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

描述：该奖项旨在支持弗吉尼亚州布莱克斯堡弗吉尼亚理工学院和州立大学生物系统工程系Foster Agblevor博士与埃及开罗国家研究中心纤维素和造纸系Maha Ibrahim博士之间的合作研究。为了达到环境保护厅的标准，将研究如何处理轧棉机废料、稻草、香蕉茎等农用工业废料。这种处理将同时解决废物处理问题，并为行业产生高价值的产品流。该项目的科学意义在于，它将展示将农业废物转化为高价值产品的环保方法。此外，它将解决微生物毒性和预处理生物质对微生物和纤维素酶的抑制问题。开发一种生物质原位解毒预处理方法将解决生物质转化技术中的一个重大研究问题，并可迅速加快生物质原料利用发酵技术向各种产品的转化。研究目标是：1。探讨生物质水解物的原位解毒作用。2. 研究蒸汽爆炸法将轧棉机废渣及其他农工废渣转化为乙醇。3. 探讨蒸汽爆破法将农用工业废渣转化为微晶纤维素。pi计划表征来自埃及和美国的代表性生物质原料（轧棉机废料）的总合成分，并使用各种蒸汽爆炸严重参数研究农业废物的蒸汽爆炸处理。他们将研究利用再生纸污泥和轧棉机废料以及浸渍沉淀碳酸钙的组合对蒸汽爆炸的生物质进行就地解毒。就地解毒的蒸汽爆炸物料经纤维素酶水解后用于乙醇生产。微晶纤维素的生产过程不需要解毒。目前主要的研究问题是开发一个合适的严重度参数，以产生所需的纤维素聚合度。项目的广泛影响：焚烧和焚烧是农业副产品的主要处理方法，存在微粒排放问题，需要对处理设施进行改造，以满足新的空气质量标准。对于小公司来说，这种处置方法成本过高，因此需要其他处置方法。研究成果很有可能在美国和埃及实现商业化。该项目还将使埃及科学家有机会使用美国一些先进的生物质处理设施。农业工业废弃物的目标产物乙醇和微晶纤维素是非常重要的商业产品，在化工、制药、食品等行业有着广泛的应用。该项目得到了美国-埃及联合基金项目的支持，该项目向两国的科学家和工程师提供赠款，以开展这些合作活动。

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.