Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology
Annual Report: October 2013
Grants boost research at WIST
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inning federal research grants is a hyper-competitive activity today, with funding cutbacks at many levels narrowing the amount of money available and widening the field of applicants. WIST submitted nine applications in the past year, most in partnership with one or more additional institutions or private businesses, and was successful on three.
A Higher Education Challenge Grant of $64,635 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture will fund development of an affordable Bioenergy and Bioproducts Laboratory-based Education. WIST Director of Research Eric Singsaas and UW-Madison Assistant Professor in biological systems engineering Troy Runge, along with UW-Platteville professor Tim Zauche and associate professor Chris Baxter, are working to develop four laboratory exercises. The laboratory exercises will be part of a comprehensive bioenergy laboratory curriculum. UWSP will develop detailed laboratory procedures for labs that investigate biomass composition, biomass pyrolysis, biomass pre-treatment for saccharification, and fermentation.
Writing a grant proposal can be an arduous process, and completing the Dr. Shona Duncan, WIST research associate, works in the "glove box," in the WIST lab. The device required paperwork that allows manipulation of materials in a separate environment, without risk of contamination. goes with it even more Fowler notes that there are benefits even if grant apdaunting. Each agency has a set of rules and requireplications are not successful. Working with potential ments, which can be quite involved. The request for partners on grant proposals opens a dialogue and proposals in a U.S. Department of Agriculture proprovides an opportunity to learn about capabilities gram – basically, the grant parameters and applicaand objectives. That can lead to new collaborations tion instructions – ran to 65 pages. outside of the grant arena. Paul Fowler, WIST executive director, said that while In the past year, WIST and partners have won the folgrant writing does require valuable staff time, the eflowing grants: fort is worth it in the long run. “These federal grants fund research that is cuttingedge, often beyond what private investors are willing to risk,” Fowler said. “But the research, if successful, leads to technology transfer to industry and typically further funding from private industry to commercialize the work.” For example, WIST biofuels research funded by the Department of Defense developed patented intellectual property, which WIST is now working to commercialize. Already the patented process for biomass separation has led to contracted research and development work with one paper mill, and discussions with several other businesses are underway (see story on page 19).
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gas emissions. The isoprene research is being funded by the NSF through its Small Business Technology Transfer Program. The program promotes innovation in the private sector by linking businesses with university researchers. Work on the project will take place at C5.6 and UW-Stevens Point laboratories.
A $224,292 National Science Foundation grant awarded in June 2013 is funding ongoing biofuels research at WIST, in partnership with Middleton, Wis., biotech company C5.6 Technologies. The grant will allow the research partners to continue work on developing bacteria that will ferment sugar into isoprene. This high-energy molecule can be used to make fuel for jets and other uses. Besides its use in fuel, isoprene is also a valuable industrial chemical, used in making latex, rubber, plastics and pharmaceuticals. Isoprene is mainly produced from petroleum sources. Producing it from sugar would help meet U.S. goals for renewable energy production and reduction of greenhouse
A National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant of $26,000, will help research partners develop a new method to effectively address endof-life management of bioplastics, specifically polylactic acid (PLA). WIST is working with Interfacial Solutions of River Falls, WI, on the project. PLA is the industry leading bioplastic as it is compostable and made from corn. However, many PLA-based products manufactured today are land filled or incinerated at their end of life. Despite being compostable, industrial composting infrastructure for PLA and other bioplastics in the United States is very limited. Under this work, a commercial scale reactive extrusion process will be developed and optimized for the robust production of hyperbranched PLA polymers from scrap PLA. Phase I research verified that hyperbranching dramatically improves the melt strength and mechanical properties of scrap PLA. These benefits give hyperbranched PLA properties that meet or exceed those of virgin PLA. The process technology being developed will overcome the significant variability in scrap PLA feedstocks, allowing for production of resin with uniform product quality. The reactive extrusion process to impart hyperbranching is cost-effective and scalable. This process will enable a viable business to sell recycled PLA resin as a value-added material intended for durable goods applications. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the development and commercialization of an important, novel, and cost effective way to meet the pressing need of making plastics more sustainable by adding value to the most broadly used bioplastic, PLA.
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