Scale-up and Technology Transfer of Protein-based Plastic Products

Over the last number of years researchers at ISU have been developing protein based plastics from soybeans, funded by Soy Works Corporation. These materials have been characterized and the processing of these materials into prototype products has been demonstrated. A wide range of net-shape forming processes, including but not limited to extrusion, injection molding and compression molding have been studied. Issues, including technology transfer, re-formulation and product consistency, have been addressed partially during this contract. Also, commercial-scale processing parameters for protein based plastic products were designed, but not yet applicable in the industry. Support in the trouble shooting processing and the manufacturing of protein based plastic products was provided by Iowa State University during the one year contract

SB29-18/19: Resolution Regarding Student Group Travel Requests for Funding Airfare

SB29-18/19: Resolution Regarding Student Group Travel Requests for Funding Airfare was not passed on a 11Y-11N-1A vote during the February 27, 2019 meeting of the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM)

Daughter of the Shakers: The Story of Eleanor Brooks Fairs

In this presentation I shall try to explain how Eldress Anna\u27s girls got to the South Family, Watervliet, what their life was like when they lived with the Shakers and how that experience shaped their lives after they joined “the world.” I’m telling the story based on my recollections and on family records pertaining to one girl and her two sisters, orphans who were brought up by the Shakers. The girl was Eleanor Brooks Fairs, and my name is Johanne Fairs Grewell. Eleanor was my mother, and I do so wish she were here to tell her story. This is an anecdotal talk—not the usual scholarly presentation to which we are accustomed here at the Shaker Seminar. My mother shared her Shaker upbringing by giving talks to community groups, modeling Shaker values at home, and keeping letters, personal photos, and memorabilia regarding her time with the Shakers

SB53-18/19: Resolution Establishing Airfare Rates

SB53-18/19: Resolution Establishing Airfare Rates. This resolution passed 19Y-2N-0A on a roll call vote during the April 17, 2019 meeting of the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM)

Review of The Devil: A Very Short Introduction

Review of Darren Oldridge, The Devil: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2012). 114 pages. $11.95. ISBN: 9780199580996

Evaluation of Effects of Ultrasonic Pretreatment on Biogas Production Potential from Corn Ethanol By-products

This paper reviews the biochemical methane potential (BMP) production from anaerobic digestion of corn-ethanol by-products including dried distiller grain with solubles (DDGS), centrifuge solids, thin stillage, and corn-syrup as well as evaluating the effects of ultrasonic pretreatment on biogas production from these feedstocks. Ultrasonic pretreatment was applied with three amplitude settings of 33% (52.8 µm pp ), 66% (105.6 µm pp ), and 100% (160 µm pp ) as well as five time settings of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 seconds, respectively, to each of the four by-products before setting up a bench top BMP trial. Biogas production was measured and analyzed for methane content and accumulated methane production. Without ultrasound pretreatment, corn-syrup had the highest methane production potential (408 ml/g VS added) compare to the other by-products. Methane production was increased by 25 and 12% for the ultrasound pretreated DDGs samples and solids samples, respectively, compared with untreated samples. The ultrasonic pretreatment of ethanol co-products was shown to increase methane production from the anaerobic digestion of these products. The ultrasonic pre-treatment of solids co-products (DDGS and centrifuge solids) was far more effective than on liquid co-products (syrup and thin stillage). An energy balance showed that ultrasonic pretreatment of DDGS provided 70% more energy than was required to operate the ultrasonic unit. An energy balance for other co-products however, indicated that the ultrasonic pre-treatment required more energy than was generated by the process in terms of additional biogas production

Enhancing Biodiesel Production from Soybean Oil Using Ultrasonics

Our objective was to determine the effect of ultrasonics on biodiesel production from soybean oil. In this study, ultrasonic energy was applied in two different modes: pulse and continuous sonication. Soybean oil was mixed with methanol and a catalytic amount of sodium hydroxide, and the mixture was sonicated at three levels of amplitude (60, 120, and 180 μmpp) in pulse mode (5 s on/25 s off). In the continuous mode, the same reaction mixture was sonicated at 120 μmpp for 15 s. The reaction was monitored for biodiesel yield by stopping the reaction at selected time intervals and analyzing the biodiesel content by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results were compared to a control group, in which the same reactant composition was allowed to react at 60 °C for intervals ranging from 5 min to 1 h without ultrasonic treatment. It was observed that ultrasonic treatment resulted in a 96% by weight isolated yield of biodiesel in less than 90 s using the pulse mode, compared to 30−45 min for the unsonicated control sample with comparable yields (83−86%). In the pulse mode, the highest yield (96%) was obtained by sonicating the mixture at 120 μmpp amplitude. In the continuous sonication mode, the highest biodiesel yield was 86% by weight, which was obtained in 15 s