Award Data

Each year over 1 billion tons of animal manure is produced in US and it can be a pollution source if not handled properly. "Anaerobic digestion" is an energy efficient way to dispose manure. Through this process manure is converted to biogas and digestate. The manure digestate can be used as fertilizer. Biogas is a mixture of ~60% CH4, ~40% CO2 and trace amounts of contaminant gasses such as H2S. ...

Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) proposes to employ membrane systems for pressure-driven separation of water from black liquor to replace the first two stages of existing multiple-effect evaporators. This is a promising approach to considerably reduce the steam energy required for concentration. Membrane materials must withstand high temperature, high salinity and high pH conditions. Fouling of the ...

Food waste is a significant and complex problem for the United States. Americans generate over 250 million (short) tons of trash a year, and organic materials such as paper and paperboard, yard trimmings, and food waste continue to make up a large component of the waste stream. These organic materials collectively account for a significant portion of U.S. methane emissions, as organic waste produc ...

Energy used for lighting and thermal comfort contributes to more than 50% of the total energy consumption in residential and commercial buildings. Consequently, conserving air conditioning and lighting usage especially during daytime can yield substantial savings. Effective and consistent sunlight harvesting can substantially reduce electrical usage while promoting natural and comfortable indoor l ...

The current issue this research addresses is the lack of an affordable method for small and midsize farms to plant cover crops into standing cash crops. Cover crops are crops planted either into standing cash crops (such as corn or soybeans) or in between cash crop seasons that are planted for reasons other than harvesting for grain. Using cover crops can help reduce the amount of irrigation and c ...

Non-thermal pasteurization using High Voltage Atmospheric Cold Plasma (HVACP) is expected to reduce mycotoxins and microorganisms on tree nuts resulting in reduced incidences of food-borne illness. Non?thermal pasteurization of food products using HVACP is a novel platform technology which addresses several NIFA National Challenge Areas. These include: 1) Global food security and hunger by increas ...

Fire ants cause about $7 billion dollars of damage in the United States annually. Fire ants infest some 367 million acres in the United States and their range expands every year. Since the geographical range offire ant infestationis limited by temperature and rainfall, the rising global temperatureisforecasted to lead tosignificant range expansion.Fire ants cause damage to electrical equipment, de ...

Vox Vineyards, Inc., located in the Loess Hills of Platte County, Missouri grows approximately40 different grape varieties. Nearly all of these varieties were originally discovered as wild specimens in the United States, or were bred from native North American grapes during the last half of the 19th Century. Rarely grown on a commercial scale, they represent the unique genetic heritage of the Midw ...

Farming and livestock activities affect air quality through emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia etc. which have both short term hazards for individuals nearby and long term hazards for the environment in the form of global warming. In order to set guidelines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a means for quantitatively determining site-emission of green-house gases (GHGs) ...

More than ever before, we have the tools to measure and identify historical trends. With this information, we can predict the future of food security, and the outlook is dire. The data suggests that traditional methods of farming are wearing on the ecosystem, the U.S. economy, and our health. Armed with a forward-looking mindset and technological advances, we will be able to develop healthier, mor ...