Center for Crops Utiliation Research BUllETIN

1 May | June 2012. Center for Crops Utilization Research BUllETIN . Distillation Column and Evaporator Installed at Contents BioCentury Research Farm Greenhouse Trials The first round of plant container 2 development and greenhouse A distillation column and evaporator were installed testing is underway. at the BioCentury Research Farm (BCRF). The system was purchased from Vendome Copper & Brass Corn Utilization Conference Works, Inc., a manufacturer of process equipment Faculty and students show off their 3 Research at the Corn Utilization for the chemical, brewing, food, and pharmaceutical and technology Conference.

2 Industries. The distillation column and evaporator are located International Visitors in the Biomass Processing Facility's biochemical Kosovo President tours Center 4 for Crops Utilization Research processing train. The new equipment completes the facilities. system that can be used for ethanol Research at the BCRF, which also includes a 500-liter fermentor, a 4 Pilot Plant update 1,000-liter fermentor, and a rotary drying system. Now we can replicate the entire dry-grind ethanol 5 Iowa State University Symposium process at a scale that can be comfortably increased The distillation column and evaporator are located in the Explores Hybrid Processing Biomass Processing Facility.

3 It completes the system that can to commercial scale, said Larry Johnson, BCRF 7 Rosentrater Travels to Bangledesh be used for ethanol Research . director. as a Technical Consultant The equipment is designed to obtain mass balance vacuum distillation when product quality is sensitive 8 News Briefs data and generate product qualities similar to indus- to heat and atmospheric pressure distillation which try. The distillation column and evaporator handle is commonly used in the industry. The equipment beer and thin stillage from the 500-L and 1000-L fer- can process beer from cellulosic Crops as well as corn mentors, and distill and evaporate batches of those grain.

4 Sizes independently, accomplishing the tasks in two to four hours. The distillation column is capable of Continue on page 5 . B. iopolymers and Biocomposites Research One of the goals of this project is to develop Team (BBRT) members have started the first and evaluate new bioplastic materials for use in round of plant container development and plant containers that will fulfill all of the functions greenhouse testing for their five-year Bioplastic of petroleum-based plastic containers without the Container Cropping Systems project. This drawbacks, said Grewell.

5 Research , funded in part by the Department Biobased Materials of Agriculture, will develop biorenewable and The 34 types of containers are made from a biodegradable containers for the specialty crop variety of biobased materials including soy protein, industry. The $ million project is led by BBRT wheat starch, two commercially available plant faculty members William Graves, professor of starch-based plastics PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates). horticulture; David Grewell, associate professor of and PLA (polylactic acid), and natural fibers (wood, agricultural and biosystems engineering; Michael paper, and coconut husk).

6 PHA and PLA were also Kessler, associate professor of materials science and blended with dried distillers grains with solubles engineering; and James Schrader, assistant scientist (DDGS), corn stover, and nano-clay to form in horticulture. biocomposite materials. Thirty-four different types of biorenewable The researchers are also testing some of the fiber polymers and composites are being screened and soy containers with thin coatings of biobased to evaluate their potential for use in container polyurethane, tung oil, PLA, and polyamide (a Kenny McCabe inspects the plants in the containers.)

7 Crop production and to determine the rate of polymer produced from oil of pine trees). These biodegradation in soil under landscape conditions. biobased coatings have potential to improve water The containers include commercially available use efficiency of fiber containers during plant pro- pots that are marketed as biodegradable and Greenhouse Trials containers developed by BBRT researchers. The duction and preserve the integrity and appearance of the containers for improved marketability when Underway for biobased containers will be evaluated alongside conventional petroleum-based plastic containers in sold to the consumer, said Schrader.

8 Biobased Plant the greenhouse and in the landscape. Continue on page 6 . Containers Project Thousands of biobased and petroleum-based plant containers will be tested in largest-ever bioplastics program. Plant containers in the Horticulture greenhouse. 2 BUllETIN May | June 2012. Left: Ryan Swanson; Daniel Erickson; Hui Wang, pilot plant manager, Center for Crops Utilization Research ; Jingnan Zhao; Chris Koza; Jay-lin Jane; Lawrence Johnson, director of Center for Crops Utilization Research and BioCentury Research Farm; Rodney Williamson, director of Research and development, Iowa Corn Promotion Board; Michael Reed; Kurt Rosentrater; Hanyu Yangcheng; and Darren Jarboe.

9 Faculty and Students Present Research at Corn Utilization Conference Center for Crops Utilization Research (CCUR) staff, biosystems engineering, gave a presentation titled also reviewed the wide range of possible processing affiliate faculty members, and graduate students Evolution of New Products from Dry Grind Fuel techniques that could be used to shape these attended the 2012 Corn Utilization and technology Ethanol Processing. He discussed industry trends biorenewable, biodegradable plastics. Conference held June 4-6 in Indianapolis. The and findings from his Research on value-added co- Hans van Leeuwen, professor of civil, construction event's theme was Back to the Grind and product development.

10 And environmental engineering, gave a presentation featured technologies and new uses that improve Jay-lin Jane, Distinguished Professor of food titled Evolution of New Products from Dry Grind and change the corn industry. Technical sessions science and human nutrition, chaired the Fuel Ethanol Processing that discussed cultivation included presentations on wet and dry milling, corn Biopolymers technical session that featured David of filamentous fungi on thin stillage as a means of transformation technology , health and nutrition, Grewell, associate professor of agricultural and reclaiming water in ethanol plants for reuse with and new products and revenue streams.