What if all agricultural waste could be bio-based? Researchers at Iowa State University’s Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering are exploring the viability of creating more bio-based supply chains. The approach could not only inform future agricultural sector decisions, but could be used right now.
A mechanical engineering professor is collaborating with industry on a research project that aims to develop the technology to produce environmentally sustainable, low-cost carbon fiber using lignin. Xianglan Bai, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is working with Attis Industries, a diversified innovation and technology holding company based in Milton, Georgia, on a project with …Continue reading “ME’s Bai partners with industry to develop sustainable, low-cost carbon fiber”
One mechanical engineering professor is advancing his research by studying halfway across the globe. Alberto Passalacqua, an associate professor of mechanical engineering with a courtesy appointment in chemical and biological engineering, is conducting research that can be used to better understand the effect that tiny particles (<10 micrometers) produced by car emissions, known as soot, …Continue reading “ME professor contributes to polydisperse multiphase flow research at Parisian university”
Mechanical engineering professor Robert C. Brown penned an editorial in today’s Des Moines Register about one of his research specialties: biofuels. Brown – who holds both the Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering and the Gary and Donna Hoover Chair in Mechanical Engineering – is the author of 2012’s Why are We Producing Biofuels?: Shifting to the Ultimate Source of Energy. …Continue reading “ME professor pens editorial about biofuels in Des Moines Register”
Altered, novel products may require new AAFCO definitions, GRAS affirmations. This article by Dr. Kurt Rosentrater, ABE associate professor, appears in the May issue of EPM. The biofuels story is not yet completely written. Many exciting developments are on the horizon and some are within our grasp. Indeed, cellulosic ethanol is here and being commercialized. Gen …Continue reading “Rosentrater: New, evolving coproducts require regulatory due diligence”
Story originally published for Iowa Public Radio. In Des Moines Thursday Night, the Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Network hosted a panel about the future of energy policy and technology. One recurring theme was that Iowa is an agent for change when it comes to clean energy. Heather Zichal, a native Iowan, senior fellow …Continue reading “Attitudes, Infrastructure, and Science–The Barriers to Clean Energy in Iowa”
Biodiesel is shedding past myths, as production processes and quality standards have evolved. Biorefiners, including Renewable Energy Group, Inc., now utilize inedible corn oil, animal fats, vegetable oils and used restaurant oil and grease to produce biodiesel. Industry standards have provided consistency in quality, allowing biodiesel to be blended year round with petroleum diesel at …Continue reading “Not your dad’s biodiesel: REG explains what makes 2014 biodiesel better”
ExxonMobil Corporation is establishing an advanced biofuels research program at Iowa State University. The ExxonMobil Biofuels Program will initially focus on two research projects with Iowa State. The studies are related to the fast pyrolysis of biomass – rapidly heating biomass (including corn stalks, switchgrass or wood chips) without oxygen to produce liquid bio-oil, which can …Continue reading “ExxonMobil supports Iowa State research in biofuels science and engineering”
Kristine Vanderwiel (BS’11 Agricultural Engineering) developed a passion for energy efficiency in the high school classroom when she wrote an English paper about renewable fuels. She had researched biofuels, solar energy and wind energy for her paper, but she said it was biofuels that caught her attention. “I thought the idea of turning plant biomass, …Continue reading “Alumna engineers reliability for biofuel production at Flint Hills Resources”
A love for food, people and the environment inspired Thanapong “Jack” Duangmanee to pursue a career in environmental engineering. Duangmanee began his studies in food technology at Chulaohngkorn University, Thailand. During his time there, he took an environmental engineering class that introduced him to practices that environmental engineers could implement to improve the quality of …Continue reading “Civil engineering alumnus promotes environmental sustainability in Thailand”
Written by Robert Mills Bioeconomy Institute A team headed by Robert Brown, BEI director, has been awarded a patent for bio-oil fractionation. “We have built much of our research around this technology,” Brown said. The patent, number US 8,476,480, was awarded in July 2013 to Brown; Samuel Jones, a former scientist with BEI’s Center for Sustainable …Continue reading “Brown and Team Awarded Patent Key to BEI Research”
When Casey Nelson sits down, you can tell he’s a student with a lot on his plate. It’s not that he seems overwhelmed. It’s more like he’s assessing a checklist in his mind that is constantly changing but never fully going away. As he starts in about his experience as a student in biological systems …Continue reading “Engineering scholarship paves way for new experiences”
