U.S.-Egypt Cooperative Research: Conversion of Agricultural Residues Into Ethanol and Microcrystalline Cellulose

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0420577AgblevorDescription: This award is to support a cooperative research between Dr. Foster Agblevor, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia and Dr. Maha Ibrahim, Cellulose and Paper Department, National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt. The PIs will study the processing of agro-industrial wastes such as cotton gin waste, rice straw, banana stems, and others to meet environmental protection agency standards. This processing will simultaneously solve a waste disposal problem and generate high-value product stream for the industry. The scientific significance of this project is the fact that it will demonstrate environmentally friendly methods of converting agricultural wastes into high-value products. Further, it will address the problem of microbial toxicity and inhibition of the pretreated biomass to microorganisms and cellulose enzymes. Developing an in situ detoxification method for biomass pretreatment will solve a major research problem in biomass conversion technology and could rapidly accelerate the conversion of biomass feedstocks to various products using fermentation technology. The research objectives are: 1. To investigate the in situ detoxification of biomass hydrolysates. 2. To develop steam explosion method to convert cotton gin waste and other agro-industrial residues to ethanol. 3. To investigate steam explosion method to convert agro-industrial residues to microcrystalline cellulose. The PIs plan to characterize representative biomass feedstocks from Egypt and USA (cotton gin waste) for summative composition and investigate steam explosion treatment of agricultural wastes using various steam explosion severity parameters. They will investigate the in situ detoxification of the steam-exploded biomass using a combination of recycled paper sludge and cotton gin waste as well as impregnated precipitated calcium carbonate. In situ-detoxified steam exploded material will be used for ethanol production after enzymatic hydrolysis using cellulose enzyme. The microcrystalline cellulose production process does not need detoxification. The major research problem addressed is to develop a suitable severity parameter to produced desired degree of polymerization for the cellulose. The Broader Impacts of the Project: Combustion and incineration, the major disposal methods of agricultural by-products, have particulate emission problems, which require retrofitting of the processing facilities to meet new air quality standards. For small companies, this method of disposal is cost-prohibitive and therefore alternative disposal methods are needed. The research results are likely to be commercialized in both the USA and Egypt. The project will also accord the Egyptian scientists the opportunity to use some of the advanced biomass processing facilities in the USA. The target products from the agro-industrial waste, ethanol and microcrystalline cellulose are very important commercial products, which have wide applications in chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries. This project is being supported under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program, which provides grants to scientists and engineers in both countries to carry out these cooperative activities.