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Alex Kauffman and James Trettin are co-recipients of the Lawrence E. Burkhart Memrorial Award for the spring 2021 commencement.
The honor is bestowed upon graduating seniors, who are named Outstanding Senior Student in Chemical Engineering, with emphasis on scholastic performance. Recipients are selected by department faculty. Burkhart, the award’s namesake, was a member of the department faculty from 1960-1988.
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE) Mary Jane Skogen Hagenson and Randy L. Hagenson Professor Eric Cochran is part of a team set to be honored by the American Chemical Society (ACS) at its upcoming Spring Meeting.
Ames, Iowa, has recently become a national research epicenter for a rapidly emerging field: plastics “upcycling.” Researchers at Iowa State University, in tandem with Ames Laboratory — a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratory — received multiple awards over the 2020 calendar year, totaling millions of dollars in research funding.
There are many successful university-industry relationships across the country, but it’s likely there are few that check as many of the collaboration “boxes” as the one between Iowa State University and its industry partner, heavy equipment maker Deere & Co.
Jeff Askey, an engineer in agricultural and biosystems engineering, received the Professional and Scientific Research Award.
Selected as the 2020 Neal Smith Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner was Dr. Martin Gross, President and Co-Founder, Gross-Wen Technologies, Inc. (GWT). GWT is an inaugural cohort member of the ISU Startup Factory and an Ag Startup Engine portfolio company.
From ISU-Startup Factory — Gross-Wen Technologies, Inc. (GWT) celebrated the opening of their new Slater office with a Dec. 10 ribbon cutting ceremony and open house. The recently renovated space, located at 404 Main Street in Slater, will function as company headquarters for GWT’s 12 full-time and 3 part-time employees. GWT also holds office space at the Iowa State University Research Park.
From United Soybean Board – High oleic soybean oil is put to work in a new video released today by the United Soybean Board. The video features a paving demonstration where USB, the Iowa Soybean Association, Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa and the research team at Iowa State University came together to showcase a new biobased polymer for asphalt made possible with the power of soy.
From Wallaces Farmer — Iowa State University research engineers have good news for soybean growers: a soy oil polymer for asphalt paving. After nine years of development, the ISU research team is closing in on commercializing a high-oleic soy oil polymer that can replace petroleum-based polymers in asphalt paving. The bio-based binding agent is an economical, efficient and sustainable option for asphalt pavers with the potential to open a new — and large — market for soybean growers.
From Ames Tribune — One of Iowa’s biggest resources is getting a new look, thanks to two Iowa State University professors.The ISU BioCentury Research Farm held an open house Monday to showcase new efforts using soybeans to create asphalt polymer substitutes. A parking lot at the research farm was paved to display the product. Rather than using common petroleum-based binding agents, the binder in the asphalt they put down is soy-based. The paving itself was done Saturday rather than the day of the open house due to the forecasted cold weather and snow.
From Bioeconomy Institute — Learn how autothermal pyrolysis works and what the Bioeconomy Institute is doing to commercialize the technology to convert biomass into fuels and chemicals in this new video.
From Iowa State Daily — Two Iowa State engineering professors presented their work in developing biopolymers from soybean oil for asphalt production Monday at an open house. The open house was hosted at Iowa State’s BioCentury Research Farm after a paving with the soy project took place. A half acre parking lot adjacent to the Research Farm was paved with asphalt created from newly developed soybean-derived biopolymers.
From Iowa Soybean Association — Earlier this week, Iowa State University’s BioCentury Research Farm celebrated soy as a major component of a paving project. The celebration was also the culmination of several years of research at Iowa State University (ISU) with a checkoff investment from the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA).
From WHOTV — Soon enough we may be driving into work on roads made with soybeans. Thanks to researchers and engineers at Iowa State University, soybean oil was used for the first time in Iowa to create a bio-based polymer that acts as a binding agent, or glue, in asphalt.
A research project looking for ways to add value to biochar may have found an unexpected application for the black power that's a co-product of thermochemically converting biomass to a liquid bio-oil. The researchers have found biochar could be a slow-release fertilizer that delivers nutrients to crops while keeping those nutrients from washing away in the rain or leaching into groundwater. More uses for biochar could make thermochemical biofuel production a more economically attractive technology.
From Iowa Soybean Association — Iowa State University researchers are closing in on the commercialization of a bio-based polymer that can replace the petroleum-based polymers currently used as the binding agent in asphalt.
Matt Darr, a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, has been named administrative leader of Iowa State University’s BioCentury Research Farm and Precision Agriculture and Industry Partnership Fellow in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Darr, who also serves as the Kinze Manufacturing Fellow in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, began his duties on July 1. He succeeds Kevin Keener, who has served as the farm’s director since 2015, returns to the food science and human nutrition department faculty to focus on research, teaching and industry training initiatives.
From Inc. — An article from Inc. highlights why Des Moines represents a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs. The resources and talent at Iowa State University, including the BioCentury Research Farm, are listed as reasons why companies are starting in Iowa. BCRF manager Andy Suby and BCRF industry incubator client Gross-Wen Technologies are featured in the article.
Iowa leaders celebrate fifth anniversary of Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy at the BioCentury Research Farm, an ISU research team will use the pilot-scale pyrolysis reactor located at the BCRF to breakdown lignin that will be used to make the carbon fiber, and a former BCRF student employee accepted to CYstarters.
From CEP Magazine — Researchers from Iowa State University are working with a number of other firms to explore the applications and uses of bioadvantaged polymers. The team at Iowa State is working with the Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites, the Iowa Soybean Association, United Soybean Board, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and 10 other companies. Along with help from these others departments, the Biopolymer Processing Facility at the BioCentury Research Farm will allow the research teams to “manufacture material for demonstration projects nationwide.”
The results of more than 120 agricultural research trials conducted last year at Iowa State University’s Research and Demonstration Farms are available online and can be downloaded at no charge.
The BioCentury Research Farm carried out new fermentation and distillation projects in the Biochemical Processing Train, Gross-Wen Technologies has joined the BCRF's industry incubator program, and researchers are working on an assortment of projects at the BCRF.
A research project by a group of College of Engineering researchers aims to develop a bio-based carbon fiber that could be used in anything from cars to wind turbines.
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