Grainnet, IL
11-19-07
North Central Regional Sun Grant Center Awards $940,000 to Five Cellulosic
Ethanol Projects
The North Central Regional Sun Grant Center will be awarding $940,000 to five
projects at four land-grant universities in the region.
Director Jim Doolittle of the North Central Regional Sun Grant Center announced
the awards, which are supported by U.S. Department of Transportation Biobased
Transportation Research Program.
The regional center reviewed more than 50 proposals before selecting projects
for funding.
Here’s a glance at the successful projects:
1. Sustainable Cropping Systems for Harvesting Corn Stover for Biomass.
Principal investigator is Ken Moore, Iowa State University.
2. Developing Sustainable Renewable Energy Systems for Practical Utilization of
Bulky Biomass.
Principal investigator is Roger Ruan, University of Minnesota.
3. Diversifying Midwestern biofuel feedstock: An evaluation of nitrogen-fixing
Alnus and Salix germplasm.
Principal investigator is Stan C. Hokanson, University of Minnesota.
4. Developing a Sustainable Feedstock and Next-Generation Processing
Technologies for Biofuels Production.
Principal investigator is William Gibbons, South Dakota State University.
5. Novel Recoverable Enzyme Nanoparticles for Cellulose Hydrolysis.
Principal investigator is Patrick Johnson, University of Wyoming.
Scientists at the area land-grant universities will carry out the research over the
next four years.
The North Central Regional Sun Grant Center at South Dakota State University
administers the grants.
The Sun Grant Initiative is a nationwide initiative to place more emphasis on
biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower within the land-grant university system to
complement traditional food and fiber production.
The SDSU-based North Central Regional Sun Grant Center is one of five
regional Sun Grant Centers across the United States.
For more information, call Jim Doolittle at 605-688-6816.