ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF BIODIESEL PRODUCTION IN NORTH DAKOTA

The U. S. biodiesel industry is rapidly expanding due to energy production concerns, environmental concerns, and recent legislation. The most common type of biodiesel in the United States is derived from soybean oil. Soybeans are a major crop in North Dakota and could easily supply a 5 million gallon per year biodiesel facility. Potential market segments of a biodiesel facility in North Dakota include agriculture, construction, and state fleet sectors based on current diesel use. However, with existing technology and no subsidy, biodiesel operation and investment costs for a North Dakota facility are not competitive with petroleum diesel. Using soybean oil prices of 17 cents to 25 cents per pound, the per gallon cost of producing diesel in southeastern North Dakota ranges between $2.02 and$2.64, while the wholesale price for regular diesel is $0.91. The cost of producing biodiesel is highly dependent on the price and availability of soybean oil. While biodiesel production technology is feasible and fairly simple, producing biodiesel in North Dakota is not economically feasible at least in the foreseeable future.biodiesel, soybeans, economic feasibility, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF BIODIESEL PRODUCTION IN NORTH DAKOTA

The U. S. biodiesel industry is rapidly expanding due to energy production concerns, environmental concerns, and recent legislation. The most common type of biodiesel in the United States is derived from soybean oil. Soybeans are a major crop in North Dakota and could easily supply a 5 million gallon per year biodiesel facility. Potential market segments of a biodiesel facility in North Dakota include agriculture, construction, and state fleet sectors based on current diesel use. However, with existing technology and no subsidy, biodiesel operation and investment costs for a North Dakota facility are not competitive with petroleum diesel. Using soybean oil prices of 17 cents to 25 cents per pound, the per gallon cost of producing diesel in southeastern North Dakota ranges between $2.02 and$2.64, while the wholesale price for regular diesel is $0.91. The cost of producing biodiesel is highly dependent on the price and availability of soybean oil. While biodiesel production technology is feasible and fairly simple, producing biodiesel in North Dakota is not economically feasible at least in the foreseeable future.biodiesel, soybeans, economic feasibility, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Financial Barriers to International Trade in North Dakota

International Relations/Trade,

Self-Perceptions of Communication by Deaf/HOH Adolescents as a Tool for SLPs and Audiologists

The Language/Communication Background Questionnaire (L/CBQ), a tool used by professionals at NTID, is designed to query students on their communication preferences, access services received, hearing aid, cochlear implant and ASL use, and self-perceptions of communication skills. The poster describes an entry vs. near-graduation study, student demographics, L/CBQ questions and choices, study results, and how SLPs and audiologists can use the L/CBQ as a tool to better determine and serve deaf or hard-of-hearing students’ communication needs

North Dakota Crop Production Economics in 1991

Production Economics,

Meridional variations in contrast sensitivity for human subjects

Meridional variations in contrast sensitivity for human subject

Transition-metal ions in β-Ga\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3e crystals: Identification of Ni acceptors

Excerpt: Transition-metal ions (Ni, Cu, and Zn) in β-Ga2O3 crystals form deep acceptor levels in the lower half of the bandgap. In the present study, we characterize the Ni acceptors in a Czochralski-grown crystal and find that their (0/−) level is approximately 1.40 eV above the maximum of the valence band

Intrinsic Point Defects (Vacancies and Antisites) in CdGeP\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Crystals

Cadmium germanium diphosphide (CdGeP2) crystals, with versatile terahertz-generating properties, belong to the chalcopyrite family of nonlinear optical materials. Other widely investigated members of this family are ZnGeP2 and CdSiP2. The room-temperature absorption edge of CdGeP2 is near 1.72 eV (720 nm). Cadmium vacancies, phosphorous vacancies, and germanium-on-cadmium antisites are present in as-grown CdGeP2 crystals. These unintentional intrinsic point defects are best studied below room temperature with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and optical absorption. Prior to exposure to light, the defects are in charge states that have no unpaired spins. Illuminating a CdGeP2 crystal with 700 or 850 nm light while being held below 120 K produces singly ionized acceptors (VCd−) and singly ionized donors (GeCd+), as electrons move from VCd2− vacancies to GeCd2+ antisites. These defects become thermally unstable and return to their doubly ionized charge states in the 150–190 K range. In contrast, neutral phosphorous vacancies (VP0) are only produced with near-band-edge light when the crystal is held near or below 18 K. The VP0 donors are unstable at these lower temperatures and return to the singly ionized VP+ charge state when the light is removed. Spin-Hamiltonian parameters for the VCd− acceptors and VP0 donors are extracted from the angular dependence of their EPR spectra. Exposure at low-temperature to near-band-edge light also introduces broad optical absorption bands peaking near 756 and 1050 nm. A consistent picture of intrinsic defects in II-IV-P2 chalcopyrites emerges when the present CdGeP2 results are combined with earlier results from ZnGeP2, ZnSiP2, and CdSiP2

Cu 2+ and Cu 3+ Acceptors in β-Ga 2 O 3 Crystals: A Magnetic Resonance and Optical Absorption Study

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and optical absorption are used to characterize Cu2+ (3d9) and Cu3+ (3d8) ions in Cu-doped β-Ga2O3. These Cu ions are singly ionized acceptors and neutral acceptors, respectively (in semiconductor notation, they are Cu− and Cu0 acceptors). Two distinct Cu2+ EPR spectra are observed in the as-grown crystals. We refer to them as Cu2+(A) and Cu2+(B). Spin-Hamiltonian parameters (a g matrix and a 63,65Cu hyperfine matrix) are obtained from the angular dependence of each spectrum. Additional electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) experiments on Cu2+(A) ions give refined 63Cu and 65Cu hyperfine matrices and provide information about the nuclear electric quadrupole interactions. Our EPR results show that the Cu2+(A) ions occupy octahedral Ga sites with no nearby defect. The Cu2+(B) ions, also at octahedral Ga sites, have an adjacent defect, possibly an OH− ion, an oxygen vacancy, or an H− ion trapped within an oxygen vacancy. Exposing the crystals at room temperature to 275 nm light produces Cu3+ ions and reduces the number of Cu2+(A) and Cu2+(B) ions. The Cu3+ ions have an S = 1 EPR spectrum and are responsible for broad optical absorption bands peaking near 365, 422, 486, 599, and 696 nm. An analysis of loops observed in the Cu3+ EPR angular dependence gives 2.086 for the g value and 22.18, 3.31, and −25.49 GHz for the principal values of D (the fine-structure matrix). Thermal anneal studies above room temperature show that the Cu3+ ions decay and the Cu2+ ions recover between 75 and 375 °C

Electron Traps in Ag-doped Li\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eB\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e7\u3c/sub\u3e Crystals: The role of Ag Interstitial Ions

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is used to establish models for electron traps in Ag-doped lithium tetraborate (Li2B4O7) crystals. When exposed at room temperature to ionizing radiation, electrons are trapped at interstitial Ag+ ions and holes are trapped at Ag+ ions on Li+ sites. The trapped electrons occupy a 5s1 orbital on the interstitial Ag ions (some of the unpaired spin density is also on neighboring ions). Three EPR spectra are assigned to electrons trapped at interstitial Ag ions. Their g values are near 1.99 and they have resolved hyperfine structure from 107Ag and 109Ag nuclei. The spectrum representing the largest concentration of trapped electrons has the unpaired spin shared by the interstitial Ag ion and an adjacent boron ion at its regular lattice site. A 10B enriched crystal verifies this assignment and an analysis of spin-Hamiltonian parameters yields information about the Ag and B orbitals occupied by the unpaired spin. The second spectrum has the unpaired spin shared equally by two Ag ions, one at an interstitial site and the other at an adjacent Li site. The third spectrum has a large Ag hyperfine interaction and a weak Li interaction. Optical absorption bands associated with the trapped electrons are observed between 225 and 500 nm. Thermal release of electrons from these traps is responsible for a prominent thermoluminescence peak near 150 °C, whereas optical release of the electrons at room temperature produces intense optically stimulated luminescence. Radiative recombination occurs at Ag2+ ions with emission peaking near 270 nm