Award Data

This multiphase project develops higher heat resistant materials for use in face shields of self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs) and brings them to commercial markets. Key findings of the Phase I work are that polyethersulfone (PES) is a promising replacement for polycarbonate (PC) with respect to thermal and optical properties. However, PES has considerably lower mechanical impact strengt ...

The respiration of fresh fruits and vegetables (FF & V) converts oxygen from the surrounding atmosphere into carbon dioxide, moisture and ethylene. While ethylene is used under controlled conditions as a ripening agent, the presence of even small amounts of ethylene gas in shipping and storage containers causes most fresh produce to deteriorate faster, potentially spoiling it before it reaches the ...

Industrial smokehouses are large forced-air convection batch ovens used to cook and smoke meat products such as bacon, ham, bologna, whole turkeys, chicken breast, snack sticks, jerky, smoked sausage, hotdogs, sliced luncheon meats, and other smoked meats. These huge smokehouses are crucial to the operation of the American meat industry, yet in the past two decades, the design of these ovens has s ...

Obesity and osteoporosis are major public health concerns due to their prevalence in our increasingly sedentary and aging society. In the U.S. today, an estimated 55% of people 50 and older are at risk for developing osteoporosis. Because as much as 20% of bone mass can be lost in the first five to seven years following menopause, osteoporosis is a major health issue for aging women. In 2005, oste ...

The agricultural community's relationship with urban centers has always been complicated and highly dynamic. Recent US Census data indicates that "agricultural America" is growing the fastest at the transition zones near urban areas. At the same time there is strong interest by those living in cities and suburbs to participate in food production and farming. In conjunction with these trends i ...

Grain ethanol production byproducts or ?coproducts? are commonly used in modern beef finishing rations. The term distillers grains (DGS) is intended to include these and similar coproducts. The expansion of the ethanol industry has led to the wide spread availability and economic pricing of DGS, resulting in significant amounts of DGS being commonly included in beef finishing rations. The fermenta ...

The explosive growth of biofuels in recent years has shown that there is great potential for biomass to be a raw material for the production of transportation fuels. Possibly the most economical means to produce biofuels is by the liquification of biomass (fast pyrolysis) and subsequent upgrading. This method is also potentially the most sustainable, provided the feedstock is produced sustainably. ...

The now rapidly developing field of plastic materials based on renewable resources (bioplastics) provides tremendous opportunities to sustain and enhance the domestic plastics industries, the fourth largest manufacturing sector of the American economy. In addition, bioplastic materials are derived from agricultural materials and will help reduce the U.S. dependence on foreign oil Growth in the use ...