNAi) in Brachypodium protoplasts as a rapid reverse genetic tool for screens for factors involved in cell wall biogenesis. We developed the first procedure for transfection of Brachypodium protoplasts and determined that the transfection efficiency is greater than 50%. 3. We established that RNAi is suitable for gene inactivation in Brachypodium protoplasts. We have transfected Brachypodium protoplasts with dsRNA against Bradi2g51210.1 and determined that expression of this gene in RNAi protoplasts was reduced by 40% in comparison with mock-transfected (control) protoplasts. <br /> Work continued in the area of producer gas fermentation. Reducing agents DTT and methyl viologen were found to be beneficial for promoting ethanol production by Clostridium ragsdalei (ATCC: PTA-7826). Also, it was found that heat shocking Clostridium ragsdalei at 92°C for 3 minutes promotes ethanol production and sporulation. This is similar to other alcohol-producing Clostridium bacteria. (OK)<br /> Populus sp., are hardwood feedstocks that grow in forest management areas that are logged for softwoods; however, they are also being considered as an energy-destined feedstock. The objective of this work was to determine the effect of xylose yield from dilute acid and hot water pretreatments performed in unstirred batch stainless steel reactors at temperatures ranging from 140 ºC to 200 ºC. Populus deltoides clones S13C20 and S7C15, used in this study originated from Eastern Texas, and were cultivated for 14 years in Pine Tree, AR. P. deltoides clones S13C20 and S7C15 had specific gravities of 0.48 and 0.40, respectively. Bark and wood were examined separately. As expected, hot water pretreatments, in the tested temperature range, resulted in very little direct xylose recovery. However, the 140ºC dilute acid pretreatment of the lower specific gravity clone, S7C15, wood yielded the highest average xylose recovery of 56%. This condition also yielded the highest concentration of furfural, 9 mg/g sample, which can be inhibitory to the fermentation step. The highest xylose recovery from bark samples, 31%, was obtained with clone S7C15, using the 160ºC dilute acid pretreatment for 60 min(UA). <br /> Characterization of bio-oils produced from fast pyrolysis of southern forestry and agricultural feedstocks was performed. Several southern forestry and agricultural biomass types, such as pine wood, cotton wood, switchgrass and giant miscanthus, etc. were tested as pyrolysis feed stocks. Feedstocks, bio-oils and chars were chemically and physically analyzed before and after fast pyrolysis. Viscosity was determined by ASTM 445 kinematic method; acid number, water content, solids content were also determined. Chemical qualities were characterized by GC/MS, GPC, FTIR and HPLC. The laboratory-scale steam explosion equipment was used to pretreat one feedstock and the bio-oil produced. Milling equipment for feedstock size reduction was developed for milling of feedstocks to various particulate sizes. Yields of bio-oil ranged from35.2 percent to 60.1 percent for the various feed stocks. Pyrolysis process and characterization were reported in publications resulting from this research (MS).<br /> Stabilization of raw bio-oil from fast pyrolysis was performed at Mississippi State by esterification process to improve the combustion quality of the bio-oil by reducing water content. Following final refinement of the stabilized bio-oil production system detailed physical and chemical tests were performed: chemical analysis by GC/MS and HPLC, viscosity over time by ASTM 445, flash, cloud and pour point, water, total acid number and pH, and HHV were also measured. A patent disclosure was drafted and submitted to protect the intellectual property developed to produce stabilized bio-oil as heating fuel.<br /> Construction of a heated upflow catalytic vapor phase reactor, attached to the outlet of the auger-fed bio-oil reactor was completed and catalytic reactions were performed. The ~ 450 °C pyrolysis vapor and enters the catalytic heated upflow reactor, where the temperature can be raised to predetermined temperatures (450 to 650 °C). After flowing through a proprietary ceramic filter to remove the very fine char, the vapor passes upwards through a packed catalyst bed and then to a condenser train. The condensed products were analyzed by GC/MS and the acid values and percent water were determined (MS).<br /> Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) catalysts were developed last year and tested in a batch reactor at various temperatures, residence time and pressure regimes. A packed-bed reactor was installed to test the new hydrotreating catalyst system. The system will be refined to further reduce oxygen and water content. Hydrogen consumption for the process will be precisely measured (MS).<br /> Several feedstocks, such as pine wood, switchgrass and giant miscanthus were gasified in a downdraft gasifier. Gasification process and characterization were reported in publications resulting from this research. <br /> A Mo/H-ZSM-5 catalyst was being used in a one step catalytic reaction for the conversion of syngas to liquid hydrocarbons. Next generation catalyst is under development to increase the conversion rate and product selevtivity (MS).<br /> We have been investigating two innovative conversion processes, namely microwave assisted pyrolysis (MAP) and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). We have developed continuous pilot scale MAP systems and continuous lab scale HTL systems. Effects of catalysts on product yields and quality were investigated. Some catalysts were found to selectively convert biomass to desirable products (UMN).<br /> We studied a number of bio-oil upgrading and reforming processes for converting vegetable oils and bio-oils to gasoline like fuels and for deoxygenation and denitrogenation (UMN)<br /> Work by Illinois under Objective B strives to improve the corn-ethanol production process by improving process efficiency, developing methods of analysis for process improvement, understanding enzyme and starch degradation kinetics, and development of improved coproduct value (UIUC).<br /> Heat transfer fouling characteristics of microfiltered thin stillage from the dry grind process (Arora et al 2010a). We investigated effects of microfiltration (MF) on heat transfer fouling tendencies of thin stillage. A stainless steel MF membrane (0.1 micron pore size) was used to remove solids from thin stillage. Thin stillage was concentrated from 7.0 to 22.4% solids with average permeate flux rates of 180 ± 30 L/m2/h (LMH) at 75°C. <br /> Theeffectiveness of microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) for nutrient recovery from a thin stillage stream was determined. When a stainless steel MF membrane (0.1 micron pore size) was used, the content of solids increased from 7.0 to 22.8% with a mean permeate flux rate of 45 LMH, fat increased and ash content decreased.<br /> Nutritional composition, nitrogen-corrected true metabolizable energy, and amino acid digestibilities of new corn distillers dried grains with solubles produced by new fractionation processes (Kim et al 2010). As ethanol production is increasing, new processes are being developed to maximize ethanol production from corn and to create new, more highly marketable corn distillers dried grains with or without solubles (DDGS or DDG, respectively). This study evaluated coproducts produced from two modified processes, the enzymatic dry grind (E-Mill) and the Elusieve processes. The E-Mill process subjects the corn kernel to enzymes that hydrolyze starch and help in removing germ, pericarp and endosperm fiber to create a modified higher protein, lower fiber DDG. The Elusieve process involves sieving the finished coproduct, DDGS, and then elutriating (air classifying) to remove fiber from the DDGS samples. A precision fed cecectomized rooster assay was conducted to determine TMEn and amino acid digestibilities of E-Mill DDG and several Elusieve DDGS samples produced using different screen sizes and elutriation air velocities. When compared with a conventionally processed DDGS, E-Mill DDG had increased protein (56.4 vs. 29.9%), increased TMEn (3.656 vs. 3.299 kcal/g DM), and higher amino acid digestibilities. When DDGS was subjected to various Elusieve processes, the resulting DDGS samples generally had an increased protein content and TMEn. As expected, the higher fiber fractions obtained from the Elusieve process had reduced protein, amino acid concentrations, amino acid digestibilities, and TMEn in comparison to the lower fiber fractions produced from the Elusieve process. The results of this study indicate that the Elusieve and E-Mill processes can be used to increase the nutritional value of DDGS for poultry(UIUC).<br /> Enzymatic corn wet milling: Engineering process and cost model (Ramirez et al 2009). Enzymatic corn wet milling is a process derived from conventional wet milling for the recovery and purification of starch and coproducts using proteases to eliminate the need for sulfites and decrease the steeping time. Process engineering and cost models for an enzymatic wet milling process have been developed for a processing plant with a capacity of 2.54 million kg corn per day (100,000 bu/day). (UIUC).<br /> Optimization of yeast and enzyme dose for dry-grind corn fermentation process for ethanol production (Rathore et al 2009a). This study was conducted to determine the effects of initial enzyme and yeast dose on starch-to-glucose and glucose-to-ethanol conversion, and to optimize yeast and enzyme doses for the production of sugar and ethanol during simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) (UIUC).<br /> Monitoring liquefaction unit operation in dry-grind ethanol process: factors affecting hydrolysis and methods for analysis (Rathore et al 2009b). Because yeast cannot consume starch directly, starch must be converted into sugars using enzymes. Liquefaction is the unit operation which typically involves cooking and hydrolysis by enzymes, which facilitates the conversion of starch into sugar. This study was conducted to determine effects of corn hybrids, enzyme types, initial enzyme dose, solids content, and operation time on the liquefaction operation. (UIUC).<br /> Effect of resistant starch on hydrolysis and fermentation of corn starch for ethanol (Sharma et al 2010). Starch samples with 0 or 30% amylose were subjected to four liquefaction enzyme treatments (at various temperature and pH conditions) followed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). Resistant starch (RS) measurements were conducted for the initial starch sample, after liquefaction and after SSF. Decreases in RS after high temperature liquefaction were 55 to 74%, whereas low temperature liquefaction decreases were 11 to 43%. For all treatments, RS decreased further after SSF (UIUC).<br /> Effect of endosperm hardness on an ethanol process using a granular starch hydrolyzing enzyme (Wang et al 2010). Granular starch hydrolyzing enzymes (GSHE) can hydrolyze starch at low temperature (32°C). In this study, effects of endosperm hardness, protease, urea and GSHE levels on GSH process were evaluated. Ground corn and soft and hard endosperm were processed using two GSHE levels (0.1 and 0.4 mL per 100 g ground material) and four treatments of protease and urea addition. For fermentation of soft endosperm, GSHE dose can be reduced. Due to nutrients (lipids, minerals, and soluble proteins) present in corn that enhance yeast growth, ground corn fermented faster at the beginning than hard and soft endosperm (UIUC).<br /> Utilize coproducts: Prosperous biodiesel industry provides an excessive amount of glycerol to the market. The sustainability of biodiesel industry requires production of value-added chemicals from its byproduct glycerol. Acrolein, which is currently manufactured via the oxidation of petroleum-based propylene, is one of those glycerol derivatives, holding an important status as intermediate for the production of many high-value chemicals, such as methionine and superabsorbents. The goals of our study were to develop an efficient process to produce acrolein from glycerol and to provide information for the potential scale-up (TN). The work provides insight into reaction pathways for bio-polyols, and therefore is informative for designing a cost-effective and efficient chemical catalysis system for the conversion of bio-renewables to bio-fuels and bio-chemicals (TN).<br /> The UHM research team has optimized the dilute-acid pretreatment of wet-processed banagrass. The team has also started working on optimizing dilute alkali pretreatments, and intends to evaluate its combined effect with ultrasonication in an attempt to reduce the chemicals, temperatures, and time required for biofuel production. <br /> Some of the projects that were carried out at Auburn under this objective include (a) development of techniques to improve properties of bio-oil; (b) hydrogen production from glycerol using metal catalysts; (c) optimizing the gasification of various biomass in a downdraft gasifier; and (d) TGA-FTIR and DSC analysis for various biomass feedstocks. <br /> <br /> Objective C. Identify, develop, and evaluate sustainable processes to convert biomass resources into biochemicals, biocatalysts, and biomaterials (non-fuel uses) <br /> The yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus IMB4 has been found to be an effective producer of xylitol from xylose at 40°C. Yields were greater than 0.8 g xylitol/g xylose. A thermotolerant yeast would be beneficial for an SSF process that would hydrolyze xylans. (OK)<br /> The UHM research team has been working on converting biofuel residues into protein-rich fungal biomass as an aquaculture feed for Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.<br /> We developed methods to convert bio-polyol rich bio-oils to polyester and polyurethane based bio-polymers (UMN).<br /> We have examined the feasibility of bio-char produced from MAP process as catalyst for MAP process and soil amendment agent (UMN).<br /> Objective D. Identify and develop needed educational resources, develop distance based delivery methods, and develop a trained work force for the biobased economy. <br /> The consortium of Oklahoma State University, Kansas State University, the University of Arkansas, and South Dakota State University finalized plans for a graduate certificate in Biobased products. The first course that will be part of the program will be offered next fall. Course approvals are ongoing for this program. (OK)<br /> Samir Khanal has developed and taught a new course: Biomass Conversion to Biofuel and Bioenergy, and edited a book entitled" Bioenergy and Biofuel from Biowastes and Biomass" (American Society of Civil Engineers, 2010).<br /> Both investigators continue to teach biomass and bioenergy related courses to undergraduate and graduate students at Auburn University, thereby contributing to the training of the workforce of the future for the biobased economy. (Auburn). <br /> In January 2010, a short course on corn wet milling was held that focused on the fundamentals of the wet milling process. The course was taught by eight experts: four faculty, two USDA-ARS scientists and two speakers from industry. Seventeen attendees from wet milling and allied industries participated in the course. In May 2010, a short course focusing on ethanol production was taught for 12 participants from the ethanol and allied industries. This short course was taught by 12 experts: six faculty, two USDA-ARS scientists and four speakers from industry. For 2011, the Seventh International Starch Technology Conference will be held June 5-8 which will attract speakers from government research agencies and industry (UIUC). <br /> Application, # 2009-00926, Biobased Products and Bioenergy Multi-University Graduate Program was funded by the USDA. This consortium, headed by Kansas State, includes Oklahoma State, South Dakota State and the University of Arkansas. This grant is for the design and implementation of a 15 hour web-based graduate certificate. Dr. Carrier is responsible for the creation and implementation of the course that will showcase how to convert biomass into various forms of energy. An off-line version of the course will be offered in the spring of 2011 (UA).<br /> We incorporated some the knowledge generated from our research into classroom teaching materials (UMN).<br /> We are participating in Bioenergy Education Materials Exchange System (BEEMS) program founded by USDA.<br /> SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES<br /> § Womac, A.R. (P.I.), K. Tiller, S. Jackson, P. Flowers, M. Kessler, G. Braswell, K. Althoff, T. Kraus, J.R. Hess, P. Pryfogle, E.G. Wilkerson, and S. Sokhansanj. 2009. Development of a Bulk-Format System to Harvest, Handle, Store, and Deliver High-Tonnage Low-Moisture Switchgrass Feedstock. U.S. Dept. of Energy Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0000060, Performance Period: January 1, 2010  December 31, 2012. Submitted through Genera Energy LLC (a UTRF-corporation, Knoxville, TN), Federal Request $4,999,758, Applicant $5,000,000, Total $9,999,758, (UT TAES: $685,104) - $4.999,758 was funded.<br /> § Wilkins was hosted for a Big 12 Fellowship at Kansas State University by Donghai Wang. Research was focused on conversion of eastern red cedar to sugars (OK).<br /> § HI worked with Texas A & M and Oklahoma State Universities, ARS and several commercial entities to respond to the recent USDA-NIFA CAP solicitation.<br /> § Carter, E., Via, B., Adhikari, S., Tu, M. and Fasina, O. Conversion of small diameter pine into bio-oil for moisture resistance wood products. USDA-Forest Service (Auburn). <br /> § Eden, M, Roberts, C., Taylor, S., Adhikari, S. Integrated Biorefinery Optimization through Biomass Fractionation, Gasification and Advanced Catalytic Conversion Processes. Southeastern Sun Grant Regional Grants (12/09-11/11) (Auburn). <br /> § The investigators are involved in several NIFA CAP projects with investigators from other stations (Auburn)<br /> § This project has allowed our station to create the necessary linkages to write the education grant. <br /> § Without this collaboration, the right partners would have not have been identified. So, grant # 2009-00926 would not have been funded without this partnership. <br /> § Serving on panels, 1) 2009 NSF CBET Research Projects Energy, Arlington, VA 2) 2009 USDA DOE Biomass Research Initiative (Full Proposals), Washington, DC (Panel Manager) , 3) 2009 DOE Biorefinery Merit Review Golden, CO, 4) 2010 USDA-SBIR Biofuels (Phase I and Phase II), Washington, DC, and, 5) 2010 NSF CBET Research Projects Energy, Arlington, VA would not have been possible without the networking provided by this multi-state project (UA).<br /> <br /> § Collaborate on sunn hemp for energy and fiber crop development with the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Florida (MS).<br /> § Collaborate on derivation of co-product polymers from high-sugars pyrolysis oils during production of hydrocarbons with Washington State University, South Dakota State University and Michigan State University. (MS).<br /> § Co-author a book chapter on lignocellulosic biomass processing with the University of Texas Austin. (MS).<br /> § Consortium with Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma and Brigham Young University on the Biomass Based Energy Research project. (MS).<br /> § Jointed proposals developed with SDSU, KSU, OSU, IowaSU, etc (UM).<br /> § Served on NSF Physiological and Structural Systems Cluster Grant review Panel, Division of Integrative Organismal Systems(Cornell 2009)<br /> § USDA-AFRI Plant Biology Environmental Stress Grant Review Panel (Cornell 2010)<br />

Publications

Abbott J, Medina Bolivar F, Martin E, Engelberth A, Villagarcia H, Clausen E and Carrier DJ. Purification of resveratrol, arachidin-1 and arachidin-3 from hairy root cultures of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) and determination of their antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity. Biotechnology Progress (in press)<br /> Agus Haryanto, Sandun Fernando, Lester Pordesimo S. D. Filip To, Philip H. Steele and Sushil Adhikari, 2009. Hydrogen production through water gas shift reaction: thermodynamic equilibrium vs. experimental results over supported Ni catalysts. Energy & Fuels, Vol. 23 (6), pp 30973102.<br /> Allen, T.D., M.E. Caldwell, P.A. Lawson, R.L. Huhnke and R.S. Tanner. 2010. Alkalibaculum bacchi gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel CO oxidizing, ethanol producing acetogen isolated from livestock-impacted soil. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. doi: 10.1099/ijs.0.018507-0. (In press.) <br /> Arora, A., Dien, B. S., Belyea, R. L., Singh, V., Tumbleson, M. E. and Rausch, K. D. 2010a. Heat transfer fouling characteristics of microfiltered thin stillage from the dry grind process. Bioresource Technology 101:6521-6527.<br /> Arora, A., Dien, B. S., Belyea, R. L., Tumbleson, M. E., Singh, V. and Rausch, K. D. 2010b. Nutrient recovery from the dry grind process using sequential micro and ultrafiltration of thin stillage. Bioresource Technology 101:3859-3863.<br /> Bellmer, D., R. Huhnke, R. Whiteley and C. Godsey. 2010. The untapped potential of sweet sorghum as a bioenergy feedstock. Biofuels. (In press).<br /> Belyea, R. L., Rausch, K. D., Clevenger, T. E., Singh, V., Johnston, D. B. and Tumbleson, M. E. 2010. Sources of variation in composition of ddgs. Animal Feed Science and Technology in press, corrected proof.<br /> Bernhart, M., Fasina, O.O., Fulton, J., Wood, W. 2010. Compaction of poultry litter. Bioresource Technology, 101: 234-239. <br /> Bitra, V.S.P., A.R. Womac, Y.T. Yang, C. Igathinathane, P.I. Miu, N. Chevanan, S. Sokhansanj. 2009. Knife mill operating factors effect on switchgrass particle size distributions. Bioresource Technology 100(21): 5176-5188.<br /> Bitra, V.S.P., A.R. Womac, N. Chevanan, P.I. Miu, C. Igathinathane, S. Sokhansanj, D.R. Smith. 2009. Direct mechanical energy measures of hammer mill comminution of switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover and analysis of their particle size distributions. Powder Technology 193(1):32-45.<br /> Bitra, V.S.P., A.R. Womac, C. Igathinathane, P.I. Miu, Y.T. Yang, D.R. Smith, N. Chevanan, S. Sokhansanj. 2009. Direct measures of mechanical energy for knife mill size reduction of switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover. Bioresource Technology 100(24):6578- 6585.<br /> Bitra, V.S.P., A.R. Womac, I. Cannayen, P.I. Miu, Y.T. Yang, S. Sokhansanj. 2009. Comminution energy consumption of biomass in knife mill and its particle size characterization. Paper No. 095898, ASABE, St. Joseph, MI.<br /> Bitra, V.S.P., A.R. Womac, W.E. Hart, G.V. Melnichenko, T. Kraus, J. Hickman, and D. Acheson. 2010. Effect of field harvest method, timing, and storage on enzymatic hydrolysis of liquid AFEX pretreated switchgrass. Paper No. 1008845, ASABE, St. Joseph, MI.<br /> <br /> Bitra, V.S.P., A.R. Womac, Y.T. Yang, P.I. Miu, C. Igathinathane, S. Sokhansanj. 2009. Mathematical model parameters for particle size spectra ranges of knife-milled corn stover. Biosystems Engineering 104(3):369-383<br /> Bitra, V.S.P., S. Banu, P. Ramakrishna, G. Narender, A.R. Womac. 2010. Moisture dependent thermal properties of peanut pods, kernels, and shells. Biosystems Engineering 106:503- 512.<br /> C. Igathinathane, A. R. Womac, S. Sokhansanj. 2010. Effect of angle of cut on corn stalks mechanical cutting strength and energy. Paper No. 1008644, ASABE, St. Joseph, MI<br /> <br /> Chen, P., M. Min, Y. Chen, L. Wang, Y. Li, Q. Chen, C. Wang, Y. Wan, X. Wang, Y. Cheng, S. Deng, K. Hennessy, X. Lin, Y. Liu, Y. Wang, B. Martinez, R. Ruan. 2009. Review of biological and engineering aspects of algae to fuel approach. International Journal o Agricultural and Biological Engineering 2(4):1-30.<br /> Cheng, L. and X.P. Ye*. 2009. A DRIFTS Study of Catalyzed Dehydration of Alcohols by Alumina-Supported Heteropoly Acid. Catalysis Letters, 130(1-2), 100-107.<br /> Cheng, Y., S. Deng, P. Chen, and R. Ruan. 2009. Polylactic acid (PLA) synthesis and modifications: a review. Front. Chem. China 4(3):259-264<br /> Cherney, J.H., Q.M. Ketterings, M.H. Davis, and D.J.R. Cherney. 2010. Split Application of Nitrogen vs. Dairy Manure on Temperate Perennial Grasses. Online. Forage and Grazinglands doi:10.1094/FG-2010-0215-01-RS.<br /> Chevanan, N., A.R. Womac, V.S.P. Bitra, C. Igathinathane, P.I. Miu, Y.T. Yang, S. Sokhansanj. 2009. Bulk density and compaction behavior of knife mill chopped switchgrass, wheat straw and corn stover. Bioresource Technology 101(1):207-214.<br /> Chevanan, N., A.R. Womac, V.S.P. Bitra, D.C. Yoder, S. Sokhansanj. 2009. Flowability parameters for chopped switchgrass, wheat straw and corn stover. Powder Technology 193(1):79-81.<br /> Espinoza-Perez, J.D., C.A. Ulven, D. Haagenson, D.P. Wiesenborn, Epoxidized high-oleic vegetable oils applied to composites, Transactions of the ASABE (in press).<br /> Espinoza-Perez, J.D., D. Haagenson, S.W. Pryor , C.A. Ulven, and D.P. Wiesenborn,. 2009. Production and characterization of epoxidized canola oil. Trans ASABE 52(4):1289-1297.<br /> Faga, B.A., M.R. Wilkins, I.M. Banat. 2010. Ethanol production through simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of switchgrass using Saccharomyces cerevisiae D5A and thermotolerant Kluyveromyces marxianus IMB strains. Bioresource Technol. 101:2273-2279.<br /> Geza, M., B.J. Barfield, R.L. Huhnke, A. Stoecker, D.E. Storm, and E.W. Stevens. 2009. Comparison of targeted replacement and vegetative filter strips for sediment control and cost effectiveness. J. Water Resources Planning and Management 135 (5):406-409.<br /> Gopal Gautam, Sushil Adhikari and Sushil Bhavnani. Estimation of biomass synthesis gas composition using equilibrium modeling. Energy & Fuels . Energy & Fuels 24 (4), pp. 26922698 .<br /> Haagenson, D., R. Brudvik, H. Lin, and D. Wiesenborn. High-throughput characterization of canola biodiesel cold flow properties, Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society (in press). <br /> Hassan, E.M., F. Yu, L.L. Ingram and P.H. Steele. 2009. The Potential Use of Whole-tree Biomass for Bio-oil Fuels. Energy Sources Part A. 31:1829-1839. <br /> Hwang, S., F.M. Epplin, B. Lee, and R. Huhnke. 2009. A probabilistic estimate of the frequency of mowing and baling days available in Oklahoma USA for the harvest of switchgrass for use in biorefineries. Biomass and Bioenergy 33(8):1037-1045.<br /> Igathinathane, C., A.R. Womac, S. Sokhansanj, S. Narayan. 2009. Size reduction of high- and low-moisture corn stalks by linear knife grid system. Biomass and Bioenergy 33(4):547-557.<br /> Igathinathane, C., D. Skea, K. Day, J. MacDonald, T. Sauder, and A.R. Womac. 2009. The performance (quality) of size reduction of woody biomass. Paper No. 097475. ASABE, St. Joseph, MI. <br /> Igathinathane, C., L. O. Pordesimo, A. R. Womac, S. Sokhansanj. 2009. Hygroscopic moisture sorption kinetics modeling of corn stover and its fractions. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 25(1):65-73. <br /> Kaur, P., Rausch, K.D., Tumbleson, M.E. and Singh, V. 2009. Enzymatic and process technologies to increase corn dry grind slurry solids. Cereal Foods World 54:A21. AACC International. St. Paul, MN. <br /> Kaur, P., Rausch, K.D., Tumbleson, M.E., and Singh, V. 2010. High solids fermentation using granular starch hydrolyzing enzymes in the corn dry grind process. Abstract. Corn Utilization and Technology Conf. National Corn Growers Association, St. Louis, MO.<br /> Khullar, E., Sall, E.D., Rausch, K.D., Tumbleson, M.E. and Singh, V. 2009. Ethanol production from hard and soft endosperm corn types. Cereal Foods World 54:A21. AACC International. St. Paul, MN.<br /> Khullar, E., Shetty, J.K., Rausch, K.D., Tumbleson, M.E., and Singh, V. 2010. Germ and pericarp fiber recovery from the e-mill process using phytases. Abstract. Corn Utilization and Technology Conf. National Corn Growers Association, St. Louis, MO.<br /> Kim, E. J., Parsons, C. M., Srinivasan, R. and Singh, V. 2010. Nutritional composition, nitrogen- corrected true metabolizable energy, and amino acid digestibilities of new corn distillers dried grains with solubles produced by new fractionation processes. Poultry Science 89:44- 51.<br /> Kong, Q., L. Li, B. Martinez, P. Chen, and R. Ruan. 2010. Culture of Microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in Wastewater for Biomass Feedstock Production. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 160:918.<br /> Kundiyana, D., D.D. Bellmer, R.L. Huhnke, M.R. Wilkins, P.L. Claypool. 2010. Influence of temperature, pH and yeast on the in-field ethanol production from sweet sorghum. Biomass Bioenergy (in press).<br /> Kundiyana, D., R.L. Huhnke, M.R. Wilkins. 2009. Syngas fermentation in a 100 L pilot scale fermentor: design and process considerations. J Biosci Bioeng. 109:492-498.<br /> Kundiyana, D.K., R.L. Huhnke, P. Maddipati, H. K. Atiyeh, M.R. Wilkins. 2010. Feasibility of incorporating cotton seed extract in Clostridium strain P11 fermentation medium during synthesis gas fermentation. Bioresource Technol. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2010.07.054<br /> Lam, P.S., P.Y. Lam, S. Sokhansanj, X. Bi, C.J. Lim, L.J. Naimi, A.R. Womac, S. Narayan. 2009. Studies on vibrating chopped straw and switchgrass to increase their bulk density. Paper No. 097200, ASABE, St. Joseph, MI.<br /> Lau C, Bunnell K, Clausen E, Thoma G, Lay J, Gidden J and Carrier DJ. Separation and purification of xylose oligomers using centrifugal partition chromatography. Journal of Industrial Microbiology (in press )<br /> Lee, S. and Fasina, O.O. 2009. TG-FTIR analysis of switchgrass pyrolysis. J. Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 86: 39-43.<br /> Lin Wei, J. Alex Thomasson, Mark R. Bricka, Ruixiu Sui, James Wooten, and Eugene Cloumbus. 2009. Syngas quality evaluation for biomass gasification with a downdraft gasifier. Transactions of the ASABE. 52 (1): 21-37.<br /> Lin Wei, Lester O. Pordesimo, C. Igathinathane, and William D. Batchelor. 2009. Process engineering evaluation of ethanol production from wood through bioprocess and chemical catalysis. Biomass and Bioenergy. 33(2): 255-266.<br /> Lin Wei, Lester O. Pordesimo, C.W. Herndon, William D. Batchelor. 2009. Evaluation of micro- scale biomass synthetic gas production cost through modeling. Transactions of the ASABE. 52(5): 1649-1659<br /> Liu, L., L. Cheng, L., X.P. Ye*. 2010. Catalytic Glycerol Conversion to Acrolein-A value-added chemical from biodiesel byproduct. 2010 ASABE Annual International Meeting Pittsburgh. PA. Paper # 1009179.<br /> <br /> Liu, L., X.P. Ye, A.R. Womac, and S. Sokhansanj. 2010. Variability of biomass chemical composition and rapid analysis using ft-nir techniques. Carbohydrate Polymers 81, 820829.<br /> Manamperi, W.A., C.A. Ulven, K.C. Chang, and S. W. Pryor* 2010. Plastics from an Improved Canola Protein Isolate: Preparation and Properties, Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society (accepted June 2010).<br /> Martin E, Bunnell K , Lau C, Pelkki M, Patterson D, Clausen E, Smith J and Carrier DJ. Hot water and dilute acid pretreatment of high and low specific gravity Populus deltoids clones. Journal of Industrial Microbiology (in press )<br /> Martin E, Duke J, Pelkki M, Clausen E and Carrier DJ. Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.): Extraction of shikimic acid coupled to dilute acid pretreatment. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology (in press) DOI: 10.1007/s12010-010-8947-7. <br /> Moen, J., C. Yang, B. Zhang, H. Lei, K. Hennessy, Y. Wan, Z. Le, Y. Liu, P. Chen, R. Ruan. 2010. Catalytic microwave assisted pyrolysis of aspen. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering 2(4):70-75.<br /> Munasinghe, P.C. and Khanal, S. K. 2010. Syngas fermentation to biofuels: Challenges and opportunities. Bioresource Technology, 101 (13): 5013-5022.<br /> Nicole Labbé, Philip X.Ye, Jennifer A. Franklin, Alvin R. Womac, Donald D. Tyler, Timothy G. Rials. 2008. Analysis of switchgrass characteristics using near infrared techniques. Bioresource Technology 3(4):1329-1348.<br /> Nitayavardhana, S. and Khanal, S. K. Biofuel residues ban or boon? Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology (in- press).<br /> Nitayavardhana, S. and Khanal, S. K. 2010. Innovative biorefinery concept for sugar-based ethanol industries: production of protein-rich fungal biomass on vinasse as an aquaculture feed ingredient. Bioresource Technology, 101 (23): 9078-9085.<br /> Peilin Yang, Eugene P. Columbus, James Wooten, William D. Batchelor, Prashanth R. Buchireddy, Xuejun Ye, Lin Wei. 2009. Evaluation of syngas storage under different pressures and temperatures. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 25(1): 121-128.<br /> Pryor, S.W., and N. Nahar. 2010. Deficiency of Cellulase Activity Measurements for Enzyme Evaluation, Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - Part A Enzyme Engineering and Biotechnology (published online: 21 Apr 2010).<br /> Ramachandriya, K., M.J. DeLorme, M.R. Wilkins. 2010. Heat shocking of Clostridium strain P11 to promote sporulation and ethanol production. Biological Eng. (in press).<br /> Ramirez, E. C., Johnston, D. B., McAloon, A. J. and Singh, V. 2009. Enzymatic corn wet milling: Engineering process and cost model. Biotechnology for Biofuels 2.<br /> Rathore, S. S. S., Paulsen, M. R., Sharma, V. and Singh, V. 2009a. Optimization of yeast and enzyme dose for dry-grind corn fermentation process for ethanol production. Transactions of the Asabe 52:867-875.<br /> Rathore, S. S. S., Paulsen, M. R., Vidal, B. and Singh, V. 2009b. Monitoring liquefaction unit operation in dry-grind ethanol process: Factors affecting hydrolysis and methods for analysis. Transactions of the ASABE 52:1639-1647.<br /> Ruan, R. and P. Chen. 2009. Cover Story: Algae to Fuels Research at the University of Minnesota. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2009; 2(4):<br /> Ruan, R., X. Lin, J. Zhang, Y. Li, and P. Chen. 2009. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Technology and Its Application in Food and Biological Systems. China Light Industry Press.<br /> Rausch, K.D., Arora, A., Wilkins, M.R., Agbisit, R.M., Singh, V. and Tumbleson, M.E. 2009. Heat transfer surface fouling: Implications on bioprocessing. Cereal Foods World 54:A62. AACC International. St. Paul, MN.<br /> Rausch, K.D., Belyea, R.L., Singh, V., Clevenger, T.E., Wallig, M.A., Johnston, D.B., Dien, B.S., and Tumbleson, M.E. 2010. Coproducts from corn processing: nutrients, water and energy. Abstract. Corn Utilization and Technology Conf. National Corn Growers Association, St. Louis, MO.<br /> Sharma, V., Rausch, K. D., Graeber, J. V., Schmidt, S. J., Buriak, P., Tumbleson, M. E. and Singh, V. 2010. Effect of resistant starch on hydrolysis and fermentation of corn starch for ethanol. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 160:800-811.<br /> Singh, V., Rausch, K.D. and Tumbleson, M.E. 2009. Bioprocessing technologies to improve composition of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Proc. Intl. Conf. Food Security and Environ. Sustainability. Paper No. 6-MFP-Singh-10, IIT Kharagpur. 8 pp. West Bengal, India.<br /> Sushil Adhikari, Sandun Fernando, and Agus Haryanto, 2009. Hydrogen production from glycerol: an update. Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 50, pp. 2600-2604.<br /> Thangalazhy-Gopakumar, S., Adhikari, S., Ravindran, H., Gupta, R.B., Fasina, O., Tu, M., Fernando, S.D. 2010. Physicochemical properties of bio-oil produced at various temperatures from pine wood using an auger reactor. Bioresource Technology. 101: 8389-8395.<br /> Vidal Jr., B.C., Rausch, K.D., Tumbleson, M.E., and Singh, V. 2010. Free amino nitrogen generated by proteolysis in a dry fractionated corn ethanol process. Abstract. Corn Utilization and Technology Conf. National Corn Growers Association, St. Louis, MO.<br /> Vidal, Jr., B.C., Rausch, K.D., Tumbleson, M.E. and Singh, V. 2009. HCl assay for residual starch determination in corn germ and fiber. Cereal Foods World 54:A70. AACC International. St. Paul, MN.<br /> Wan, Y., P. Chen, B. Zhang, C. Yang, Y. Liu, X. Lin, and R. Ruan. 2009. Microwave-assisted pyrolysis of biomass: Catalysts to improve product selectivity. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. 86 (2009) 161167.<br /> Wan, Y., Y. Wang, X. Lin, Y. Liu, P. Chen, Y. Li, and Ruan, R. 2010. Experimental investigation on microwave assisted pyrolysis of algae for rapid bio-oil production, Transactions of the CSAE, 26(1):295-300 <br /> Wan, Y., Y. Liu, X. Lin, C. Yang, B. Zhang, P. Chen, H. Lei, and R. Ruan. 2009. Microwave assisted pyrolysis of corn stover pellets with catalysts for bio-oil production and its component. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineers., 25(4):190- 195 <br /> Wan Y., Y. Wang, Y. Liu, C. Lin, P. Chen, and R. Ruan. 2009. Continuous Microwave Assisted Pyrolysis of Corn Cob for Producing Bio-Oil, Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin, 25(24):559-564<br /> Wang, L., M. Min, P. Chen, Y. Li, Y. Chen, R. Ruan. 2010. Cultivation of green algae Chlorella sp. in different wastewaters from municipal wastewater treatment plant. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 160(1): 9-18. <br /> Wang, L., Y. Li, P. Chen, M. Min, Y. Chen, J. Zhu, and R. Ruan. 2010. Digested dairy manure as a nutrient supplement for cultivation of oil-rich green microalgae Chlorella sp. Bioresource Technology 101 (2010) 26232628.<br /> Wang, P., Liu, W., Johnston, D. B., Rausch, K. D., Schmidt, S. J., Tumbleson, M. E. and Singh, V. 2010. Effect of endosperm hardness on an ethanol process using a granular starch hydrolyzing enzyme. Transactions of the ASABE 53:307-312.<br /> Wang, Y., J. Wu, Y. Wan, H.Lei, F. Yu, P. Chen, X. Lin, Y. Liu, and R. Ruan. 2009. Liquefaction of corn stover using industrial biodiesel glycerol. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 2(2):32-40.<br /> Wilhelmi, A.J., D. P. Wiesenborn, C. R. Gustafson, S. W. Pryor. 2009. Models for fractionation of field peas to supplement corn ethanol, Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 25(5):709-717.<br /> Wu, J., Y. Wang, Y. Wan, H. Kei, F. Yu, Y. Liu, P. Chen, L. Yang, R. Ruan. 2009. Processing and properties of rigid polyurethane foams based on bio-oils from microwave-assisted pyrolysis of corn stover. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering 2(1):40-50.<br /> Yu, F., R. Ruan, P. H. Steele. 2009. Microwave pyrolysis of corn stover. Transactions of the ASABE. 52(5):1595-1601. <br /> Zhai, Z., Jung, H., Vatamaniuk, O.K. (2009) Isolation of protoplasts from tissues of 14-days-old seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana. J Vis. Exp., August 17; (30). pii: 1149. doi: 10.3791/1149. Web access: http://www.jove.com/index/details.stp?id=1149<br /> Zhai, Z., Sooksa-nguan, T. and Vatamaniuk, O.K. (2009) Establishing RNAi as a reverse genetic approach for gene functional analysis in protoplasts. Plant Phys., 149, 642-652. Epub 2008, Nov. 12. Web access: http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/reprint/149/2/642<br /> Zhang, B., C. Yang, J. Moen, Z. Le, K. Hennessy, Y. Wan, Y. Liu, H. Lei, P. Chen and R. Ruan. 2009. Catalytic Conversion of Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis Vapors. Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects (in press) <br /> Zhu, J., Y. Li, X. Wu, C. Miller, P. Chen, and R. Ruan. 2009. Swine manure fermentation for hydrogen production. Bioresource Technology. 100(2):5472-5477.<br />

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LINDSAY ANDERSON , CORNELL UNIVERSITY; PETER ARBUCKLE, UNITED STATES DEPT OF AGRICULTURE - NIFA, HASAN ATIYEH, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; PUSHPAK BHANDARI, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; DORIN BOLDOR, LOUISANA STATE UNIVERSITY; BILL BROWN, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE; ROBERT BROWN, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY; IGATHINATHANE CANNAYEN, NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY; SERGIO CAPAREDA, TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY; JULIE CARRIER, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS, CHENGCI CHEN, MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY; JONATHAN CHEN, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS; MING-HSU CHEN, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS; EUGENE COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY; MAMATHA DEVARAPALLI, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; JULIA FAN, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA; JIE GAO, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; BILL GIBBONS, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY; MOHUA HAQUE, THE SAMUEL ROBERTS NOBLE FOUNDATION; DAVID JONES, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA; DEEPAK KESHWANI, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA; SAMIR KHANAL, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII; AJAY KUMAR, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; RANDY LEWIS, BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY; NINGBO LI, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY; QING LI, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII; SONG LI, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS; YEBO LI, THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY; YONGHUI LI, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY; CARL LIRA, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY; KAN LIU, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; LANCE LOBBAN, UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA; MICHAEL MUELLER, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; KASIVISWANATHAN MUTHUKUMARAPPAN, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY; IOAN NEGULECU, LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY; SUE NOKES, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY; VAMSEE PASANGULAPATI, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; KRUSHNA PATIL, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; MIKE PENNER, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY; RANDY PHILLIPS, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; GUANGYAN QI, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY; KARTHIC RAMACHANDRIYA, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; ALI ROWNAGHI, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; ROGER RUAN, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA; TROY RUNGE, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN; ASHOKKUMAR SHARMA, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; SUSAN SUN, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY; RALPAH TANNER, UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA; BERNIE TAO, PURDUE UNIVERSITY; JENNY TERRILL, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; DAN THOMAS, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; MIKE TUMBLESON, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS; JAYA TUMULURU, IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY; DONGHAI WANG, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY; BOB WHITSON, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; MARK WILKINS, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; AL WOMAC, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE; FEI YU, MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY; KE ZHANG, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY; STEPHEN ZHU, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

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Publications

Ai, Y., J. Medic, H. Jinag, D. Wang, and J-L. Jane. 2011. Starch characterization and ethanol production of sorghum. J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 59(13):7385-7392.<br /> Ananda, N; Vadlani, PV; Prasad, PVV (2011) Evaluation of drought and heat stressed grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) for ethanol production. Industrial Crops and Products 33 (3): 779-782 <br /> Ananda N, Vadlani PV (2010) Fiber reduction and lipid enrichment in carotenoid-enriched distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) by secondary fermentation of red yeasts. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 58 (24): 12744-12748 <br /> Ananda N, Vadlani PV (2010) Production and optimization of carotenoid-enriched DDGS by Phaffia rhodozyma and Sporobolomyces roseus fermentation of whole stillage. Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology 37(11): 1183-1192 <br /> Arora, A., Seth, A., Dien, B.S., Belyea, R.L., Tumbleson, M.E., Singh, V. and Rausch, K.D. 2011. Microfiltration of thin stillage: process simulation and economic analyses. Biomass Bioenergy 35:113-120. <br /> Arora, A., Dien, B.S., Belyea, R.L., Wang, P., Singh, V., Tumbleson, M.E. and Rausch, K.D. 2011. Ultrafiltration of thin stillage from conventional and E-Mill dry grind processes. Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 164:58-67.<br /> Arora, A., Wang, P., Singh, V., Tumbleson, M.E., Belyea, R.L. and Rausch, K.D. 2010. Laboratory yields and process stream compositions from E-mill and dry grind corn processes using a granular starch hydrolyzing enzyme. Cereal Chem. 87:100-103.<br /> Balasubramanian, S., J.D. Allen, A. Kanitkar and D. Boldor. 2010. Oil Extraction from Scenedesmus obliquus using a Continuous Microwave System  Design, Optimization and Quality Characterization. Bioresource Technology. Vol. 102 No. 3 pp. 3396-3403.<br /> Berger, L. and Singh, V. 2010. Changes and evolution of corn coproducts for beef cattle. J. An. Sci. 88:E143-E150.<br /> Bitra, V.S.P., A.R. Womac, C. Igathinathane, S. Sokhansanj. 2010. Knife mill communition energy analysis of switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover and characterization of particle size distributions. Transactions of the ASABE 53(5):1639-1651.<br /> Bitra, V.S.P., A.R. Womac, Y.T. Yang, P.I. Miu, C. Igathinathane, N. Chevanan, S. Sokhansanj. 2011. Characterization of wheat straw particle size distributions as affected by knife mill operating factors. Biomass and Bioenergy 35(8):3674-3686.<br /> Borhan, M., S. C. Capareda, S. Mukhtar, W. B. Faulkner, R. McGee and C. P. Parnell. Determining Seasonal Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ground Level Area Sources in a Dairy Operation in Central Texas. Journal of Air and Waste Management. Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association, Vol. 61 (7): 786-795. <br /> Borhan, M. S., S. C. Capareda, S. Mukhtar, W. B. Faulkner, R. McGee and C. B. Parnell. 2011. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ground Level Area Sources in Dairy and Cattle Feedyard Operations. Atmosphere. Vol. 2 (1), pp. 303  329. <br /> Brijwani K, Oberoi HS, Vadlani PV (2010) Production of a Cellulolytic Enzyme System in Mixed-Culture Solid-State Fermentation of Soybean Hulls Supplemented with Wheat Bran. Process Biochem 45(1):120-128 <br /> Brijwani K, Rigdon A, Vadlani PV (2010) Fungal laccases: production, function and applications in food processing, Enzyme Res. Special Issue: Enzymes as Additives or Processing Aids in Food Biotechnology. Article ID 149748 (10 Pages). <br /> Brijwani, K, Vadlani PV (2010), Lipase-mediated hydrolysis of corn DDGS oil: Kinetics of linoleic acid production, Biochem. Eng. J. 52: 289-295 <br /> Chaichalerm, S., P. Pokethitiyook, W. Yuan, M. Meetam, K. Sirthong, W. Pugkaew, K.Kungvansaichol, M. Kruatrachue, P. Damrongphol. 2011. Culture of microalgal strains isolated from natural habitats in Thailand in various enriched media. Applied Energy. (In press).<br /> Chang, C.L., Afuola, F., Li, Q.X. 2011. Canola, corn, and vegetable oils as alternatives for wheat germ oil in fruit fly larval diets. J. Appl. Entomol. 135(3):161167. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0418.2009.01498.x<br /> Cheng YS, Zheng Y, Yu CW, Dooley TM, Jenkins BM, VanderGheynst JS. 2010. Evaluation of High Solids Alkaline Pretreatment of Rice Straw. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 162(6):1768-1784.<br /> Cheng Y-S, Labavitch J, VanderGheynst JS. 2011. The impact of cell wall composition on the chitosan flocculation of microalgal biomass. Process Biochemistry. In press.<br /> Chevanan, N., A. R. Womac, V.S.P. Bitra, S. Sokhansanj. 2011. Effect of particle size distribution on static and tapped densities of selected biomass after knife mill size reduction. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 27(4):631-644.<br /> Cho, I.K., Kim, S.-K., Khurana, H.K., Li, Q.X., Jun, S. 2011. Quantification of trans fatty acids content in French fries of local food service retailers using attenuated total reflection-Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy. Food Chemistry 125:1121-1125. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.09.078<br /> Cui, F. J., Li, Y. B., Wan, C. X. 2011. Lactic acid production from corn stover using a mixed culture of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus brevis. Bioresource Technology. Vol. 102, no. 2. : 1831-1836. <br /> Cui, F. J., Wan, C. X., Li, Y. B., Liu, Z., Rajashekara, G. 2011. Co-production of lactic acid and Lactobacillus rhamnosus cells from whey permeate with nutrient supplements. Food and Bioprocess Technology. In Press (DOI:10.1007/s11947-010-0426-1). <br /> Cui, Z. F., Shi J., Li, Y. B. 2011. Solid-state anaerobic digestion of spent wheat straw from horse stall. Bioresource Technology. In Press (doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2011.07.062). <br /> Denery, J., Cooney M., Li. Q.X. 2011. Diauxic and antimicrobial growth phases of Streptomyces tenjimariensis: Metabolite profiling and gene expression. J. Bioengineering & Biomedical Science 1(1): 101-. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2155-9538.1000101 Dhamagadda, V. S., S.E. Nokes, H.J. Strobel, and M.D. Flythe. 2010. Invenstigation of the metabolic inhibition observed in solid substrate cultivation of Clostridium thermocellum on cellulose. Bioresource Technology. 101(15): 6039-6044.<br /> Du, Z., Y. Wan, Y. Li, Q. Chen, X. Lin, P. Chen, R. Ruan. 2011. Microwave-assisted pyrolysis of microalgae for biofuel production. Bioresource Technology. 102(7): 4890-4896.<br /> El-Mashad, H.M. and R.H. Zhang. Biogas production from co-digestion of dairy manure and food waste. Bioresource Technology, 101(2010):4021-4028.<br /> Espinoza-Perez, J.D., C.A. Ulven, and D.P. Wiesenborn. 2010. Epoxidized high-oleic vegetable oils applied to composites, Transactions of the ASABE, 53(4):1167-1174.<br /> Fosmer, A. and W.R. Gibbons. 2011. Separation of scleroglucan and cell biomass from Sclerotium glucanicum grown in an inexpensive, by-product based medium. Int. J. Agricul. Biol. Eng. 4: 52-60.<br /> Fosmer, A., W.R. Gibbons, and N. Heisel. 2010. Scleroglucan production from Sclerotium glucanicum on a condensed corn solubles medium. J. Biotech. Res. 2:131-143.<br /> Fu, G. M., Cai, T., Li, Y. B. 2011. Concentration of ammoniacal nitrogen in effluent from wet scrubbers using reverse osmosis membrane. Biosystems Engineering. Vol. 109, no. 3. : 235-240. <br /> Gan, J., W. Yuan, N. O. Nelson, and S. C. Agudelo. 2010. Hydrothermal conversion of corn cobs and crude glycerol. Biological Engineering 2(4): 197-210.<br /> Gutierrez-Wing, M.T., Stevens, B.E., Theegala, C.S., Negulescu, I.I., Rusch, K.A. (2011) Aerobic biodegradation of Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) in Compost. Environmental Engineering Science. 28(7): DOI: 10.1089/ees.2010.0208<br /> Gutierrez-Wing, M.T., Stevens, B.E., Theegala, C.S., Negulescu, I.I., Rusch, K.A. 2010. Anaerobic Biodegradation of Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) in Municipal Sewage Sludge. Journal of Environmental Engineering. Vol. 136 No. 7 pp 709-718.<br /> Haagenson, DM, and D.P. Wiesenborn. 2011. Impact of North Dakota growing location on canola biodiesel quality. Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society, 88:1439-1445. <br /> Haagenson, D.M., R.L. Brudvik, H. Lin, and D.P. Wiesenborn. 2010. Implementing an in situ alkaline transesterification method for canola biodiesel quality screening, Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society, 87(11):1351-1358.<br /> Heredia-Arroyo, T., W. Wei, R. Ruan, B. Hu. 2011. Mixotrophic Cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris and its Potential Application for the Oil Accumulation from Non-sugar Materials. Biomass and Bioenergy. 35(5):2245-2253.<br /> Hernandez, J. R., S. C. Capareda, O. Portillo, D. B. Hays and W. L. Rooney. 2011. Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) of High Digestible Grain Sorghum for Ethanol Production. Biological Engineering Transactions, Volume 4 (1): 3-15.<br /> Hughes, S.R., K.M. Bischoff, W.R. Gibbons, S.S. Bang, R. Pinkelman, P.J. Slininger, N. Qureshi, S. Liu, B.C. Saha, J.S. Jackson, M.C. Cotta, J.O. Rich, and J. Javers. 2011. Random UV-C Mutagenesis of Scheffersomyces (formerly Pichia) stipitis NRRL Y 7124 to Improve Anaerobic Growth on Lignocellulosic Sugars. J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol. DOI 10.1007/x 10295-011-1012-x.<br /> Igathinathane, C., A.R. Womac, and S. Sokhansanj. 2010 Corn stalk orientation effect on mechanical cutting. Biosystems Engineering 107(2):97-106. <br /> Igathinathane, C., Pordesimo, L.O., Schilling, M.W., and Columbus, E.P. 2011. Fast and simple measurement of cutting energy requirement of plant stalk and prediction model development. Industrial Crops and Products, 33(2): 518-523.<br /> Jung, H.I., Zhai, Z. and Vatamaniuk, O.K. (2011) Direct Transfer of Synthetic Double-Stranded RNA into Protoplasts of Arabidopsis thaliana. Methods Mol Biol, 744, 109-127. Web access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21533689.<br /> Kartika, H., Shido, J., Nakamoto, S.T., Li, Q.X., Iwaoka, W.T. 2011. Nutrient and mineral composition of dried mamaki leaves (Pipturus albidus) and infusions. J. Food Composition and Analysis. 24:44-48. doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2010.03.027<br /> Karunanithy, C. and K. Muthukumarappan. 2011. Optimization of big bluestem and extruder parameters for enzymatic hydrolysis using response surface methodology. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. 4(1): 61-74.<br /> Karunanithy, C. and K. Muthukumarappan. 2011. Influence of extruder and biomass variables on torque requirement during pretreatment of different biomasses- A Response Surface Analysis. Biosystems Engineering 109(1): 37-51.<br /> Karunanithy, C. and K. Muthukumarappan. 2011. Optimization of alkali concentration and extruder parameters for maximum sugar recovery from prairie cord grass using response surface methodology. Biochemical Engineering Journal 54: 71-82.<br /> Karunanithy, C. and K. Muthukumarappan. 2011. Optimization of alkali concentration, big bluestem particle size and extruder parameters for maximum sugar recovery using response surface methodology. BioResources 6(1): 762-790.<br /> Karunanithy, C. and K. Muthukumarappan. 2011. Optimization of switchgrass and extruder parameters for enzymatic hydrolysis using response surface methodology. Industrial Crops and Products 33(1): 188-199.<br /> Karunanithy, C. and K. Muthukumarappan. 2010. Optimization of corn stover and extruder parameters for enzymatic hydrolysis using response surface methodology. Biological Engineering 3(2): 73-95.<br /> Karunanithy, C. and K. Muthukumarappan. Optimization of extruder and prairie cord grass parameters for maximum sugar recovery through enzymatic hydrolysis. Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy. (In Press)<br /> Karunanithy, C. and K. Muthukumarappan. 2011. Optimization of alkali concentration, switchgrass particle size and extruder parameters for maximum sugar recovery using response surface methodology. Chemical Engineering & Technology.<br /> Khullar, E., Sall, E.D., Rausch, K.D., Tumbleson, M.E. and Singh, V. 2011. Effect of wet and dry fractionation methods on ethanol production from hard and soft endosperm corn types. Trans. ASABE 54:247-253.<br /> Khullar, E., Shetty, J.K., Rausch, K.D., Tumbleson, M.E. and Singh, V. 2011. Use of phytases in ethanol production from E-Mill corn processing. Cereal Chem. 88:223-227.<br /> Kline, L.M., D.G. Hayes, A.R. Womac, and N. Labbe. 2010. Rapid determination of lignin content in hard and soft woods via uv-spectrophotometric analysis of biomass dissolved in ionic liquids. BioResources 5(3):1366-1383. <br /> Kollbe Ahn, B-J, Donghai Wang, Xiuzhi Susan Sun, 2011, Thermally Stable Transparent Pressure Sensitive Adhesives from Epoxidized and Dihydroxyl Soybean Oil, Biomacromolecules, (In press).<br /> Kollbe Ahn, B-J, Stefan Kraft and Xiuzhi Susan Sun, 2011, Chemical Pathways of Epoxidized and Hydroxylated Fatty Acid Methyl Esters and Triglycerides with Phosphoric Acid, J of Materials Chemistry, 21, 9498-9505.<br /> Kundiyana, D.K., M.R. Wilkins, R.L. Huhnke. 2011. Effect of nutrient limitation and two-stage continuous fermentor design on productivities during Clostridium ragsdalei syngas fermentation. Bioresource Technol. 102:6058-6064.<br /> Kundiyana, D.K., M.R. Wilkins, P. Maddipati, R.L. Huhnke. 2011. Effect of temperature, pH and buffer presence on ethanol production from synthesis gas by Clostridium ragsdalei. Bioresource Technol. 102:5794-5799.<br /> Li, N, Y. Wang, M. Tilley, SR. Bean, X, Wu, X. S. Sun, and D. Wang. 2011. Adhesive Performance of Sorghum Protein Extracted from Sorghum DDGS and Flour. J. Polymers and the Environment (online DOI 10.1007/s10924-011-0305-5).<br /> Li, Y, Caihong Chen, Jun Li, Xiuzhi Susan Sun, 2011, Isothermal Crystallization and Melting Behaviors of Bionanocomposites from Poly(lactic acid) and TiO2 Nanowires, J of Applied Polymer Science (In press).<br /> Li, Y., Caihong Chen, Jun Li, Xiuzhi Susan Sun, 2011, Synthesis and Characterization of Bionanocomposites of Ploy(lactic Acid) and TiO2 Nanowires by in situ Polymerization, Polymer 52, 2367-2375.<br /> Li, Y. B., Park, S. Y., Zhu, J. Y. 2011. Solid-state anaerobic digestion for methane production from organic waste. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews. Vol. 15, no. 1. : 821-826. <br /> Li, Yonghui, Xiuzhi Susan Sun, 2011. Mechanical and thermal properties of biocomposites from poly(lactic acid) and DDGS Blends, J. of Applied Polymer Science, 121: 589-597.<br /> Li Y, Chen YF, Chen P, Min M, Zhou W, Martinez B, Zhu J, Ruan R. 2011. Characterization of a microalga Chlorella sp. well adapted to highly concentrated municipal wastewater for nutrient removal and biodiesel production. Bioresour Technol. 102(8):5138-44. Parker, N., P. Tittmann, Q. Hart, R. Nelson, K. Skog, A. Schmidt, E. Gray and B. M. Jenkins. 2010. Development of a biorefinery optimized biofuel supply curve for the western United States. Biomass and Bioenergy 34(11):1597-1607.<br /> Liew L. N., Shi, J., Li, Y. B. 2011. Enhancing the solid-state anaerobic digestion of fallen leaves through simultaneous alkaline treatment. Bioresource Technology. In press (doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2011.07.005). <br /> Limayem A, Hanning I, Muthaiyan A, Kim J.-W and Ricke S. Alternative antimicrobial compounds to control potential Lactobacillus contaminants that occur in yeast-based fuel bioethanol fermentations. Journal of Environmental Sciences [in press].<br /> Lin, H., D.M. Haagenson, D.P. Wiesenborn, S.W. Pryor. 2011. Effect of trace contaminants on cold soak filterability of canola biodiesel. Fuel, 90:1771-1777.<br /> Liu, L., X. P. Ye, A.M. Saxton, and A.R. Womac. 2010. Pretreatment of Near Infrared Spectral Data in Fast Biomass Analysis. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, 18(5), 317-331.<br /> Liu, L., X. P. Ye, A. R. Womac, and Sokhansanj, S.. 2010. Variability of biomass chemical composition and rapid analysis using FT-NIR techniques. Carbohydrate Polymers, 81(4) 820829.<br /> Liu, M., Cui, Y., Duan, Y., Zhong, J., Sun, W., Wang, M., Liu, S-Z., Li, Q.X. 2010. Synthesis of metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry 7(2): 134-144.<br /> Martin E, Bunnell K , Lau C, Pelkki M, Patterson D, Clausen E, Smith J and Carrier DJ. (2011). Hot water and dilute acid pretreatment of high and low specific gravity Populus deltoids clones. Journal of Industrial Microbiology 38: 355-361. <br /> Min, M., L. Wang, Y. Li, M. J. Mohr, B. Hu, W. Zhou, P. Chen, and R. Ruan. 2011. Cultivating Chlorella sp. in pilot scale photobioreactor using centrate wastewater for microalgae biomass production and wastewater nutrients removal. Appl Biochem Biotechnol Doi: 10.1007/s12010-011-9238-7.<br /> Mo, Xiaoqun, Donghai Wang, and Xiuahi Susan Sun, 2011, Physico-chemical properties of b, and a¢a subunits isolated from soybean b-conglycinin. J of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 59, 1217-1222.Nelson, N. O., S. C. Agudelo, W. Yuan, and J. Gan. 2011. Nitrogen and phosphorus availability in biochar-amended soils. Soil Sci 176: 218-226.<br /> Munasinghe, P.C., and Khanal, S. K. 2010. Syngas fermentation to biofuel: Evaluation of carbon monoxide mass transfer coefficient (kLa) in different reactor configurations. Biotechnology Progress. 26 (6): 1616-1621.<br /> Naimi, L.J., S. Sokhansanj, A.R. Womac, X.T. Bi, C.J. Lim, C. Igathinathane, A.K. Lau, T Sowlati, S. Melin, M. Emami, and M Afzai. 2011. Development of a population balance model to simulate fractionation of ground switchgrass. Transactions of the ASABE 54(1):219-227.<br /> Nansen, C., A. J. Sidumo and S. C. Capareda. 2010. Variogram Analysis of Hyperspectral Data to Characterize the Impact of Biotic and Abiotic Stress of Maize Plants and to Estimate Biofuel Potential. Applied Spectroscopy. Volume 64 No. 6, pp. 627-636. Society for Applied Spectroscopy, Frederick, MD.Oberoi HS, Vadlani PV, Ananda N, Bansal S, Singh S, Kaur S, Babbar N (2011) Enhanced ethanol production from kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata) waste via a statistically optimized simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process. Bioresource Technology 102(2): 1593 - 1601 <br /> Nitayavardhana, S., and Khanal, S. K. 2011. Biodiesel-derived crude glycerol bioconversion to animal feed: A sustainable option for a biodiesel refinery. Bioresource Technology. 102 (10): 5808-5814. <br /> Oberoi HS, Vadlani PV, Madl R, Saida L, Abeykoon JP (2010) Ethanol production from orange peels: two-stage hydrolysis and fermentation studies using optimized parameters through experimental design. J. Agric. Food Chem. 58(6): 3422-3429<br /> Patil, K., P. R. Bhoi, R. L. Huhnke, and D. D. Bellmer (2011). "Downdraft Biomass Gasifier with Internal Cyclonic Combustion Chamber: Design, Construction and Experimental Results." Bioresource Technology102.10: 6286-290. SciVerse. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2011.03.033.<br /> Patton, R., P. H. Steele, and F. Yu. 2010. Coal vs. Charcoal-fueled Diesel Engines: A Review. Energy Sources. Part A. 32:315322.<br /> Peña, L. M. Ikenberry, B. Ware, K. L. Hohn, D. Boyle, X.S. Sun, and D. Wang. 2011. Cellobiose hydrolysis using acid-functionalized nanoparticles. Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering (In press).<br /> Pessani, N., H.K. Atiyeh, M.R. Wilkins, D.D. Bellmer, I.M. Banat. 2011. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of Kanlow switchgrass by thermotolerant Kluyveromyces marxianus IMB3: the effect of enzyme loading, temperature and higher solid loadings. Bioresource Technology. (in press).<br /> Pfromm PH, Amanor-Boadu V, Nelson R, Vadlani PV, Madl R(2010) Bio-butanol vs. bio-ethanol: A technical and economic assessment. Biomass and Bioenergy 34 : 515-524 <br /> Qi, Guangyan and Xiuzhi Susan Sun, 2011, Soy Protein Adhesive Blends with Synthetic Latex on Wood Veneer, J American Oils Chemistry, 88 (2), 271- 281.<br /> Qu, W. Z. Pan, R. Zhang, H. Ma, X. Chen, B. Zhu, Z. Wang and G. G. Atungulu.2010. Integrated extraction and anaerobic digestion process for recovery of nutraceuticals and biogas from pomegranate marc. Transactions of the ASABE, 52(6):1997-2006. <br /> Rajagopalan, N., Singh, V., Panno, B. and Wilcoxon, M. 2010. Use of cooling tower blow down in ethanol fermentation. Water Sci. Technol. 62:2263-2269.<br /> Ramachandriya, K.D., M.R. Wilkins, M.J.M. DeLorme, X. Zhu, D.K. Kundiyana, H.K. Atiyeh, R.L. Huhnke. 2011. Reduction of acetone to isopropanol using producer gas fermenting microbes. Biotechnology and Bioeng. 108:2330-2338.<br /> Rezaei F, VanderGheynst JS. 2010. Critical moisture content for microbial growth in dried food-processing residues. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 90(12):2000-2005.<br /> Seo, J.-S., Keum, Y.-S., Kim, K., Li, Q.X. 2010. Degradation of pyrene by Mycobacterium aromativorans strain JS19b1. J. the Korean Society for Applied Biological Chemistry 53(3):323-329.<br /> Seo, J.-S., Keum, Y.-S., Li, Q.X. 2011. Comparative protein and metabolite profiling revealed metabolic network in response to multiple environmental contaminants in Mycobacterium aromativorans JS19b1T. J. Agric. Food Chem. 59(7):28762882. DOI:10.1021/jf103018s<br /> Shen, Y., W. Yuan, Z. Pei, and E. Mao. 2010. Heterotrophic culture of Chlorella protothecoides in various nitrogen sources for lipid production. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology (160):1674-1684.<br /> Stefanescu, E. A., C. Stefanescu and I. I. Negulescu. 2010. Biodegradable Polymeric Capsules Obtained via Room Temperature Spray Drying: Preparation and Characterization. Journal of Biomaterials Applications. DOI: May 28 10.1177/ 0885328210366489<br /> Takara D., and Khanal, S. K. 2011. Green processing of tropical banagrass into biofuel and biobased products: An innovative biorefinery approach. Bioresource Technology. 102 (2): 1587-1592.<br /> Theerarattananoon, K. F. Xu, J. Wilson, R. Ballard, L. Mckinney, S. Staggenborg, P. Vadlani, ZJ. Pei, and D. Wang. 2011. Physical properties of pellets made from sorghum stalk, corn stover, wheat straw, and big bluestem. Industrial Crops and Products 33(2): 325-332.<br /> Thy, P., B.M. Jenkins, R.B. Williams, C.E. Lesher and R.R. Bakker. 2010. Bed agglomeration in fluidized bed combustor fueled by wood and rice straw blends. Fuel Processing Technology 91(11):1464-1485.<br /> Tittabutr, P., Cho, I.K., Li, Q.X. 2011. Phn and Nag-like dioxygenases metabolize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Burkholderia sp. C3. Biodegradation. DOI: 10.1007/s10532-011-9468-y<br /> Tittmann, P., N. Parker, Q. Hart, and B. Jenkins. 2010. A spatially explicit techno-economic model of bioenergy and biofuels production in California. Journal of Transport Geography doi:10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2010.06.005.<br /> Vander Hof, A., W.R. Gibbons, N. Bauer, and T. West. 2010. Development of a low-cost medium for producing gellan from Sphingomonas paucimobilis. J Biotech Research. 2:57-67.<br /> Vidal, B. C., Dien, B. S., Ting, K. C. and Singh, V. 2011. Influence of feedstock particle size on lignocellulose conversion-a review. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 164:1405-1421.<br /> Vidal, B.C., Jr., Rausch, K.D., Tumbleson, M.E. and Singh, V. 2011. Corn endosperm fermentation using exogenous amino nitrogen generated by a fungal protease. Cereal Chem. 88:117-123. <br /> Vidal, B.C., Jr., Rausch, K.D., Tumbleson, M.E. and Singh, V. 2011. Germ derived free amino nitrogen as supplement for corn endosperm fermentation. Cereal Chem. 88:328-332.<br /> Wan, C. X., Li, Y. B. 2011. Effect of hot water extraction and liquid hot water pretreatment on the fungal degradation of biomass feedstocks. Bioresource Technology. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2011.08.004. <br /> Wan, C. X., Li, Y. B. 2011. Effectiveness of microbial pretreatment by Ceriporiopsis subvermispora on different biomass feedstocks. Bioresource Technology. Vol. 102, no. 16. : 7507-7512. <br /> Wan, C. X., Zhou, Q. C., Fu, G. M., Li, Y. B. 2011. Semi-continuous anaerobic co-digestion of thickened waste activated sludge and fat, oil and grease. Waste Management. Vol. 31, no. 8. : 1752-1758. <br /> Wan, C. X., Zhou, Y. G., Li, Y. B. 2011. Liquid hot water and alkaline pretreatment of soybean straw for improving cellulose digestibility. Bioresource Technology. Vol. 102, no. 10. : 6254-6259. <br /> Wan, C. X., Li, Y. B. 2010. Microbial delignification of corn stover by Ceriporiopsis subvermispora for improving cellulose digestibility. Enzyme and Microbial Technology. Vol. 47. : 31-36. <br /> Wan, C. X., Li, Y. B. 2010. Microbial pretreatment of corn stover with Ceriporiopsis subvermispora for enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol production. Bioresource Technology. Vol. 101. : 6398-6403. <br /> Bunnell K, Wallace S, Clausen E, Penney W and Carrier DJ. 2010.Comparison of silymarin extraction from Silybum marianum using a Soxhlet apparatus, batch Parr and countercurrent pressurized hot water reactors. Transactions of ASABE 53: 1935-1940. <br /> Wang, D.; Li, Q.X. 2010. Application of mass spectrometry in the analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Mass Spectrometry Reviews 29 (5):737775. <br /> Wang, D.; Shelver, W.; Atkinson, S.; Mellish, J.-A.; Li. Q.X. 2010. Tissue distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides and potential toxicity to Alaskan northern fur seals assessed using PCBs congener specific mode of action schemes. Arch. Environ. Contamination and Toxicol. 58(2):478-488.Wang, D., W. Yuan, and W. Ji. 2011. Char and char-supported nickel catalysts for secondary syngas cleanup and conditioning. Applied Energy 88: 1656-1663.<br /> Wang, D., W. Yuan, and W. Ji. 2010. Effective syngas cleanup and reforming using Ni/³-Al2O3 catalysts. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. 3(2): 39-45.<br /> Wang, D., W. Yuan, and W. Ji. 2010. Use of biomass hydrothermal conversion char as the Ni catalyst support in benzene and gasification tar removal. Transactions of the ASABE 53(3): 795-800.<br /> Wang, J., Caccamise, S.A.L.; Wu, L.J.; Woodward, L.A.; Li, Q.X. 2011. Spatial distribution of organochlorine contaminants in soil, sediment, and fish in Bikini and Enewetak Atolls of the Marshall Islands, Pacific Ocean. Chemosphere 84:1002-1008.<br /> Wang, J., Hülck, K., Hong, S.M., Atkinson, S., Li, Q.X. 2011. Accumulation and maternal transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls in Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) from Prince William Sound and the Bering sea, Alaska. Environmental Pollution 159(1):71-77. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2010.09.022<br /> Wang, J., Li, Q.X. 2011. Chemical composition, characterization, and differentiation of honey botanical and geographical origins. Advances in Food and Nutrition Research. 62:89-136. <br /> Wang, J., Kliks, M.M., Jun, S., Jackson, M., Li, Q.X. 2010. Rapid analysis of glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose in honeys from different geographic regions using Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy and multivariate analysis. J. Food Science 75(2):C208-C214. <br /> Wang, J., Kliks, M.M., Jun, S., Li, Q.X. 2010. Residues of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in honeys from different geographic regions. J. Agric. Food Chem. 58:3495-3501. <br /> Wang, J., Kliks, M.M., Jun, S., Li, Q.X. 2010. Residues of organochlorine pesticides in honeys from different geographic regions. Food Research International 43:2329-2334. <br /> Wang, J., Kim, S.Y.; Kim, K.H.; Kim, Y.S.; Li, Q.X.; Jun, S. 2010. Simple quantitative analysis of Escherichia coli K-12 internalized in baby spinach using Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy. International J. Food Microbiology, 144:147-151. doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2010.09.013Li, Y. B., Zhu, J. Y., Wan, C. X., Park S. Y. 2011. Solid-state anaerobic digestion of corn stover for biogas production. Transactions of the ASABE. Vol. 54, no. 4. <br /> Wang, J., Qu, W., Jun, S., Bittenbender, H.C., Li, Q.X. 2010. Rapid determination of six kavalactones in kava root and stem samples using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and multivariate analysis in comparison with gas chromatography. Analytical Methods 2(5):492-498. <br /> Wilkins, M.R. and H.K. Atiyeh. 2011. Fermentative production of ethanol from carbon monoxide. Current Opinion in Biotechnology. 22:326-330.<br /> Wu, X. B. Jampala, A. Robbins, D. Hays, S. Yan, F. Xu, W. Rooney, G. Peterson, Y.C. Shi, and D. Wang. 2010. Ethanol Fermentation Performance of Grain Sorghums with Modified Endosperm Matrices. J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 58 (17):9556-9562.<br /> Xia, Y., Li, Q.X., Gong, S., Li, Y., Cao, Y., Liu, X., Li, J. 2010. Development of a monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the analysis of the new fungicide 2-allylphenol in strawberry fruits. Food Chemistry 120:1178-1184<br /> Xu, F., K. Theerarattananoon, X. Wu, L. Pena, Y-C Shi, S. Staggenborg, and D. Wang. 2011. Process Optimization for Ethanol Production from Photoperiod Sensitive Sorghum: Focus on Cellulose Conversion. Industrial Crops and Products 34(1):1212-1218.<br /> Xu, F., Yong-Cheng Shi, Scott Staggenborg, Xiaorong Wu, Karnnalin Theerarattananoon, and Donghai Wang. 2011. Sulfuric Acid Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Photoperiod Sensitive Sorghum for Ethanol Production. Bioprocess and Biosystem Engineering 34(4): 485-492.<br /> Xu, T., Wei, K.Y., Wang, J., Eremin, S.A., Liu, S.Z., Li, Q.X., Li, J. 2010. Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay specific to Sudan red I. Anal. Biochem. 405:41-49.<br /> Xu, T., Xu, Y.J., Li, Q.X., Ma, H.X., Wang, J., Wei, K.Y., Li, J. 2010. Quantitative analysis of the neonicotinoid insecticides imidacloprid and thiamethoxam in fruit juices by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. J. AOAC International 93(1): 12-18.<br /> Yan, S., X. Wu, J. Dahlberg, S. Bean, F. MacRitchie, J. Wilson, and D. Wang. 2010. Properties of Field-Sprouted Sorghum and Its Performance in Ethanol Production. J. Cereal Science 51(3):374-380. <br /> Yu CW, Zheng Y, Cheng Y-S, Jenkins BM, Zhang R, VanderGheynst JS. 2010. Solidliquid extraction of alkali metals and organic compounds by leaching of food industry residues Bioresource Technology 101:4331-4336.<br /> Yu, F., P. H. Steele, and R. Ruan. 2010. Microwave Pyrolysis of Corn Cob and Characteristics of the Pyrolytic Chars. Energy Sources. Part A. 32: 475-484.<br /> Yu, G., H. Liu, K. Venkateshan, S. Yan, J. Cheng, X. S. Sun, and D. Wang, 2011. Functional, physiochemical, and rheological properties of duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) protein. Transactions of the ASABE, 54(2): 555-561.<br /> Zhai, Z., Jung, H., Vatamaniuk, O.K. (2009) Isolation of protoplasts from tissues of 14-days-old seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana. J Vis. Exp., August 17; (30). pii: 1149. doi: 10.3791/1149. Web access: http://www.jove.com/index/details.stp?id=1149.<br /> Zhai, Z., Sooksa-nguan, T. and Vatamaniuk, O.K. (2009) Establishing RNAi as a reverse genetic approach for gene functional analysis in protoplasts. Plant Phys., 149, 642-652. Epub 2008, Nov. 12. Web access: http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/reprint/149/2/642.<br /> Zhang, P., ZJ. Pei, D. Wang, X. Wu, W. Cong, M. Zhang, T. Deines. 2011. Ultrasonic vibration-assisted pelleting of cellulosic biomass for biofuel manufacturing. J. Manufacturing Science and Engineering 33: (1) pp. 011012-1-011012-7.<br /> Zhang R, Fan Z & Kasuga T 2011. Expression of cellobiose dehydrogenase from Neurospora crassa in Pichia pastoris and its purification and characterization. Protein Expression and Purification 75: 63-69.<br /> Zhao, H., Nan, T., Tan, G., Gao, W., Sun, S., Li, Z., Wang, B., Li, Q.X. 2011. Development of two highly sensitive immunoassays for detection of copper ions and a suite of relevant immunochemicals. Analytica Chimica Acta 702:102-108.<br /> Zhao, H.-W., Xue, C.-G., Nan, T.-G., Tan, G.-Y., Li, Z.-H., Li, Q.X., Zhang, Q.-C., and Wang, B.-M. 2010. Detection of copper ions using microcantilever immunosensors and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Analytica Chimica Acta 676:81-86. <br /> Zheng Y, Yu C, Cheng Y-S, Zhang R, Jenkins B, VanderGheynst JS. 2011. Effects of ensilage on the storage and the improvement of enzymatic degradability of sugar beet pulp. Bioresource Technology. 102:1489-1495.<br /> Zhou, W., Li, Y., Min, M., Hu, B., Chen, P and Ruan, R. 2011. Local bioprospecting for high-lipid producing microalgal strains to be grown on concentrated municipal wastewater for biofuel production. Bioresour Technol. 102(13): 6909-19.<br /> Zhou, Y. G., Li, Y. B., Wan, C. X., Li, D., Mao, Z. H. 2010. Effect of hot water pretreatment severity on the degradation and enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stover. Transactions of the ASABE. Vol. 6, no. 53. : 1929-1934.Shinners, Kevin J. ; Digman, Matthew F. ; Runge, Troy M.; Biomass Logistics  Harvest and Storage; Sustainable Production of Fuels, Chemicals, and Fibers from Forest Biomass. January 1, 2011, 65-86.<br /> Zhu, B., R. H. Zhang, P. Gikas, J. Rapport, B.M. Jenkins and X. Li. 2010. Biogas production from municipal solid waste using integrated rotary drum and anaerobic- phased solid digester system. Bioresource Technology, 101 (2010):6374-6380.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Book Chapters<br /> Hennessee, C.T., Li, Q.X. 2010. Chapter 18: Micrococcineae: Arthrobacter and Relatives. In: Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology. K.N. Timmis, Ed-in-chief; T. McGenity, J.R. van der Meer, V. de Lorenzo (Eds.); Volume 3: Microbes and Communities Utilizing Hydrocarbons, Oils and Lipids; Part 1: The Microbes, Terry McGenity (Section Editor). Springer. pp 1853-1864. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-77587-4_135<br /> Karunanithy, C. and K. Muthukumarappan. 2011. Rheological characterization of biooils from pilot scale microwave pyrolysis process. Biofuel ISBN: 978-953-307-480-1. Dr Marco Aurelio Dos Santos Bernardes.<br /> Karunanithy, C. and K. Muthukumarappan. 2011. Application of response surface methodology to optimize the alkali concentration, corn stover particle size and extruder parameters for maximum sugar recovery. Biofuel ISBN: 978-953-307-478-8. Editor: Marco Aurelio Dos Santos Bernardes.<br /> Keum, Y. S.; Kim, J.-H.; Li, Q. X. 2010. Metabolomics in Pesticide Toxicology. In: Hayes Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology (R. Krieger, ed.). 3rd ed. Academic Press, New York. pp 627-643<br /> Muthukumarappan, K. and C. Karunanithy. 2011. Chapter on Extrusion Process Design in Handbook of Food Process Design edited by S. Rahman and J. Ahmed Willey-Blackwell (In press).<br /> Qi, S and Li, Q. X. 2010. Proteomics in Pesticide Toxicology. In: Hayes Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology (R. Krieger, ed.). 3rd ed. Academic Press, New York. pp 603-626<br /> Singh, V., Johnston, D.B., Rausch, K.D. and Tumbleson, M.E. 2010. Improvements in corn to ethanol production technology using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In: Biomass to Biofuels: Strategies for Global Industries. p. 187-198. Vertes, A.A., Qureshi, N., Blaschek, H.P. and Yukawa, H. (eds.). Wiley and Sons, Inc., West Sussex, UK.<br />

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LINDSAY ANDERSON , CORNELL UNIVERSITY; PETER ARBUCKLE, UNITED STATES DEPT OF AGRICULTURE - NIFA, HASAN ATIYEH, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; CARMELA BAILEY, UNITED STATES DEPT OF AGRICULTURE  NIFA; DORIN BOLDOR, LOUISANA STATE UNIVERSITY; BILL BROWN, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE; SERGIO CAPAREDA, TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY; JULIE CARRIER, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS, RAVI CHALLA, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS; CHENGCI CHEN, MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY; JONATHAN CHEN, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS; MING-HSU CHEN, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS; EUGENE COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY; OLADRIAN FASINA, AUBURN UNIVERSITY; ANDREW HASHIMOTO, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII; GAL HOCHMAN, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY; DAVID HODGE, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY; LOREN ISOM, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA; DEEPAK KESHWANI, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA; SAMIR KHANAL, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII; AJAY KUMAR, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; BUDDHI LAMSAL, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY; YEBO LI, THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY; GANTI MURTHY, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY; IOAN NEGULECU, LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY; ROGER RUAN, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA; SONNY RAMASWAMY, UNITED STATES DEPT OF AGRICULTURE  NIFA; TROY RUNGE, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN; KAUSHLENDRA SINGH, WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY; VIJAY SINGH, UNIVERSITY OF ILLIOIS; BERNIE TAO, PURDUE UNIVERSITY; MIKE TUMBLESON, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS; PRAVEEN VEDLANI, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY;TERRY WALKER, CLEMSON UNIVERSITY; MARK WILKINS, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY; AL WOMAC, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE; WANGYIN (JULIE) YAO, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY; FEI YU, MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY; RUIHONG ZHANG, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA; YINGYING (AMBER) ZHENG, UNIVERSITY OF ILLIOIS

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1. Ahn, B.J.; Kraft, S. and Sun, X.S. 2012. Solvent-free acid-catalyzed ring opening of epoxidized oleochemicals using stearates/stearic acid, and its applications, J Agriculture and Food Chemistry. 60: 2179-2189.<br /> 2. Ahn, B.K.; Kraft, S.; Wang, D. and Sun, X.S. 2011. Thermally Stable Transparent Pressure Sensitive Adhesives from Epoxidized and Dihydroxyl Soybean Oil, Biomacromolecules. 12, 1839-1843.<br /> 3. Ahn, B.K.; Sung, j.; Sun, X.S. 2011. Phosphate esters functionalized dihydroxyl soybean oil fackifier of pressure-sensitive adhesives, J of American Oil Chemistry. DOI 10.1007/s11746-011-1978-6.<br /> 4. Ahn, B.K.; Wang, H.; Robinson, S.; Shrestha, T.B.; Troyer, D.L; Bossmann, S. and Sun, X.S. 2012. Ring opening of epoxidized methyl oleate using novel acid functionalized iron nanoparticle catalyst, Green Chemistry. 14: 136-142. <br /> 5. Anderson, T.J., and Lamsal, B.P. 2011. Development of New Method for Extraction of ±-Zein from Corn Gluten Meal Using Different Solvents, Cereal Chemistry. 88(4): 356-362.<br /> 6. Anderson, T.J.; Paraman, I. and Lamsal, B.P. 2011. Two fraction extraction of ±-zein from DDGS and its characterization, Industrial Crops and Products. 37(1): 466-472. <br /> 7. Antunez, P.D.; Omary, M.B.; Rosentrater, K.A.; Pascall, M. and Winstone, L. 2011. Effect of an oxygen scavenger on the stability of preservative free flour tortillas. Journal of Food Science. DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02470.x. Published online 02 Dec. 2011. <br /> 8. Ayadi, F.; Muthukumarappan, K.; Rosentrater, K.A. and Brown, M.L. 2011. Single screw extrusion processing of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS)-based yellow perch (Perca flavenscens) feeds. Cereal Chemistry. 88(2): 179-188. <br /> 9. Ayadi, F.; Rosentrater, K.A.; Muthukumarappan, K. and Brown, M.L. 2011. Twin screw extrusion processing of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) feeds using various levels of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Cereal Chemistry. 88(4): 363-374. <br /> 10. Bauer, N. and Gibbons, W.R. 2012. Comparison of Cellulase Enzyme Dosages during Saccharification versus Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Kraft Pulp in a Submerged Bioreactor. Int. J. Agricul. Biol. Eng. 5: 35-42.<br /> 11. Bhadra, R.; Muthukumarappan, K. and Rosentrater, K.A.. Artificial neural network modeling of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) flowability with varying process and storage parameters. Cereal Chemistry. 88(5): 480-489. <br /> 12. Bhadra, R.; Muthukumarappan, K.; Rosentrater, K.A. and Kannadhason, S. 2011. Drying kinetics of distillers wet grains (DWG) under varying condensed distillers solubles (CDS) and temperature levels. Cereal Chemistry. 88(5): 451-458. <br /> 13. Bhadra, R.; Rosentrater, K.A.; Muthukumarappan, K. and Kannadhason, S. 2011. Drying characteristics of distillers wet grains under varying condensed distillers solubles and drying temperature levels. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 27(5): 777-786.<br /> 14. Bhandari, P.N. and Hanna, M.A. 2011. Carboxymethylation of cellulose using reactive extrusion Carbohydrate Polymer. 87(3): 2246-2254. <br /> 15. Bhandari, P.N. and Hanna, M.A. 2011. Continuous solvent-less extrusion process for producing sodium carboxymethyl starch suitable for disintegrant applications in solid dosage forms. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. 50(22): 12784-12789. <br /> 16. Bhandari, P.N. and Hanna, M.A. 2011. Preparation of highly substituted carboxymethyl starch using a twin-screw extruder. Starch-Stärke. 63(12): 771-779.<br /> 17. Bhandari, P.N.; Jones, D.D. and Hanna, M.A. 2012. Comparison of physical, chemical and molecular properties of sodium starch glycolate prepared using reactive extrusion with those of VIVASTAR®P. Industrial Crops & Products. 41: 324-330.<br /> 18. Bitra, V.S.P.; Womac, A.R.; Yang, Y.T.; Miu, P.I.; Igathinathane, C.; Chevanan, N. and Sokhansanj, S. 2011. Characterization of wheat straw particle size distributions as affected by knife mill operating factors. Biomass and Bioenergy. 35(8): 3674-3686.<br /> 19. Borhan, M.S.; Capareda, S.C.; Mukhtar, S.; Faulkner, W.B.; McGee, R. and Parnell, C.B. 2012. Comparison of Seasonal Phenol and p-cresol Emissions from Ground Level Area Sources in a Dairy Operation in Central Texas. Journal of Air and Waste Management. JAWMA. Accepted for publication January 19, 2012. <br /> 20. Brar, J.S.; Singh, K.; Zondlo, J.; Wang, J. and Kumar, S. 2012. Co-gasification of coal and biomass- A review. International Journal of Forestry Research. Article ID 363058, doi:10.1155/2012/36305.<br /> 21. Brijwani, K.; Vadlani, P.V.; Hohn, K. and Maier, D.E. 2011. Experimental and theoretical analysis of a novel deep-bed solid-state bioreactor for cellulolytic enzymes production. Biochemical Engineering Journal. 58-59: 110-123.<br /> 22. Brown, D.; Shi, J. and Li, Y.B. 2012. Comparison of solid-State to liquid Anaerobic Digestion of lignocellulosic feedstocks for biogas production. Bioresource Technology. (In Press).<br /> 23. Byung-Jun, K.A.; Stenphen.; Wang, D. andSun, X.S. 2011. Thermally stable transparent pressure sensitive adhesives from epoxidized and dihydroxyl soybean oil. Biomacromolecules. 12: 1839-1843.<br /> 24. Capunitan, J. and Capareda, S.C. 2012. Assessing the Potential for Biofuel Production of Corn Stover Pyrolysis Using a Pressurized Batch reactor. Fuels. 95: 563-572.<br /> 25. Chakraborty, P.; Muthukumarappan, K. and Gibbons, W.R. 2012. PHA productivity and yield of Ralstonia eutropha when intermittently or continuously fed a mixture of volatile fatty acids. J Biomedicine and Biotechnology. (Accepted 7/2012).<br /> 26. Cheng, J.J. and Timilsina, R. 2011. Status and barriers of advanced biofuel technologies: A review. Renewable Energy. 36: 3541-3549.<br /> 27. Chevanan, N.; Womac, A.R.; Bitra, V.S.P. and Sokhansanj, S. 2011. Effect of particle size distribution on static and tapped densities of selected biomass after knife mill size reduction. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 27(4): 631-644.<br /> 28. Cui, F. and Li, Y.B. 2012. Co-production of lactic acid and Lactobacillus rhamnosus cells from whey permeate with nutrient supplements. Food and Bioprocess Technology. 5(4): 1278-1286. <br /> 29. Cui, Z.F.; Shi, J.; Wan, C, X. and Li, Y.B. 2012. Comparison of alkaline- and fungi- assisted wet-Storage of corn Stover. Bioresource Technology. 109: 98-104.<br /> 30. Cui, Z.F.; Wan, C.X.; Sykes, R.; Shi, J. and Li, Y.B. 2012. Enzymatic digestibility of corn stover fractions in response to fungal pretreatment. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry. 51: 7153-7159. <br /> 31. Dalton, D.A.; Murthy, G.S. and Strauss, S.H. 2012. Production of traditional and novel biopolymers in transgenic woody plants. Rec. Adv. Phytochem. (Accepted).<br /> 32. Das, S.; de Rooy, S.L.; Jordan, A.N.; Chandler, L.; Negulescu, I.I.; El-Zahab, B. and Warner, I.M. 2012. Tunable Size and Spectral Properties of Fluorescent NanoGUMBOS in Modified Sodium Deoxycholate Hydrogels. Langmuir. 28: 757765.<br /> 33. Dhillon, B.; Wiesenborn, D.; Sidhu, H. and Wolf-Hall, C. 2012. Improved microbial quality of buckwheat using antimicrobial solutions in a fluidized bed. Journal of Food Science. 77(4): E98-E103.<br /> 34. Dien, B.S.; Wicklow, D.T.; Singh, V.; Moreau, R.A.; Winkler-Moser, J.K. and Cotta, M.A. 2012. Influence of Stenocarpella mydis infected corn on the composition of corn kernels and its conversion into ethanol. Cereal Chem. 89:15-23.<br /> 35. Eckard, A.D.; Muthukumarappan, K. and Gibbons, W. 2011. Pretreatment of extruded corn stover with polyethylene glycol to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis: optimization, kinetics, and mechanism of action. BioEnergy Research. 5: 424-438. DOI 10.1007/s12155-011-9162-2.<br /> 36. Eckard, A.D.; Muthukumarappan, K. and Gibbons, W. 2012. Analysis of Casein Biopolymers Adsorption to Lignocellulosic Biomass as a potential cellulase stabilizer. J. Biomedicine and Biotechnol. DOI:10.1155/2012/745181.<br /> 37. Eckard, A.D.; Muthukumarappan, K. and Gibbons, W. 2012. Enhanced bioethanol production from pretreated corn stover via multi-positive effect of casein micelles. Bioresource Technology. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.07.100.<br /> 38. Eckard, A.D.; Muthukumarappan, K. and Gibbons, W. 2012. Modeling of pretreatment condition of extrusion pretreated prairie cordgrass and corn stover with poly(oxyethylen)20 5 sorbitan monolaurate. Appl Biochem and Biotechnol. 166: DOI 10.1007/s12010-012-9698-4<br /> 39. El-Mashad, H.M.; Zhang, R. and Green, J.P. 2012. Anaerobic Biodegradability of Selected Biodegradable Plastics and Biobased Products. Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering. (In Press).<br /> 40. Elumalai, S.; Tobimatsu, Y.; Grabber, J.H.; Pan, X.J. and Ralph, J. 2012. Epigallocatechin Gallate Incorporation into Lignin Enhances the Alkaline Delignification and Enzymatic Saccharification of Cell Walls. Biotechnology for Biofuels. 5: 59.<br /> 41. Espinoza-Perez, J.D.; Nerenz, B.A.; Haagenson, D.M.; Chen, Z; Ulven, C.A. and Wiesenborn, D.P. 2011. Comparison of curing agents for epoxidized vegetable oils applied to composites, Polymer Chemistry. 32(11): 1806-1811.<br /> 42. Fan, Z.; Wu, W.; Zhang R.; Kasuga, T.; Szewczyk, E. and Xiong, X. 2012. A novel biochemical route for fuels and chemicals production from cellulosic biomass. PLoS ONE 7(2): e31693. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031693<br /> 43. Faulkner, W.B. and Capareda, S.C. 2012. Effects of Sweeping Depth on Particulate Matter Emissions from Almond Harvest Operations. Atmospheric Pollution Research. 3: 219-225.<br /> 44. Gan, J.; Yuan, W.; Johnson, L.; Wang, D.; Nelson, R. and Zhang, K. 2012. Hydrothermal Conversion of Big Bluestem for Bio-oil Production: the effect of ecotype and planting location. Bioresource Technology. 113: 413-420.<br /> 45. Gautam, G.; Adhikari, S.; Gopakumar, S.T.; Brodbeck, C.; Bhavnani, S. and Taylor, S. 2011. Tar analysis in syngas derived from pelletized biomass in a commercial stratified downdraft gasifier. BioResources. 6(4): 4652-4661.<br /> 46. Gautam, G.; Brodbeck, C.; Adhikari, S.; Bhavnani, S.; Fasina, O. and Taylor, S. 2011. Gasification of wood chips, agricultural residues and waste using a downdraft gasifier in a commercial gasifier. Trans. of ASABE. 54: 1801-1807.<br /> 47. Geiger, M.; Gibbons, J.; West, T.; Hughes, S.R. and Gibbons, W.R. 2012. Evaluation of engineered Scheffersomyces stipitis strains for ethanol production. J. Lab. Automation. DOI:10.1177/2211068212452873.<br /> 48. Gopakumar, S.T.; Adhikari, S.; Gupta, R. and Fernando, S. 2011. Influence of Pyrolysis Operating Conditions on Bio-Oil Components: A Microscale Study in a Pyroprobe. Energy and Fuels. 25(3): 11911199.<br /> 49. Gutierrez-Wing, M.T.; Stevens, B.E.; Theegala, C.S.; Negulescu, I.I. and Rusch, K.A. 2011. Aerobic Biodegradation of Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) in Compost. Environmental Engineering Science. 28: 477-488.<br /> 50. Haryanto,A.; Fernando,S.D.; Filip To, S.D.; Steele, P.; Pordesimo, L. and Adhikari, S. 2011. High temperature water gas shift reaction over nickel catalysts for hydrogen production: effect of supports, ghsv, metal loading, and dopant materials. J. Thermodynamics and Catalysis. 2(1): 106. doi:10.4172/2153-0645.1000106.<br /> 51. Hassan, A.M; Vu, D.T.; Bernard-Brunel, D.; Elliott, J.R.; Miller, D.J. and Lira, C.T. 2012. Application of SPEAD to bioderived esters and acetals. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 51(8): 3209-3214. <br /> 52. Hohenshuh, W.; Ma, C.; Dalton, D.A. and Murthy, G.S. 2012. Development of protocols for determination of PHB in plant tissues. J. Bioproc. Eng. Biorefinery. (Accepted)<br /> 53. Hu, J.; Yu, F. and Lu, Y. 2012. Application of Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis in Biomass to Liquid Conversion. Catalysts. 2: 303-326.<br /> 54. Hu, S. J.; Luo, X.L.; Wan, C.X. and Li, Y.B. 2012. Characterization of Crude Glycerol from Biodiesel Plants. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 60: 5915-5921.<br /> 55. Hu, S.J.; Wan, C.X. and Li, Y.B. 2012. Production and characterization of biopolyols and polyurethane foams from crude glycerol based liquefaction of soybean straw. Bioresource Technology. 103(1): 227-233.<br /> 56. Hu, Z.; Lee, J.W.; Chandran, K.; Kim, S. and Khanal, S.K. 2012. Nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from aquaculture: a review. Environmental Science and Technology. 46(12): 6470-6480.<br /> 57. Igathinathane, C.; Ulusoy, U. and Pordesimo, L.O. 2012. Comparison of particle size distribution of celestite minerals by machine vision £Volume approach and mechanical sieving. Powder Technology. 215-216: 137-146.<br /> 58. Imam, T. and Capareda, S.C. 2012. Ultrasonic and High Temperature Pretreatment, Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Fermentation of Lignocellulosic Sweet Sorghum to Bioethanol. International journal of Ambient Energy. Accepted for Publications 19 April 2012. <br /> 59. Iman, T. and Capareda, S.C. 2012. Characterization of Bio-Oil, Syngas and Bio-Char from Switchgrass Pyrolysis at Various Temperatures. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. Volume 93 (2012), pp. 170-177.<br /> 60. Jarchow, M.E., Liebman, M.; Rawat, V. and Anex, R.P. 2012. Functional group and fertilization affect the composition and bioenergy yields of prairie plants. GCB Bioenergy (online 29 May 2012; doi: 10.1111/j.1757-1707.2012.01184.x).<br /> 61. Javers, J.; Gibbons, W. and Karunanithy, C. 2012. Polyhydroxyalkanoate production by Pseudomonas putida KT217 on a condensed corn solubles based medium fed with glycerol water or sunflower soapstock. Adv. Microbiol. (In press 6/2012)<br /> 62. Juneja, A.; Kumar, D. and Murthy, G.S. 2011. Analysis of biomass from CRP lands for ethanol production in Pacific Northwest US. J. Ren. Sust. Energy. 3: 063102; http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3658399<br /> 63. Kannadhason, S.; Muthukumarappan, K. and Rosentrater, K.A. 2011. Effect of starch sources and protein content on extruded aquaculture feed containing DDGS. Food and Bioprocess Technology. 4(2): 282-294. <br /> 64. Karunanithy, C.; Karuppuchamy, V.; Muthukumarappan, K. and Gibbons, W.R. 2012. Selection of enzyme combination, dose and temperature for hydrolysis of soybean white flakes. Ind. Biotechnol. (Accepted 6/12).<br /> 65. Karunanithy, C.; Muthukumarappan, K. and Gibbons, W. 2012. Effect of extruder screw speed, temperature, and enzyme levels on sugar recovery from different biomasses. ISRN Biotechnology 2013: DOI:10.5402/2013/942810.<br /> 66. Karunanithy, C.; Muthukumarappan, K. and Gibbons, W.R. 2012. Extrusion pretreatment of pine wood chips. Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. DOI 10.1007/s12010-012-9662-3.<br /> 67. Khanal, S.; Anex, R.P.; Gelder, B.K.; Dixon, P.; Caragea, P. 2012. Cropping pattern choice with proximity to ethanol production and animal feeding operations. Bioproducts & Biorefining (Biofpr). 6(4): 431-443.<br /> 68. Kim, H.; Parajuli, P.B.; Yu, F.; Columbus, E.P. and Batchelor, W.D. 2012. Economic Evaluation of Syngas Production: Model Development and Analysis. Transactions of the ASABE. 55(3): 1033-1045.<br /> 69. Kumar, D. and Murthy, G.S. 2011. Impact of pretreatment and downstream processing technologies on economics, energy and water use in cellulosic ethanol production. Biotechnol. Biofuels. 4: 27.<br /> 70. Kumar, D. and Murthy, G.S. 2012. Life cycle assessment of ethanol production from grass straws using various pretreatment processes. Intl. J. LCA.17: 388-401.<br /> 71. Kumar, D.; Juneja, A.; Hohenshuh, W. and Murthy, G.S. 2012. Study of chemical composition of lignocellulosic feedstocks from different sites of conservation reserve program lands. J. Ren. Sust. Energy. (Review submitted).<br /> 72. Lamsal, B.P.; Pathirapong, P. and Rakshit, S. 2011. Modification of Corn distillers dried grains with soluble (DDGS) via bacterial fermentation, Industrial Crops and Products. 37(1): 553-559.<br /> 73. Lau, C.; Bunnell, K.; Clausen, E.; Thoma, G.; Lay, J.; Gidden, J. and Carrier, D.J. 2011. Separation and purification of xylose oligomers using centrifugal partition chromatography. Journal of Industrial Microbiology. 38: 363-370.<br /> 74. Li, H-F.; Knutson, B.L.; Nokes, S.E.; Lynn, B.C. and Flythe, M.D. 2011. Metabolic control of Clostridium thermocellum via inhibition of hydrogenase activity and the glucose transport rate. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. DOI 10.1007/s00253-011-3812-3.<br /> 75. Li, N.; Qi, G.; Sun, X.S.; Stamm, M.J. and Wang, D. 2012. Physicochemical properties and adhesion performance of canola protein modified with sodium bisulfite. JAOCS. 89: 897-908.<br /> 76. Li, Y.; Zhou, W.G.; Hu, B.; Min, M.; Chen, P. and Ruan, R. 2012. Effect of light intensity on algal biomass accumulation and biodiesel production for mixotrophic strains Chlorella kessleri and Chlorella protothecoide cultivated in highly concentrated municipal wastewater. Biotechnol Bioeng. DOI 10.1002/bit.24491.<br /> 77. Li, Y.B. 2011. Development of polyurethane foam and its potential within the biofuels market. Biofuels 2(4): 357-359.<br /> 78. Li, Z.; Jiang, Z.; Fei, B.; Pan, X.J.; Cai, Z.; Liu, X. and Yu, Y. 2012. Ethanol organosolv pretreatment of bamboo for efficient enzymatic saccharification. BioResources. 7(3): 3452-3462.<br /> 79. Li, Z.Q.; Yang, Q.; Jiang, Z.H.; Fei, B,H.; Cai, Z.Y. and Pan, X.J. 2012. Comparative study of sulfite (SPORL), dilute acid and NaOH pretreatments of bamboo for enzymatic saccharification. Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy. (Accepted).<br /> 80. Liew L.; Shi, J. and Li, Y.B. 2012. Methane production from solid-state anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass. Biomass and Bioenergy. In Press.<br /> 81. Limayem, A.: Hanning, I.; Muthaiyan, A.; Illeghems, K.; Kim, J.W.; Crandall, P.; OBryan, C. and Ricke S. 2011. Alternative antimicrobial compounds to control potential Lactobacillus contaminants that occur in yeast-based fuel bioethanol fermentations. Journal of Environmental Sciences. 46: 709-714. <br /> 82. Lin, X.; Wu, J.; Zhu, R.; Chen, P.; Huang, G.; Li, Y.; Ye,N.; Huang, B.; Lai, Y.; Zhang, H.; Lin, W.; Lin, J.; Wang, Z.; Zhang, H. and Ruan, R. 2012. California Almond Shelf Life: Lipid Deterioration During Storage. J. Food Science. Doi:10.1111/j.1750-3821.2012.02706.x<br /> 83. Littlefield, B.; Fasina, O.O.; Shaw, J.; Adhikari, S.; Via. B. 2011. Physical and flow properties of pecan shells  particle size and moisture effects. Powder Technology. 212: 173-180.<br /> 84. Liu, G.; Zhang, R.; El-Mashad, H.; Dong, R. and Liu, x. 2011. Biogas production from green and food wastes using anaerobic phased solids digester system. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. DOI 10.1007/s12010-011-9322-z.<br /> 85. Liu, K.; Atiyeh, H.K.; Tanner, R.S.; Wilkins, M.R. and Huhnke, R.L. 2012. Fermentative production of ethanol from syngas using novel moderately alkaliphilic strains of Alkalibaculum bacchi, Bioresource Technology. 104: 336-341.<br /> 86. Long, C. and Gibbons, W.R. 2012. Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Soybean Processing Intermediates for the Production of Ethanol and Concentration of Protein and Lipids. ISRN Microbiology (Accepted 8/2012).<br /> 87. Lu, Y.; Yu, F.; Hu, J. and Liu, J. 2012. Catalytic conversion of syngas to mixed alcohols over Zn-Mn promoted Cu-Fe based catalyst. Applied Catalysis A, General. 429430: 48-58.<br /> 88. Martin, E.; Bunnell, K.; Lau, C.; Pelkki, M.; Patterson, D.; Clausen, E.; Smith, J. and Carrier, D.J. 2011. Hot water and dilute acid pretreatment of high and low specific gravity Populus deltoids clones. Journal of Industrial Microbiology. 38: 355-361.<br /> 89. Martin, E.; Cousins, S.; Talley, S.; West, C.; Clausen, E. and Carrier, D.J. 2011. The effect of pre-soaking coupled to pretreatment on the extraction of hemicellulosic sugars and flavonoids from switchgrass (Panicum virgatum, var. Alamo) leaves and stems. Transactions of ASABE. 54: 1953-1958. <br /> 90. Min, M.; Hu, B.; Zhou, W.; Li, Y.; Chen, P. and Ruan, R. 2012. Mutual influence of light and CO2 on carbon sequestration via cultivating mixotrophic alga Auxenochlorella protothecoides UMN280 in an organic carbon-rich wastewater. Journal of Applied Phycology. 24(5):1099-1105.<br /> 91. Mjoun, K. and Rosentrater K.A. 2011. Extruded aquafeeds containing distillers dried grains with solubles: effects on extrudate properties and processing behaviour. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 91(15): 2865-2874.<br /> 92. Modenbach, A. and Nokes, S. 2011. The use of high-solids loadings in biomass pretreatment  A review. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 109(6): 1430-1442.<br /> 93. Moreau, R.A.; Liu, K.; Winkler-Moser, J.K. and Singh, V. 2011. Changes in lipid composition during dry grind ethanol processing of corn. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 88: 435-442.<br /> 94. Munasinghe, P.C. and Khanal, S.K. 2012. Syngas fermentation to biofuel: Evaluation of carbon monoxide mass transfer and analytical modeling using a composite hollow fiber (CHF) membrane bioreactor. Bioresource Technology. 122: 130-136.<br /> 95. Murphy, P.T.; Moore, K.J.; Raman, D.R.; Anex, R.P. and Fales, S.L. 2012. Rapid Biomass Quality Determination of Corn Stover Using Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy. BioEnergy Research. 5(1): 79-85.<br /> 96. Murthy, G. S.; Johnston, D. B.; Rausch, K. D.; Tumbleson, M. E. and Singh, V. 2012. Design and evaluation of an optimal controller for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 166: 87-111.<br /> 97. Murthy, G. S.; Johnston, D. B.; Rausch, K. D.; Tumbleson, M. E. and Singh, V. 2011. Starch hydrolysis modeling: Application to fuel ethanol production. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering 34: 879-890. <br /> 98. Murthy, G. S.; Johnston, D.; Rausch, K.; Tumbleson, M. and Singh, V. 2012. A simultaneous saccharification and fermentation model for dynamic growth environments. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering. 35: 519-534.<br /> 99. Murthy, G.; Johnston, D.; Rausch, K.; Tumbleson, M. and Singh, V. 2012. A simultaneous saccharification and fermentation model for dynamic growth environments. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering. 35: 519-534.<br /> 100. Naimi, L.J.; Sokhansanj, S.; Womac, A.R.; Bi, X.T.; Lim, C.J.; Igathinathane, C.; Lau, A.K.; Sowlati, T.; Melin, S.; Emami, M. and Afzal. M. 2011. Development of a population balance model to simulate fractionation of ground switchgrass. Transactions of the ASABE. 54(1): 219-227.<br /> 101. Nitayavardhana, S. and Khanal, S. K. 2011. Biodiesel-derived crude glycerol bioconversion to animal feed: A sustainable option for a biodiesel refinery. Bioresource Technology. 102(10): 5808-5814.<br /> 102. Nitayavardhana, S. and Khanal, S.K. 2012. Biofuel residues/wastes: ban or boon? Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. 42: 1-43.<br /> 103. Nkosi, B.D.; Vadlani, P.V.; Brijwani, K.; Nanjunda, A. and Meeske, R. 2012. Effects of bacterial inoculants and an enzyme on the fermentation quality and aerobic stability of ensiled whole-crop sweet sorghum. S. Afr. J. Anim Sci. 42(3): 232-240.<br /> 104. Oberoi, H.S.; Babbar, N.; Dhaliwal, S.S.; Kaur, S.; Vadlani, P.V.; Bhargav, V.K. and Patil, R.T. 2012. Enhanced Oil Recovery by Pre-treatment of Mustard Seeds Using Crude Enzyme Extract Obtained from Mixed-Culture Solid-State Fermentation of Kinnow (Citrus reticulata) Waste and Wheat Bran. Food Bioprocess Technol. 5(2): 759-767.<br /> 105. Oberoi, H.S.; Kaur, S.S.and Vadlani, P.V. 2012. Statistical optimization of hydrolysis process for banana peels using cellulolytic and pectinolytic enzymes. Food and Bioproducts Processing. 90(2): 257-265.<br /> 106. Orjuela, A.; Kolah, A.; Hong, Xi; Lira, C.T. and Miller, D.J. 2012. Diethyl Succinate Synthesis by Reactive Distillation. Sep. and Pur. Tech. 88: 151-162. <br /> 107. Orjuela, A.; Yanez, A.J.; Evans, J.; Hassan, A.M.; Miller, D.J. and Lira, C.T. 2011. Phase Equilibria in Binary Mixtures with Monoethyl Succinate. Fluid Phase Equil., 309: 121-127.<br /> 108. Orjuela, A.; Yanez, A.J.; Peereboom, L.; Lira, C.T. and Miller, D.J.2011. A novel process for recovery of fermentation-derived succinic acid. Sep. and Pur. Tech. 83: 31-37.<br /> 109. Orjuela, A.; Yanez, A.J.; Santhanakrishnan, A; Lira, C.T. and Miller, D.J. 2012. Kinetics of mixed succinic acid/acetic acid esterification with Amberlyst 70 ion exchange resin as catalyst. Chem. Eng. J. 188; 98-107.<br /> 110. Pal, A.; Negi, V.S.; Khanal, S. K. and Borthakur, D. 2012. Immunodetection of curcin in seed meal of Jatropha curcas using polyclonal antibody developed against curcin-L. Current Nutrition and Food Science. 8(3): 213-219.<br /> 111. Paraman, I. and Lamsal, B.P. 2011. Recovery and Characterization of ±-Zein from Corn Fermentation Coproducts, Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. 59: 3071-3077.<br /> 112. Park, S. and Li, Y.B. 2012. Evaluation of methane production and macronutrient degradation in the anaerobic co-digestion of algae biomass residue and lipid waste. Bioresource Technology. 111: 42-48.<br /> 113. Pasangulapati, V.; Ramachandriya, K.D.; Kumar, A.; Wilkins, M.R.; Jones, C.L. and Huhnke, R.L. 2012. Effects of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin on thermochemical conversion characteristics of the selected biomass. Bioresource Technology. 114: 663-669.<br /> 114. Peña, L.; Ikenberry, M.; Hohn, K.L. and Wang, D. 2012. Acid-Functionalized Nanoparticles for Pretreatment of Wheat Straw. J. Biomaterials and Nanobiotechnology. 3: 342-352.<br /> 115. Peña, L.; Ikenberry, M.; Ware, B.; Hohn, K.L.; Boyle, D.; Sun, X.S. and Wang, D. 2011. Cellobiose hydrolysis using acid-functionalized nanoparticles. Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering. 16(6):1214-1222.<br /> 116. Peng, H.; Zhang, J.; Liu, Y.; Liu, D.; Yu, Z.; Wan, Y. and Ruan, R. 2012. Structural characterization of hemicellulosic polysaccharides isolated from bamboo. Current Organic Cehmistry. (16):1855-1862.<br /> 117. Qi, G. and Sun, X.S. 2011. Soy Protein Adhesive Blends with Synthetic Latex on Wood Veneer, J American Oils Chemistry, 88(2): 271- 281.<br /> 118. Qi, G.; Li, N.; Wang, D. and Sun, X.S. 2012. Physicochemical properties of soy protein adhesives obtained by in situ sodium bisulfate modification during acid precipitation. AOCS Oil Chemistry. 89(2): 301-312.<br /> 119. Qi, G.; Li, N.; Wang, D. and Sun, X.S. 2012. Physicochemical properties of soy protein adhesives obtained by in situ sodium bisulfate modification during acid precipitation. AOCS Oil Chemistry. 89(2): 301-312.<br /> 120. Qi, G.; Venkateshan, K.; Zhang, X.M.L., and Sun, X.S. 2011. Physicochemical properties of soy protein: effects of subunit composition, J Agr & Food Chem. 59: 9958-9964.<br /> 121. Rafique, R.; Anex, R.P.; Hennessy, D. and Kiely, G. 2012. What are the impacts of grazing and cutting events on the N2O dynamics in humid temperate grassland? Geoderma. 181-182: 36-44.<br /> 122. Raman, D.R. and Anex, R.P. 2012. Conceptual and mathematical models of batch simultaneous saccharification and fermentation: dimensionless groups for predicting process dynamics. Journal of Biological Systems. 20(2): 195211.<br /> 123. Rawat, V.; Raman, D.R. and Anex, R.P. 2011. Detecting and Subcategorizing Hard-Coding Errors in Bioenergy-Relevant Spreadsheets using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 27(3): 469-474.<br /> 124. Redding, A.; Chen, Y.; Fu, S.; Zhan, H.; Cheng, J.J. 2012. Bioethanol production and dilute acid pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials: a review. Journal of South China University of Technology. (In press).<br /> 125. Redding, A.P.; Wang, Z.; Keshwani, D.R. and Cheng, J.J. 2011. High Temperature Dilute Acid Pretreatment of Coastal Bermuda Grass for Enzymatic Hydrolysis. Bioresource Technology. 102(2): 1415-1424.<br /> 126. Ren, S.; Lei, H.; Wang, L.; Bu, Q.; Wei, Y.; Liang, J.; Liu, Y.; Julson, J.; Chen, S.; Wu, J. and Ruan, R. 2012. Microwave torrefaction of Douglas fir sawdust pellet. Energy & Fuels Accepted.<br /> 127. Rijal, B.; Igathinathane, C.; Karki, B.; Yu, M. and Pryor, S.W. 2012. Combined Effect of pelleting and pretreatment on enzymatic hydrolysis of switchgrass. Bioresource Technology. 116: 36-41.<br /> 128. Robinson, T.J.; Via, B.K.; Fasina, O., Adhikari, S. and Carter, E. 2011. Impregnation of bio-oil from small diameter pine into wood for moisture resistance. Bioresources. 6: 4747-4761.<br /> 129. Romano, R.R. and R.H. Zhang. 2011. Anaerobic Digestion of Onion Waste Using a Mesophilic Anaerobic Phased Solids Digester. Biomass and Bioenergy. 35: 4174-4179.<br /> 130. Runge, T. and Zhang, C.H. 2012. Two-Stage Acid-Catalyzed Conversion of Carbohydrates into Levulinic Acid. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. 5(8): 3265-3270.<br /> 131. Sandefur, H.; Matlock, M.; Costello, T.; Adey, W. and Laughinghouse, D. 2011. Seasonal productivity of a periphytic algal community for biofuel feedstock generation and nutrient treatment. Ecological Engineering. 37:1476-1480.<br /> 132. Schaeffer, T.; Brown, M.L. and Rosentrater, K.A. 2011. Effects of dietary distillers dried grains with solubles and soybean meal on extruded pellet characteristics and growth responses of juvenile yellow perch. North American Journal of Aquaculture. 73(3): 270-278.<br /> 133. Shah, A.; Darr, M.J.; Medic, D.; Anex, R.P.; Maski, D. and Khanal, S.K. 2011. Techno-economic analysis of a production-scale torrefaction system for cellulosic biomass upgrading. Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining (Biofpr) [online October 14, 2011]. doi: 10.1002/bbb.336.<br /> 134. Shuai, L. and Pan, X.J. 2012. Hydrolysis of cellulose by cellulase-mimetic solid catalyst. Energy & Environmental Science. 5: 6889-6894.<br /> 135. Singh, K.; Risse, M.; Das, K.C.; Worley, J. and Thompson, S. 2012. Pyrolysis of poultry litter fractions for bio-char and bio-oil production. Journal of Agricultural Science and Applications. 1(2): 37-44.<br /> 136. Stefanescu, C.; Daly, W.H. and Negulescu, I.I. 2012. Biocomposite Films Prepared from Ionic Liquid Solutions of Chitosan and Cellulose. Carbohydrate Polymers. 387: 435443.<br /> 137. Street, J. and Yu, F. 2011. Production of high-value products including gasoline hydrocarbons from thermochemical conversion of syngas. Biofuels 2(6): 677-691.<br /> 138. Street, J.; Yu, F.; Warnock, J.; Wooten, J. and White, M.G. 2012. Design and testing of a labview controlled catalytic packed-bed reactor system for production of hydrocarbon fuels. Transactions of the ASABE. 55(3): 1047-1055.<br /> 139. Street, J.; Yu, F.; Wooten, J.; Columbus, E.; White, M. and Warnock, J. 2012. Gasoline-range hydrocarbon production using biomass derived synthesis gas over Mo/H+ZSM-5. Fuel. 96: 239249.<br /> 140. Sun, L.; Chen, J.Y.; Negulescu, I.I.; Moore, M.A. and Collier, B.J. 2011. Kinetics Modeling of Dynamic Pyrolysis of Bagasse Fibers. Bioresource Technology. 102: 19511958.<br /> 141. Takara D. and Khanal, S. K. 2011. Green processing of tropical banagrass into biofuel and biobased products: An innovative biorefinery approach. Bioresource Technology. 102(2): 1587-1592.<br /> 142. Takara, D.; Nitayavardhana, S.; Munasinghe, P.C.; Surendra, K.C. and Khanal, S.K. 2012. Sustainable bioenergy from biofuel-derived residues. Water Environment Research. (In-press).<br /> 143. Teiseh, A. and Capareda, S.C. 2012. Efficiency Cycle Recovery of Hydrogen from a Low Concentration Pyrolysis Gas Stream by Pressure Swing Adsorption. Separation Science and Technology, Elsevier Science, Ltd., UK, England. Accepted for Publications, January 5, 2012. <br /> 144. Teiseh, E. A.; Capareda, S.C. and Rezenom, Y.H. 2012. Cobalt Based Hybrid Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis Catalyst for Improved Selectivity of Hydrocarbons in the JP-8 Carbon Number Range from a Synthesis Gas obtained from the Pyrolysis of the MixAlco Process Derived Sludge. Applied Catalysis A: General. Elsevier Science Ltd. Accepted for publication and available online 19 June 2012. <br /> 145. Terrill, J. B.; Wilkins, M.R.; DeLorme, M.J.M.; Atiyeh, H.K. and Lewis, R.S. 2012. Effect of energetic gas composition on hydrogenase activity and ethanol production in syngas fermentation by Clostridium ragsdalei. Biological Engineering Transactions. 5(2): 87-98. <br /> 146. Theerarattananoon, K.; Xu, F.; Wilson, J.; Staggenborg, S.; Mckinney, L.; Vadlani, P.; Pei, Z.J.; Wang, D. 2012. Effects of the pelleting process on chemical composition and sugar yield of corn stover, big bluestem, wheat straw and sorghum stalk pellets. Bioprocess and Biosystem Engineering. 35: 615-623.<br /> 147. Tian, Y.Q.; Chen, L.M.; Gao, L.H.; Michel, C.F.; Wan. C.X.; Li, Y.B. and Dick, W.A. 2011. Composting of waste paint sludge containing melamine resin as affected by nutrients and gypsum addition and microbial inoculation. Environmental Pollution. 62: 129-137.<br /> 148. Tobimatsu, Y.; Elumalai, S.; Grabber, J.H.; Davidson, C.L.; Pan, X.J. and Ralph, J. 2012. Hydroxycinnamate conjugates as potential monolignol replacements: in vitro lignification and cell wall studies with rosmarinic acid. ChemSusChem. 2012, 5: 676-686. <br /> 149. Ukpong, M.N.; Atiyeh, H.K.; De Lorme, M.J.M.; Liu, K.; Zhu, S.; Tanner, R.S.; Wilkins, M.R. and Stevenson, B.S. 2012. Physiological response of Clostridium carboxidivorans during conversion of synthesis gas to solvents in a gas-fed bioreactor. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. DOI: 10.1002/bit.24549.<br /> 150. Via, B.K.; Fasina, O.O. and Hui, P. 2011. Assessment of biomass density through mid-infrared spectroscopty and multivariate modeling. Bioresources. 6: 807-822.<br /> 151. Wan, C. and Li, Y.B. 2012. Fungal pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. Biotechnology Advances. In press. DOI:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2012.03.003<br /> 152. Wang, H.; Srinivasan, R.; Yu, F.; Steele, P.; Li, Q. and Mitchell, B. 2011. Effect of acid, alkali and steam explosion pretreatments on characteristics of bio-oil produced from pinewood. Energy and Fuels. 25(8): 37583764.<br /> 153. Wang, H.; Srinivasan, R.; Yu, F.; Steele, P.; Li, Q.; Mitchell, B. and Samala, A. 2012. Effect of Acid, Steam Explosion, and Size Reduction Pretreatments on Bio-oil Production from Sweetgum, Switchgrass, and Corn Stover. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 167: 285297.<br /> 154. Wang, Z. and Cheng, J.J. 2011. Lime Pretreatment of Coastal Bermuda Grass for Bioethanol Production. Energy & Fuels, 25(4): 1830-1836.<br /> 155. Wang, Z.; Li, R.; Xu, J.; Marita, J.M.; Hatfield, R.D.; Qu, R. and Cheng, J.J. 2012. Sodium hydroxide pretreatment of genetically modified switchgrass. Bioresource Technology. (In press).<br /> 156. Wang, Z.; Xu, J. and Cheng, J.J. 2011. Modeling biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic materials for sugar production: a review. BioResources. 6(4): 5282-5306.<br /> 157. Wang, Z.; Xu, J.; Pandey, P.; Cheng, J.J.; Li, R. and Qu, R. 2012. Improvement of sugar production from transgenic switchgrass with low temperature alkali pretreatment. Energy & Fuels. (In press).<br /> 158. Wang. X.; Morrison, W.; Du, Z.; Wan, Y.; Lin, X.; Chen, P. and Ruan, R. 2012. Biomass temperature profile development and its implications under the microwave-assisted pyrolysis condition. Applied Energy. Accepted.<br /> 159. Windom, B.; Huber, M.L.; Bruno, T.J.; Lown, A.L. and Lira, C.T. 2012. Measurements and Modeling Study on a High-Aromatic Diesel Fuel. Energy and Fuel. 26(3): 1787-1797.<br /> 160. Wooten, J.R.; Filip To, S.D.; Igathinathane, C. and Pordesimo, L.O. 2011. Discrimination of bark from wood chips though optical texture analysis. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 79(1): 13-19.<br /> 161. Wu, H.; Hanna, M.A. and Jones, D.D. 2012. Fluidized-bed gasification of dairy manure by BoxBehnken design. Waste Management & Research. 30(5): 506-511.<br /> 162. Wu, H.; Hanna, M.A. and Jones, D.D. 2012. Thermogravimetric characterization of dairy manure as pyrolysis and combustion feedstocks. Waste Management & Research. In press.<br /> 163. Wu, X.; Ruan, R.; Du, Z. and Liu, Y. 2012. Current Status and Prospects of Biodiesel Production from Microalgae. Energies 5: 2667-2682.<br /> 164. Xie, R.; Tu, M.; Wu, Y. and Adhikari, S. 2011. Improvement in HPLC Separation of Acetic Acid and Levulinic Acid in the Profiling of Biomass Hydrolysate. Bioresource Technology. 102(7): 4938-4942<br /> 165. Xu, F.; Shi, Y-C. and Wang, D. 2012. Enhanced production of glucose and xylose with partial dissolution of corn stover in ionic liquid, 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate. Bioresource Technology. 114: 720-724.<br /> 166. Xu, F.; Shi, Y-C. and Wang, D. 2012. Structural features and changes of lignocellulosic biomass during thermochemical pretreatments: A synchrotron X-ray scattering study on photoperiod-sensitive sorghum. Carbohydrates Polymers. 88: 1147-1159.<br /> 167. Xu, F.; Shi, Y-C.; Staggenborg, S.; Wu, X.; Theerarattananoon, K. and Wang, D. 2011. Sulfuric Acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of photoperiod sensitive sorghum for ethanol production. Bioprocess and Biosystem Engineering. 34(4): 485-492.<br /> 168. Xu, F.Q.; Shi, J.; Lv, W.; Yu, Z.T. and Li, Y.B. 2012. Comparison of different liquid anaerobic digestion effluents as inoculum and nitrogen sources for solid-state batch anaerobic digestion of corn stover. Waste Management. In press.<br /> 169. Xu, J. and Cheng, J.J. 2011. Pretreatment of Switchgrass for Sugar Production with the Combination of Sodium Hydroxide and Lime. Bioresource Technology. 102(4): 3861-3868.<br /> 170. Xu, J.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, J.J.; Sharma-Shivappa, R.R. and Burns, J.C. 2011. Delignification of Switchgrass Cultivars for Bioethanol Production. Bioresouces. 6(1): 707-720.<br /> 171. Xu, J.; Wang, Z. and Cheng, J.J. 2011. Bermuda grass as feedstock for biofuel production: a review. Bioresource Technology 102(17): 7613-7620.<br /> 172. Xu, J.; Wang, Z.; Sharma-Shivappa, R.R. and Cheng, J.J. 2011. Enzymatic hydrolysis of switchgrass and coastal Bermuda grass pretreated using different chemical methods. BioResources 6(3): 2990-3003.<br /> 173. Xu, J.; Zhang, X. and Cheng, J.J. 2012. Pretreatment of corn stover for sugar production with switchgrass-derived black liquor. Bioresource Technology. 111: 255-60.<br /> 174. Xu, Y.; Bianchini, A. and Hanna, M.A. (2011). Evaluation of Mold and Mycotoxin Contaminations in Hybrid Hazelnuts Grown in Nebraska. Journal of Food Processing and Technology. 2: 5.<br /> 175. Xu, Y.; Hanna, M.A. 2011. Nutritional and anti-nutritional compositions of defatted Nebraska hybrid hazelnut meal. International Journal of Food Science and Technology. 46: 2022-2029.<br /> 176. Xu, Y.; Sismour, E.; Parry, J.; Hanna, M.A. and Li, H. 2012. Chemical composition and antioxidant activity in hazelnut shells from US-grown cultivars. International Journal of Food Science and Technology. 47(5): 940-946.<br /> 177. Xu. F.Q. and Li, Y.B. 2012. Solid-state co-digestion of expired dog food and corn stover for methane production. Bioresource Technology. 118: 219-226.<br /> 178. Yan, Q., Toghiani, H.; Yu, F.; Cai, Z. and Zhang, J. 2011. Effects of Pyrolysis Conditions on Yield of Bio-chars from Pine Chips. Forest Prod. J. 61(5): 367-371. <br /> 179. Yan, S.; Wu, X.; Faubion, J.; Bean, S.; Cai, L.; Shi, Y-C. and Wang, D. 2012. Ethanol production performance of ozone treated tannin grain sorghum flour. Cereal Chem. 89(1): 30-37.<br /> 180. Yang, Q.; Pan, X.J.; Clarke, K. and Li, K.C. 2012. Covalent functionalization of graphene with polysaccharides. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. 51: 310-317.<br /> 181. Yang, Q.; Pan, X.J.; Huang, F. and Li, K.C. 2011. Functionalization of cellulose fiber with hyperbranched poly(3-methyl-3-oxetanemethanol) and poly(µ-caprolactone). Cellulose. 18: 1611-1621.<br /> 182. Yoo, J.; Alavi, S.; Vadlani, P.V. and Behnke, K. 2012. Soybean hulls pretreated using thermo-mechanical extrusion - hydrolysis efficiency, fermentation inhibitors and ethanol yield. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 166(3): 576-589.<br /> 183. Zhang, C. and Runge, T. 2011. Fractionating Pentosans and Hexosans in Hybrid Poplar. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. 51(1): 133-139.<br /> 184. Zhang, X.; Xu, J. and Cheng, J.J. 2011. Pretreatment of Corn Stover for Sugar Production with Combined Alkaline Reagents. Energy & Fuels. 25(10): 4796-4802.<br /> 185. Zheng, Y.; Cheng, Y-S.; Yu, C.; Zhang, R.; Jenkins, B.; VanderGheynst, J. 2012. Improving the efficiency of enzyme utilization for sugar beet pulp hydrolysis. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering. 2012:1-9.<br /> 186. Zheng, Y.; Yu, C.; Cheng, Y-S.; Lee, C.; Simmons, C.; Dooley, T.; Zhang, R.; Jenkins, B.; VanderGheynst, J.S. 2012. Integrating Sugar Beet Pulp Storage, Hydrolysis and Fermentation for Fuel Ethanol Production. Applied Energy. 93: 168-175.<br /> 187. Zheng, Y.; Yu, C.; Cheng, Y-S.; Zhang, R.; Jenkins, B.; VanderGheynst, J.S. 2011. Effects of ensilage on the storage and the improvement of enzymatic degradability of sugar beet pulp. Bioresource Technology. 102: 1489-1495.<br /> 188. Zhou, W.; Hu, B.; Li, Y.; Min, M.; Mohr, M.; Du, Z.; Chen, P. and Ruan, R. 2012. Mass Cultivation of Microalgae on Animal Wastewater: a Sequential Two-stage Cultivation Process for Energy Crop and Omega-3 Rich Animal Feed Production. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. Accepted.<br /> 189. Zhou, W.; Li, Y.; Min, M.; Hu, B.; Zhang, H.; Ma, X.; Li, L.; Cheng, Y.; Chen, P. and Ruan, R. 2012. Growing Wastewater-born Microalga Auxenochlorella protothecoides UMN280 on Concentrated Municipal Wastewater for Simultaneous Nutrient Removal and Energy Feedstock Production. Applied Energy. 98: 433440<br /> 190. Zhou, W.G.; Li, Y.; Min, M.; Hu, B.; Zhang, H.; Ma, X.; Cheng, Y.; Chen, P. and Ruan, R. 2012. Growing Wastewater-born Microalga Auxenochlorella protothecoides UMN280 on Concentrated Municipal Wastewater for Simultaneous Nutrient Removal and Energy Feedstock Production. Appl Energ. (Accepted).<br /> 191. Zhou, W.G.; Min, M.; Hu, B.; Ma, X.; Cheng, Y.; Liu, Y.; Chen, P. and Ruan, R. 2012. A hetero-photoautotrophic two-stage cultivation process to improve wastewater nutrient removal and enhance algal lipid accumution. Bioresour Technol. 110: 448-455.<br /> 192. Zhou, W.G.; Cheng, Y.; Li, Y.; Wan, Y.; Liu, Y.; Lin, X.; Ruan, R. 2012. Novel Fungal Pelletization Assisted Technology for Algae Harvesting and Wastewater Treatment. Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. Doi: 10.1007/s12010-012-9667-y.<br /> 193. Zhou, X; Xu, J.; Wang, Z.; Cheng, J.J.; Li, R. and Qu, R. 2012. Dilute Sulfuric Acid Pretreatment of Transgenic Switchgrass for Sugar Production. Bioresource Technology. 104(1): 823-827.<br /> 194. Zhu, D. Q.; Wan, C.X. and Li, Y.B. 2011. Co-digestion of dairy manure with food processing wastes for enhanced methane production. Biological Engineering Transactions. 4(4): 195-206.<br /> 195. Ravindran, H.; Thangalazhy-Gopakumar, S.; Adhikari, S.; Fasina, O.; Tu, M.; Via, B.; Carter, E. and Taylor, S. 2011. Production of bio-oil from underutilized forest biomass using an auger reactor. Accepted for Publication in Energy Sources Part A: Recovery Utilization and Environmental Effects. <br /> 196. Clark, I.C.; Zhang, R.; Pan, Z.; Brown, B.; Ambuel, J. and Delwiche, M. 2012. Development of a low flow meter for measuring gas production from bioreactors. Transactions of the ASABE. <br /> 197. Lee, D.K.; Aberle, E.; Chen, C.; Egenolf, J.; Harmoney, K.; Kakani, G.; Kallenbach, R. and Castro, J.C. 2012. Nitrogen and harvest management of conservation reserve program (CRP) grassland for sustainable biomass feedstock production. GCB Bioenergy (in press, appeared online in May 2012).<br /> 198. Wise, J.; Vietor, D.; Provin, T.; Capareda, S.; Munster, C. and Boateng, A. 2012. Mineral Nutrient Recovery from Pyrolysis Systems. Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy. 13: 251-255. <br /> 199. Wilkins, M.R. 2011. Lignocellulose pretreatment technologies. BioWeb - Sun Grant Initiative and the University of Tennessee: http://www.bioweb.sungrant.org/.<br /> 200. Schnell, R. W.; Vietor, D.M.; Provin, T.L.; Munster, C.L. and Capareda, S.C. 2012. Capacity of Bio-char Application to Maintain Energy Crop Productivity: Soil Chemistry, Sorghum Growth, and Runoff Water Quality Effects. Journal of Environmental Quality, 41: 1-<br />

Impact Statements

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Report Information

Participants

Participating States and Agricultural Experiment Stations


1. Alabama 
2. Alaska 
3. Arizona
4. Arkansas 
5. California 
6. Florida 
7. Georgia
8. Hawaii 
9. Illinois 
10. Indiana 
11. Iowa 
12. Kansas 
13. Kentucky 
14. Louisiana 
15. Michigan
16. Minnesota 
17. Mississippi 
18. Missouri 
19. Montana 
20. Nebraska 
21. New Jersey 
22. New York 
23. North Carolina 
24. North Dakota 
25. Ohio 
26. Oklahoma 
27. Oregon 
28. South Carolina 
29. South Dakota 
30. Tennessee 
31. Texas 
32. Utah
33. Virginia 
34. West Virginia 
35. Wisconsin 

Brief Summary of Minutes

The annual report was compiled from individual station reports submitted by station representatives. The report starts with a brief outline and description of each individual objective and associated tasks, followed by individual station reports in alphabetical order by state. The specific objectives and tasks are associated in individual station reports. The station reports include outcomes and impacts, outputs (publications, etc.), participants, and target audiences. For a detailed description of each individual objective and task, see the project statement available on the NIMSS database website.

Due to the length of the termination report please contact me at donna_pearce@ncsu.edu for a copy of the complete termination report.

Accomplishments

Objective A. Reduce costs of harvesting, handling, and transporting biomass to increase competitiveness of biomass as a feedstock for biofuels, biomaterials, and biochemicals.<br /> Alabama continues to evaluate the impact of harvesting, handling and transportation techniques on the cost and properties of biomass from southern pine energy plantation as potential feedstock for biodiesel and aviation fuels. Some of the major accomplishment include (a) new energy-efficient, high productivity harvest, handling and transport machines that have been designed, field tested and are ready for the market, (b) reduction of nearly 50% of stump-to-mill harvest and transportation cost for biomass harvested from 10-15 year old southern pine plantations, and (c) test and implemented transpirational drying techniques that resulted in significant reduction in southern pine moisture content (hence cost) prior to delivery to the refinery. Other projects that are currently being conducted regarding this objective include particle size effect on biomass flowability, ignition properties of dust from southern pine and other biomass feedstocks, biomass fluidization, biomass storage and off-gassing, and characterization of physical and chemical properties, and ultimate and proximate composition of southern pine due to changes in harvesting and handling systems. Several of the logistics projects that led to the above stated accomplishment were funded from USDA-NIFA, DOE, multistate hatch and Sungrant. <br /> Objective 2: Improve biofuel production processes<br /> Most of the work that has been conducted at the Alabama station is focused on developing and validating models for biomass gasification, tar formation and syngas composition using experimental data from bubbling-bed fluidized-bed reactor. We have performed gasification studies on different biomass species (e.g. pine, eucalyptus, poplar, and switchgrass) with the goal of understanding the effect of biomass species/properties on syngas quality and contaminants (e.g. tar, and hydrogen sulfide), and with fate of these contaminants when gasification is conducted with different oxidizing media. Other projects being conducted that are related to this objective include biomass fast pyrolysis and hydrogen production from biobased materials. The impact from these projects is that we have developed information and models that will accurately predict syngas composition from biomass characteristics and gasifier operating parameters.<br /> Objective 4: Develop a trained work force for the biobased economy. <br /> The Alabama station is currently participating in three federally funded projects that specifically focus on training of undergraduate and graduate students for the biobased economy as follows: (a) NSF/IGERT ; (b) NSF/REU  Biofuels and bioproducts from lignocellulosic biomass, and (c) SEED fellow program for undergraduate students  a part of the USDA-NIFA IBSS (Southeastern Partnership for Integrated Biomass Supply System). Ten Ph.D. and 24 undergraduate students are currently or have participated in these programs. Several undergraduate and graduate (M.S. and Ph.D. students) are also involved in the biomass and bioenergy programs at Auburn University. Other trained work force activities include development and delivery of undergraduate and graduate courses, and the development of procurement specialist course through the extension system. <br /> B.2. Value added products and markets based on thermochemical conversion technologies. <br /> Task 2: Develop conversion processes <br /> A small scale micro-pyrolysis unit was developed to explore catalytic reactions at microgram scales. The reactor system developed was used to evaluate multiple catalysts by themselves and in combination, using hydrogen pressures up to 2.25 atm and retention times in excess of 90 minutes. By employing micrograms of catalysts and biomass, a reduction in the costs associated with fundamental R&D was achieved. The resulting upgraded products after pyrolysis had similar boiling point range characteristics as Diesel # 2 fuel. However, a complete analysis of the product stream has not been completed as issues with excess water production in the reactor system have yet to be resolved. <br /> Objective D: Identify and develop needed educational, extension and outreach resources to promote the transition to a bio-based economy. <br /> Task 1: Serve as a knowledge resource base for bio-based economy <br /> Along with the delivery of courses in Biomass and Bioenergy (NRM 393), delivered in person and on-line to two campuses, the state representative (Dr. Soria) assisted the Alaska Energy Authority Biomass program with technology evaluation and performance. <br /> Objective A. Reduce costs of harvesting, handling, and transporting biomass to increase competitiveness of biomass as a feedstock for biofuels, biomaterials and biochemicals.<br /> Task 1: Quantify and characterize biological feedstocks<br /> An algal production system was constructed at the University of Arkansas Swine Research Center near Savoy, AR. The system will use swine wastewater as input to four parallel flow ways that are each 5 ft wide X 200 ft long on a 2% slope. A smaller pilot system was operated with varied effluent dilutions to optimize algal productivity as a function of effluent water quality. The larger system will become operational following the identification of optimal conditions form the pilot system. <br /> Objective B. Improve biofuel production processes.<br /> Task 1: Develop pretreatment methods for biological conversion processes.<br /> <br /> July- and February-harvested switchgrass hemicelluloses were extracted and characterized for monosaccharide constituents, glycosyl linkages, and molecular size using acid hydrolysis, per-O-methylation analysis, and size exclusion chromatography, respectively. July hemicelluloses contained 13% glucose, 67% xylose, and 19% arabinose, while February hemicelluloses contained 4.8% glucose, 79% xylose, and 16% arabinose. Changes in composition, depending on season, could affect biochemical processing. Glycosyl linkage analysis showed that both hemicelluloses have similar linkages, but in different proportions. Size exclusion chromatography showed that July hemicelluloses had an average molecular weight of 30,000 g mol-1, while February hemicelluloses had an average molecular weight of 28,000 g mol-1 (Bunnell et al. 2013).<br /> Birchwood xylan were used as feedstock for production of xylose oligomers. Xylan were autohydrolyzed at 200 °C, and the crude xylose oligomer preparation was fractionated using centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) with a butanol:methanol:water (5:1:4, V:V:V) solvent system. Xylose oligomers with a degree of polymerization from two to four were successfully purified (Lau et al. 2013). <br /> The effects of formic acid and furfural on Accellerase ®1500 with cellulose powder and dilute acid-pretreated-poplar as substrates were examined. Using cellulose powder as the substrate for enzymatic hydrolysis with the addition of 5 or 10 mg/mL formic acid, glucose recovery was reduced by 34% and 81%, respectively, in comparison to the control. The addition of furfural, at 2 or 5 mg/mL, to the enzymatic system reduced glucose recovery by 5% and 9%, respectfully. When 5 mg/mL of formic acid was combined with 5 mg/mL of furfural, glucose recovery in cellulose powder enzymatic system was reduced by 59%. Inhibition of sugar recovery was more pronounced when dilute acid-pretreated-poplar was used as a substrate for enzymatic hydrolysis. At 24 h incubation, recovery reductions were 94%, 97% and 93% in the presence of 5 or 10 mg/mL formic acid or of 5 the mg/mL combination (Arora et al. 2013). The effect of rinsing pretreated biomass was examined in Frederick et al. (2013). <br /> <br /> Objective C. Identify, develop, and evaluate sustainable processes to convert biomass resources into biochemicals, biocatalysts, and biomaterials (non-fuel uses) <br /> Task 3: Develop applications for biochemicals and biocatalysts with biological activity. <br /> <br /> Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) ia a rich source of commercial phytochemicals with a broad range of biological activities. Specifically, sweetgum bark is a potential source of food grade anti-oxidants and an all-natural antimicrobial against Listeria monocytogenes. Solvent free sweetgum bark extracts were prepared and tested using the Thiobarbituric Reactive Substances (TBARS) and the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) assays. Our studies showed that 0.1µL of the sweetgum bark extract in 10 µL of DMSO (or a 1% concentration) decreased the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by 60%. The MIC of the sweetgum bark extract arrested the growth of seven L. monocytogenes strains and was determined to be 0.19%. These results suggest that extraction of these phytochemicals could add value without diminishing sweetgums potential as a bioenergy feedstock. These valuable phytochemicals could find applications in food safety, nutraceutical and cosmetic industry. <br /> Task 1: Quantify and characterize biological feedstocks<br /> " Thermal properties of ponderosa pine were characterized using TG/DTA and multicomponent modeling and analysis as part of a study of biochar production at temperatures ranging from 300 to 900C. Pine samples were fractionated into wood, bark, branch and needles for individual characterization and implications for char yield and properties ( Jenkins).<br /> " Sugar beets , wheat straw and food waste were analyzed, providing the characteristic and compositional data for biofuel production. They include soluble sugars, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, solids and nutrient contents (Zhang).<br /> Task 2: Develop and evaluate harvest, process and handling methods<br /> " A geospatial bioenergy systems model was integrated with a farm level crop adoption model to assess poplar plantings in the Pacific Northwest as resource for liquid biofuel production. A poplar growth model was also extended to account for local variations in weather, irrigation, and soil conditions and for coppicing and was also integrated with the spatial and crop adoption models. Together, these models provide a basis for identifying optimized industry development scenarios, feedstock and biofuel capacity levels, and facility siting alternatives (Jenkins).<br /> <br /> B.1. Biological conversion processes <br /> Task 1: Develop pretreatment methods for biological conversion processes<br /> " Sugar beet pulp (SBP) is the residue of beet sugar processing and is a promising feedstock for fuel ethanol production. Response surface methodology was used to investigate the effects of temperature, acid concentration and solid loading on dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of SBP. Mass balances on cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and protein were performed and sugar degradation products such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), furfural and acetic acid were monitored. Scanning electron microscopy was used to study changes in the physical structure of SBP upon pretreatment. Acid pretreatment increased the enzymatic digestibility of SBP from 33% (raw) to 93% (treated). Pretreatment at optimum conditions (temperature =120°C, acid concentration=0.66% and solid loading=6%) resulted in 93% enzymatic hydrolysis yield and 62% total reducing sugar yield. The ethanol yield from pretreated SBP under the optimum conditions was 0.4 g ethanol/g dry matter in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process employing Escherichia coli KO11 (VanderGheynst, Jenkins, Zhang).<br /> " Two types of grape pomace were ensiled with eight strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Both fresh grape pomace (FrGP) and fermented grape pomace (FeGP) were preserved through alcoholic fermentation but not malolactic conversion. Water leaching prior to storage was used to reduce water soluble carbohydrates and ethanol from FrGP and FeGP, respectively, to increase malolactic conversion. Leached FeGP had spoilage after 28-days of ensilage while FrGP was preserved. Dilute acid pretreatment was examined for increasing the conversion of pomace to ethanol via Escherichia coli KO11 fermentation (VanderGheynst, Jenkins, Zhang).<br /> Task2: Develop conversion processes<br /> " Experiments were completed to investigate the application of virus infection and amylolytic enzyme treatment on sugar release from Chlorella variabilis NC64A and bioethanol production from released sugars via E. coli KO11 fermentation. Biomass characterization indicated that Chlorella variabilis NC64A accumulated starch when it was cultured in a nitrogen-limited medium. The accumulated starch was not consumed during the period of viral infection. Both amylolytic enzyme addition and virus infection were important for hydrolysis of carbohydrates, but the addition of amylolytic enzymes and virus were more significant on the release of glucose and neutral sugars, respectively. The combination of enzyme addition and virus infection also resulted in the highest ethanol production after fermentation. This study demonstrated that viral infection can be used for disruption and hydrolysis of algal biomass to generate fermentable sugars (VanderGheynst). <br /> " A new integrated system was developed and proven in the laboratory and then scaled up to the pilot scale for converting whole sugar beets into ethanol and biogas fuels. A pilot scale ethanol fermentation system capable of fermenting up to 10 tons per batch was developed and successfully tested. The ethanol yield from sugar beets was determined to be about 0.4 gram per gram of total solids in the beets, which was 90% of the ethanol yield obtained in the laboratory research. The stillage from the ethanol fermentation was processed through anaerobic digester with a biogas yield over 0.6 L/gVS (Zhang). <br /> " A new method was developed to concentrate and store the anaerobic digester sludge as seed culture for fast start-up of anaerobic digesters. The anaerobic sludge at about 70% moisture content could be stored for up to four months without significant loss of methanogenic activities (Zhang). <br /> " Treatment of anaerobic digester effluent for nutrient and water recovery was studied with membrane separation, including microfiltration and reverse osmosis. Nutrient contents could be increased by 4-6 fold, making the concentrate products desirable for use as fertilizer products. (Zhang).<br /> " An alternative two-step method for conversion of cellulose biomass was investigated. Cellulose is first converted to cellobionate by a genetically modified fungus without exiguous cellulase addition in an aerobic fermentation step. cellobionate is then converted to fuels and chemicals in a second anaerobic step. The engineered strain which is able to convert cellulose to cellobionate was constructed by genetic engineering (Fan).<br /> " The Escherichia coli KO 11 strain was engineered for ethanol production from gluconate. Knocking out genes coding for the competing pathways (L-lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate formate lyase A) in E. coli KO 11 eliminated lactate production, lowered the carbon flow toward acetate production, and improved the ethanol yield from 87.5% to 97.5% of the theoretical maximum (Fan)<br /> B2: Thermochemical conversion processes<br /> " Biochar production from pine was investigated for the purposes of soil carbon storage and for potential application as a catalyst in tar reduction from biomass gasification. A variable temperature fixed bed reactor was used in testing char samples for catalytic activity with tar surrogates (Jenkins).<br /> Mention individual objectives and tasks associated with your station<br /> Sustainable production and use of biofuels from non food based feedstock can increase energy independence, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and promote healthier land-use while providing additional jobs and income to rural communities. The overall goal of projects associated with the station is to develop and optimize selected non-food biomass (sweet sorghum, high yielding biomass sorghum) based advanced biofuels and biobased products systems. Objectives are<br /> 1) Improve feedstock (production potential and feedstock quality) using genomics and breeding tools.<br /> 2) Develop biocatalysts for production of advanced biofuels and co-products and optimize pretreatment and fermentation processes. <br /> 3) Develop products and applications from biorefinery waste streams that minimize environmental impact of biorefinery operations and maximize revenues.<br /> Objective A. Reduce the costs of harvesting, handling, and transporting biomass to increase the competitiveness of lignocellulosic feedstocks for biofuel, biomaterial, and biochemical production.<br /> <br /> Task 1: Quantify and characterize biological feedstocks (Ogoshi, Khanal, Hashimoto)<br /> Our research team has been conducting energy crops trials at three elevation (100, 1000 and 3000 ft), and three irrigation levels using of high yielding tropical crops (Energycane, Napier grass, sweet sorghum and sugarcane) in Maui to examine the yields, inputs and the composition. Energycane has the highest annual biomass yield over Napier and sweet sorghum. Irrigation has a significant effect of biomass yield. Irrigation at 50% of plantation practice significantly reduced yield of energycane and Napier, but not sweet sorghum. The biomass composition is currently being examined. In Napier grass trials at Waimanalo, HI, the lignocellulosic fiber was found to not change appreciably with respect to its cellulose and hemicellulose content. On average, Napier grass maintained a glucan content of 38.6 ± 1.0% and a xylan content of 21.4 ± 1.5% on a dry weight basis. Lignin and ash slightly increased and decreased, respectively, over maturation. The highest concentration of lignin was observed to be 17.0 ± 0.8% at crop maturity (8 months old). Ash was the highest when Napier was at around 2 months old (14.9 ± 1.2%). The composition of feedstock grown in the elevation trials on Maui is presently being investigated.<br /> <br /> Task 2: Develop and evaluate harvesting, processing, and handling <br /> No activities.<br /> <br /> Task 3: Model and analyze integrated feedstock supply and process systems (Yanagida)<br /> In biofuel feedstock production, the cost of producing each feedstock includes commonly used cost categories from land preparation to harvesting. The analysis assumed that feedstock production was on non-prime land under rain fed conditions. Financial analysis consisted of deriving net returns on an annual equivalent basis over a 25-year project period. Feedstock cost of biofuel, breakeven price of feedstock and the breakeven price of biofuel were calculated. Manuscript combining GIS Network Analysis with transportation and hauling costs that was submitted to a bioenergy journal is still under review.<br /> <br /> Objective B. Improve biofuel production processes.<br /> <br /> B.1. Biological conversion processes<br /> <br /> Task 1: Develop pretreatment methods for biological conversion processes (Khanal, Hashimoto)<br /> The optimal pretreatment conditions of tropical grasses determined in our previous experiments were found to be not scalable to larger volumes; specifically, the sugars released in the dilute sulfuric acid liquor and enzyme hydrolyzate were much lower in concentration than reported in our laboratory-scale study. It was determined that biomass handling and pretreatment would need to be re-optimized on the basis of crop type, location, and age to properly reflect/represent values expected in commercial endeavors. <br /> A bench scale-up experiment was designed to optimize the pretreatment conditions for 4 month old, dewatered Napier grass. In this experiment, 50 g of biomass was pretreated with 300 mL of dilute sulfuric acid under various retention times (30-60 min), temperatures (105-130°C), and acid concentrations (1-5% (w/w)). Optimal conditions were determined by the concentration of sugar released in the acid hydrolysate as quantified by the colorimetric dinitrosalicylic (DNS) acid method. Statistical analyses of the data indicated that pretreatment at 2.5% (w/w) acid, 130 ºC, and 45 minutes released significantly more structural sugars than the other pretreatment conditions (a = 0.05). Sugar released from the remaining cellulose component (via saccharification) is ongoing. <br /> <br /> Task 2: Develop conversion processes (Khanal, Hashimoto) <br /> Anaerobic digestion of green grass for biomethane production was examined. Biological ensilage additives, Agmaster XV, resulted in higher biomethane yields (280 mL biomethane per gram volatile solids added) compared to yields of 265 and 220 mL biomethane per gram of volatile solids added for samples (A) with ensiling and no biological ensilage additives, and (B) without ensilage, respectively. The conversion of five and six carbon sugar hydrolysates (from hemicellulose and cellulose, respectively) are under investigation with Clostridia strains at Ohio State University.<br /> <br /> Size reduction as a pretreatment strategy for the anaerobic digestion of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum L.) and enhanced biomethane production is under ongoing investigations. In this approach, Napier grass has been passed through a shedder for preliminary size reduction. Following the aforesaid unit operation, the grass sample has been further ground through a cutting mill with various screen sizes of 6mm, 10mm and 20mm. Preliminary results indicated that Napier grass passed through a 6mm sieve resulted in a higher biomethane yield of 293.44 mL CH4/g VS of biomass added compared to 274.84 and 273.07 mL CH4/g VS added of biomass from the 10mm and 20mm sieves, respectively.<br /> <br /> Task 3: Develop value-added products from hemicellulose and lignin (Khanal, Hashimoto): Our research group has also been working on fungal protein production from hemicellulose-derived sugar supplemented with front-end derived Napier grass juice. Our study demonstrated prolific fungal growth on sugar hydrolysates, particularly with pentoses, which are not easily converted to biofuels by conventional microbial species. The fungal biomass yields were as high as 7 g biomass/g biomass added. The fungal protein can be processed into animal feeds. <br /> <br /> B.2. Thermochemical conversion processes<br /> <br /> Task 1: Develop pretreatment methods<br /> Task 2: Develop conversion processes (Khanal)<br /> Our research activity focuses on the mass transfer of syngas components into the aqueous phase using composite hollow fiber membranes. The use of membranes improved CO solubility by nearly 5-10 folds compared to stirred-tank reactors. The highest volumetric mass transfer coefficient (Ka) of 946.6 1/h was observed at a recirculation rate of 1500 mL/min and at an inlet CO gas pressure of 30 psig.<br /> <br /> B.3. Biodiesel production processes<br /> Task 1: Characterize new feedstocks (Ogoshi, Hashimoto)<br /> The University of Hawaii group is working on a non-edible oil crop, Jatropha curcas L. for biodiesel production. The team is conducting several field trials on different Hawaiian islands to examine the yields under various environmental conditions.<br /> <br /> Task 4: Utilize co-products (Khanal, Hashimoto)<br /> Protein-rich Jatropha seedcake contains toxic compounds, including phorbol esters and curcin, which make it unsuitable for aquatic feed applications. Our research team is investigating innovative technology for detoxifying Jatropha seedcake. Preliminary studies have indicated that both chemical and enzymatic treatments were effective in detoxifying phorbol esters from Jatropha seedcake. In addition, there were no drastic post treatment effects on crude protein (50%), amino acid composition or in vitro digestibility (>91%) of detoxified seed cake, suggesting the potential to replace fish meal protein (at least 60%) in aquatic feed formulations.<br /> <br /> Objective C. Identify, develop, and evaluate sustainable processes to convert biomass resources into biochemicals, biocatalysts, and biomaterials (non-fuel uses)<br /> <br /> No activities<br /> <br /> Objective D. Identify and develop needed educational resources, develop distance based delivery methods, and develop a trained work force for the biobased economy.<br /> <br /> Task 3: Develop and disseminate educational materials in high-priority topic areas (Khanal, Hashimoto).<br /> Dr. Khanal and his graduate student, Devin Takara, have developed a bioenergy laboratory manual for middle/high school teachers to share with their students in a public school setting. To date the duo have trained 10 middle school teachers who now presently incorporate basic concepts of physics, chemistry, math and biology in their classroom to teach the youth about bioenergy production. Present and future efforts seek to disseminate complex ideas in an easy to understand manner through workshops, presentations, and demonstrations. We have also contributed course materials for the BEEMS project led by Dr. Yebo Li of Ohio State University. Dr. Khanal and Dr. Yebo Li are working on Bioenergy Textbook. Nearly all chapters have been collected and is going through the review process.<br /> Objective B. Improve biofuel production processes<br /> B.1. Biological conversion processes<br /> Task 1: Develop pretreatment methods for biological conversion processes (Rausch, Singh)<br /> Miscanthus x giganteus (MG), a perennial grass, has potential as a bioenergy crop due to its cellulose and hemicellulose content. MG has been tested in central Illinois; mean yields of 36 MT/ha/year have been reported. Converting MG to ethanol only is not cost effective and not ready for commercialization; there is a need to make this process more economical by recovering high value coproducts in addition to ethanol. Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) are sugar oligomers and can be produced during the hydrolysis of xylan, a hemicellulose component. Increased commercial importance of these nondigestive sugar oligomers is based on their prebiotic effects on human health. We recovered XOS through an autohydrolysis process using MG. Miscanthus from the University of Illinois research farm was oven dried to 2.6% moisture and milled to pass through a 0.25 mm screen. Hot water pretreatment was performed in a 25 mL tubular reactor with a solid:liquid ratio of 1:9; temperatures varied from 140 to 200°C. XOS could be produced at 160, 180 and 200°C. Depending upon reaction conditions, an XOS yields up to 13.9% (w/w) of initial dry biomass were observed. In gel permeation chromatography (GPC), molecular weight distribution migration at different reaction times and temperatures was observed. Further purification trials showed that using water/ethanol solution at ratios of 50/50 and 30/70 could recover XOS from carbon adsorption.<br /> <br /> Task 2: Develop conversion processes (Rausch, Singh)<br /> Low ethanol yields and poor yeast viability were investigated at a continuous ethanol production corn wet milling facility. Using starch slurries and recycle streams from a commercial facility, laboratory hydrolyzates were prepared by reproducing starch liquefaction and saccharification steps in the laboratory. Fermentations with hydrolyzates prepared in the laboratory were compared with plant hydrolyzates for final ethanol concentrations and total yeast counts. Fermentation controls were prepared using hydrolyzates (plant and laboratory) that were not inoculated with yeast. Hydrolyzates prepared in the laboratory resulted in higher final ethanol concentrations (15.8% v/v) than plant hydrolyzate (13.4% v/v). Uninoculated controls resulted in ethanol production from both laboratory (12.2% v/v) and plant hydrolyzates (13.7% v/v), indicating the presence of a contaminating microorganism. Yeast colony counts on cycloheximide and virginiamycin plates confirmed the presence of a contaminant. DNA sequencing and fingerprinting studies also indicated a number of dissimilar communities in samples obtained from fermenters, coolers, saccharification tanks and thin stillage.<br /> Both commercial processes used to produce fuel ethanol from corn, wet milling and dry grind, use evaporators to remove water from process streams. Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, ash and fiber in thin stillage and steepwater are involved in causing deposition of materials onto evaporator surfaces, a process called fouling. It is not understood which components increase fouling rates. Since there are more than 200 biofuel facilities that use evaporators, fouling is a major concern. Costs associated with fouling include labor and equipment needed to clean fouled heat transfer surfaces, increased capital, antifoulant chemicals and production losses. Using model systems to simulate thin stillage, it was found that a simple sugar solution had lower tendencies to foul heated surfaces than a mixture that contained granular starch. When starch and simple sugar were added to commercial thin stillage (at equal total solids concentrations), starch had a strong effect on fouling characteristics, whereas sugar had limited effects. An experimental apparatus is being constructed that will allow using smaller batches (5 L) to study fouling characteristics of process streams from biofuel production. <br /> Tropical maize is an alternative energy crop being considered as a feedstock for bioethanol production in the North Central and Midwest United States. Tropical maize is advantageous because it produces large amounts of soluble sugars in its stalks, creates a large amount of biomass, and requires lower inputs (e.g. nitrogen) than grain corn. Soluble sugars, including sucrose, glucose and fructose were extracted by pressing the stalks at dough stage (R4). The initial extracted syrup fermented faster than the control culture grown on a yeast extract/phosphate/sucrose medium. The syrup was subsequently concentrated up to 2.25 times, supplemented with urea, and fermented using Saccharomyces cerevisiae for up to 96 hr. Final ethanol concentrations were 8.1 to 15.6% (v/v), or 90 to 92% of theoretical yields. However, fermentation productivity decreased with sugar concentration, indicative that yeast were stressed osmotically at increased sugar concentrations. These results provide information for using tropical maize syrup for bioethanol production that will help in tropical maize breeding and development for use as a feedstock for the biofuel industry.<br /> <br /> Objective D. Identify and develop needed educational resources, develop distance based delivery methods, and develop a trained work force for the biobased economy (Rausch, Singh)<br /> In January 2013, a corn wet milling short course was held that focused on the fundamentals of wet milling. The course was taught by eight experts: four faculty, two USDA-ARS scientists and two speakers from industry. Attendees from wet milling and allied industries participated in the course. A similar short course was held on December 6, 2012 for 10 staff members of the Corn Refiners Association, Washington, DC. In May 2013, a short course on ethanol production technologies was held. The course was taught by 12 experts from academia, industry and USDA-ARS research facilities. Approximately 15 participants attended the course, mostly from the biofuels industry. The Eighth International Starch Technology Conference was held June 2-5, 2013 which attracted participants from industry, federal research agencies and academia. Approximately 15 speakers from government research agencies and industry presented papers which were published in a printed proceedings and will be made available online at www.starchconference.org. The conference agenda focused on separations related to various starch and biomass processes.<br /> In 2014, short courses are planned that will continue to focus on corn wet milling and on ethanol production technologies. These unique short courses will be taught by speakers from academia, industry and federal research agencies and be designed as an outreach activity to members of the starch and biofuels industries. <br /> <br />

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