Engineering Commons^™

Fate And Transport Of Pathogen Indicators From Pasturelands, Michelle L. Soupir

Michelle L. Soupir

The U.S. EPA has identified pathogen indicators as a leading cause of impairments in rivers and streams in the U.S. Elevated levels of bacteria in streams draining the agricultural watersheds cause concern because they indicate the potential presence of pathogenic organisms. Limited understanding of how bacteria survive in the environment and are released from fecal matter and transported along overland flow pathways results in high uncertainty in the design and selection of appropriate best management practices (BMPs) and in the bacterial fate and transport models used to identify sources of pathogens.

The overall goal of this study was to improve …

Spatial Distributions Of Heating, Cooling, And Industrial Degree-Days In Turkey, Ilhami Yildiz, B. Sosaoglu

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The degree-day method is commonly used to estimate energy consumption for heating and cooling in residential, commercial and industrial buildings, as well as in greenhouses, livestock facilities, storage facilities and warehouses. This article presents monthly and yearly averages and spatial distributions of heating, cooling, and industrial degree-days at the base temperatures of 18 °C and 20 °C, 18 °C and 24 °C, and 7 °C and 13 °C, respectively; as well as the corresponding number of days in Turkey. The findings presented here will facilitate the estimation of heating and cooling energy consumption for any residential, commercial and industrial buildings …

Biomass And Biofuels In Maine: Estimating Supplies For Expanding The Forest Products Industry, Jonathan Rubin, Kate Dickerson, Jacob Kavkewitz

Energy & the Environment

This paper estimates the renewable energy potential of Maine’s forest resources, and how much energy these resources could potentially provide the state. Using the most recent state-specific data available, and a methodology similar to the Billion Tons Report, we find that ethanol production from Maine’s forest residues could potentially provide 18% of Maine’s transportation (gasoline) fuels with a fermentation wood to ethanol process. Making Fischer-Tropsch diesel (F-T diesel) using forest residues can replace 39% of Maine’s petro-diesel consumption. Actual levels of biofuels that can be produced will depend on conversion factors and forestry residue removals that are subject to uncertainty.

Dynamic Water Adsorption Characteristics Of Distillers Dried Grains With Solubles (Ddgs), V. Ganesan, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) is one of the coproducts obtained from dry-grind ethanol manufacturing. As the ethanol industry is growing exponentially, the production of DDGS has been significantly increasing as well. To optimize the use of DDGS, it has to be economically transported from one part of the country to other parts, and stored efficiently. But DDGS has some flow issues, which often makes storage and transportation very problematic. So the objective of this study was to investigate the dynamic water adsorption characteristics of DDGS with four soluble levels at four temperatures and four relative humidities. Three mathematical …

Manure Testing: What To Request?, Charles A. Shapiro, Charles S. Wortmann

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Manure testing is necessary to make optimum use of manure while protecting water resources. This publication is a guide to providing information on a Manure Sample Sub­mission Form for reliable interpretation of results.

The tests most frequently needed to optimize nutrient management are total and ammonium nitrogen (NH₄-N), phosphorus (P₂O₅), potassium (K₂O), pH, soluble salts, sodium, and dry matter content.

Nitrogen. Manure contains both organic and inorganic forms of nitrogen. Ammonium-N is the primary inorganic form in manure and is readily available to crops. Nitrate-N concentration is usually too small to …

Method Of Introducing A Plurality Of Genes Into Plants, Vincent Lee C. Chiang, Laigeng Li

Michigan Tech Patents

A method of concurrently introducing multiple genes to plants and trees is provided. The method includes an Agrobacterium-mediated gene delivery system by which multiple genes together with a single selectable marker gene are simultaneously transferred and inserted into the genome of plants, including trees.

Evaluation Of Irrigation Strategies With The Dssat Cropping System Model, Derek M. Heeren, Hal D. Warner, Todd P. Trooien

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Water is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity with shortages and water rationing more commonplace. Since irrigation is the largest consumptive use of water in South Dakota, accounting for over 70% of the water withdrawals, irrigation water management is critical to make the best use of the water available. This project uses the CERES-Maize cropping system model (available in DSSAT v4) to study the impact of various irrigation management strategies on corn production. SDSU management software developed by Oswald (2006) is used to simulate a center pivot for specific locations and years. Weather data from several sites in the Great Plains …

Examining The Properties Of Deoiled Vs. Unmodified Ddgs, Vyku Ganesan, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are an excellent feed ingredient for ruminant livestock and are used in monogastric rations as well. With the remarkable growth of the US fuel ethanol industry in the past decade, large quantities of distillers grains are now being produced. Flowability of DDGS has become a problem throughout the industry, as it is often restricted by caking and bridging during storage and transportation. As DDGS contains modest levels of corn oil (typically between 3 and 13% db), some studies are being directed at removing the fat from DDGS, to improve the marketability of DDGS by …

Modeling The Flow Properties Of Ddgs, V. Ganesan, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are an excellent source of energy, minerals, and bypass protein for ruminants. With the remarkable growth of the U.S. fuel ethanol industry in the past decade, large quantities of distillers grains are now being produced. DDGS flow is often restricted by caking and bridging during its storage and transportation. In our previous works, increased soluble and moisture levels significantly affected the flow properties of DDGS. Currently, however, there is no model available to predict the flowability of DDGS. So the objectives of this study were to thoroughly investigate the data obtained from our previous …

Characterization Of Ddgs Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Vyku Ganesan, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

DDGS is one of the main coproducts obtained from corn dry grind ethanol processing. Cake formation/agglomeration in DDGS has been recognized as a major problem in its flowability and long term storage. In our previous studies, the physical and flow properties of DDGS were investigated using the Carr powder tester and Jenike shear testing. In addition to those, the surface characteristics of DDGS are very important, as these properties will impact the resulting flow behavior of DDGS during storage, handling, and transportation. These types of properties, however, have not been determined for DDGS. As a first step toward that, the …

Towards An Understanding Of Ddgs Flowabilitycharacteristics, Rumela Bhadra, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a major coproduct from the corn-based fuel ethanol industry, is primarily used as livestock feed. Due to high protein, fiber, and energy contents, there is a high demand for DDGS. Flowability of DDGS is often hindered due the phenomenon of “caking”. Shipping and handling of DDGS has thus become a major issue due to bridge formation between the DDGS particles. The objective of this investigation was to measure flowability of DDGS samples from five ethanol plants in the north central region of the U.S. Carr and Jenike tests were performed, and the resulting data …

A Site-Wide Perspective On Uranium Geochemistry At The Hanford Site, John M. Zachara, C. Brown, J. Christensen, J.A. Davis, E. Dresel, Chongxuan Liu, S. Kelly, James Mckinley, J. Serne, W. Um

US Department of Energy Publications

Uranium (U) is an important risk-driving contaminant at the Hanford Site. Over 200,000 kg have been released to the vadose zone over the course of site operations, and a number of vadose zone and groundwater plumes containing the uranyl cation [UO₂²⁺, U(VI)] have been identified. U is recognized to be of moderate-to-high mobility, conditions dependent. The site is currently making decisions on several of these plumes with long-lasting implications, and others are soon to come.

Uranium is one of nature’s most intriguing and chemically complex elements. The fate and transport of U(VI) has been studied over the …

Twin-Screw Extrusion Processing Of Feed Blends Containing Distillers Dried Grains With Solubles (Ddgs), Nehru Chevanan, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Extrusion trials were conducted with varying levels of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) along with soy flour, corn flour, fish meal, vitamin mix, mineral mix, and net protein content adjusted to 28% using a Wenger TX-52 twin-screw extruder. The properties of extrudates were studied in experiments conducted using a full-factorial design with three levels of DDGS content, two levels of moisture content, and two levels of screw speed. Increasing the DDGS content from 20 to 60% resulted in a 36.7% decrease in the radial expansion, leading to a 159 and 61.4% increase in the unit density and bulk density …

Surface Modification Of Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide-Capped Gold Nanorods To Make Molecular Probes, Chenxu Yu, Leo Varghese, Joseph Irudayaraj

Chenxu Yu

A chemical procedure to replace the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) cap on gold nanorods (GNRs) fabricated through seed-mediated growth with organothiol compounds [3-animo-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole (AMTAZ) and 11-mercaptoundecaonic acid (MUDA)] was developed to reduce the cytotoxity of GNRs and facilitate further biofunctionalization. Compared to phosphatidylcholine (PC) modification, our procedure yields stable GNRs that are biocompatible and suitable for whole-cell studies. The PC-, AMTAZ-, and MUDA-activated GNRs all showed low cytotoxicity. By choosing different organothiols, net positive or negative charges could be created on the nanorod surface, for different applications. Gold nanorod molecular probes (GNrMPs) were fabricated by subsequent attachment of antibodies to the …

Identity Profiling Of Cell Surface Markers By Multiplex Gold Nanorod Probes, Chenxu Yu, Harikrishna Nakshatri, Joseph Irudayaraj

Chenxu Yu

Gold nanorod molecular probes (GNrMPs) were designed and fabricated for multiplex identification of cell surface markers in HBECs. Cells were probed directly using dark field microscopy integrated with a spectral imager for simultaneous detection of up to three surface markers. The immunophenotype composition of these cell lines indicative of their metastasis potential was assessed using the GNrMPs. The technique has the potential to become an important tool for diagnosis and prognosis of breast and other cancers.

Modelamiento, Diseño Y Automatización De Un Modelo Genérico De Secador De Polen, Erika Johana Ibarra Erazo, Julio Enrique Fernandez Gutierrez

Ingeniería en Automatización

No abstract provided.

Scenarios Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Atmospheric Concentrations, Leon Clarke, James Edmonds, Henry Jacoby, Hugh Pitcher, John Reilly, Richard Richels

US Department of Energy Publications

This and a companion report constitute one of twenty-one Synthesis and Assessment Products called for in the Strategic Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. These studies are structured to provide high-level, integrated research results on important science issues with a particular focus on questions raised by decision-makers on dimensions of climate change directly relevant to the U.S. One element of the CCSP’s strategic vision is to provide decision support tools for differentiating and evaluating response strategies. Scenario-based analysis is one such tool. The scenarios in this report explore the implications of alternative stabilization levels of anthropogenic greenhouse …

Global-Change Scenarios: Their Development And Use, Edward Parson, Virginia Burkett, Karen Fisher-Vanden, David Keith, Linda Mearns, Hugh Pitcher, Cynthia Rosenzweig, Mort Webster

US Department of Energy Publications

A scenario is a description of potential future conditions produced to inform decision-making under uncertainty. Scenarios can help inform decisions that involve high stakes and poorly characterized uncertainty, which may thwart other, conventional forms of analysis or decision support. Originally developed to study military and security problems, scenarios are now widely used for strategic planning and assessment in businesses and other organizations, and increasingly to inform planning, analysis, and decision-making for environmental issues, including climate change.
Scenarios can serve many purposes. They can help inform specific decisions, or can provide inputs to assessments, models, or other decision-support activities when these …

Laying The Groundwork For Odor Control And Setback Estimation In Nebraska, Rick R. Stowell

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

The goal of this field research study was to validate use of the Odor Footprint Tool (OFT) with livestock building sources in rural communities. The primary objective was to evaluate the accuracy of predictions of annoyance potential (as projected by odor concentration output data from AERMOD^® - the OFT's underlying dispersion model) when compared to measures of annoyance potential made in the field. Odor assessors were trained to monitor odors around a 4,800-head finishing site in eastern Nebraska. During the summer of 2005, mobile odor assessors monitored odor levels at downwind locations. During the spring and summer of 2006, …

Flow Properties Of Ddgs With Varying Soluble And Moisture Contents Using Jenike Shear Testing, Vykundeshwari Ganesan, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are an excellent source of energy, minerals, and bypass protein for ruminants and are used in monogastric rations as well. With the remarkable growth of the US fuel ethanol industry in the past decade, large quantities of distillers grains are now being produced. Flow of DDGS is often restricted by caking and bridging during its storage and transportation. In our previous works, the Carr powder tester was used to measure various flow properties of DDGS. The objective of this study was to measure the flow properties (cohesion, effective angle of friction, internal angle of …

Potential Bleaching Techniques For Use In Distillers Grains, Jessica A. Saunders, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Padmanaban G. Krishnan

Kurt A. Rosentrater

The ethanol industry is booming. And extensive research is currently being pursued to develop alternative uses for distillers dried grains (DDG) and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), coproducts of the ethanol production process. Currently, DDG and DDGS are used exclusively as livestock feed. previous research has shown promising avenues for the use of DDG and DDGS in human foods. The low starch, high protein and high fiber grains seem ideally suited for medical conditions such as diabetes and Celiac's disease. Processing methods need to be investigated to create functional flours that can be used effectively. Refining aspects such as …

Neural Network And Regression Modeling Of Extrusion Processing Parameters And Properties Of Extrudates Containing Ddgs, Nehru Chevanan, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Two extrusion experiments using a single screw extruder were conducted with an ingredient blend containing 40% DDGS, along with soy flour, corn flour, fish meal, vitamin mix, and mineral mix, with the net protein content adjusted to 28%. The variables controlled in the first experiment included 7 levels of die size, 3 levels of moisture content, 3 levels of temperature gradient in the barrel, and one screw speed. The variables altered in the second experiment included 3 levels of moisture content, 3 levels of temperature gradient in the barrel, 5 levels of screw speed, and one die size. Regression models …

Modeling The Flow Properties Of Distillers Dried Grains With Solubles, V. Ganesan, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are an excellent source of energy, minerals, and bypass protein for ruminants, and are also used in monogastric rations as well. With the remarkable growth of the US fuel ethanol industry in the past decade, large quantities of distillers grains are now being produced. DDGS flow is often restricted by caking and bridging during its storage and transportation. In our previous works, it has been found that increased soluble and moisture levels significantly affected the flow properties of DDGS. Currently, however there is no model available to predict the flowability of DDGS. So, the …

Quantifying Total And Sustainable Agricultural Biomass Resources In South Dakota, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Russell Persyn, Dennis Todey

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Conversion of biomass is considered the next major advance in biorenewable fuels, energy, and products. Wholesale conversion to biomass utilization could result in removal of current crop residues from agricultural fields or even implementation of different crops and cropping strategies (i.e., switchgrass). To date, the driver for biomass processing has been economics and limitations on the conversion of the lignocellulose. Over the last forty years significant investments and resultant changes in management practices in the agricultural sector have focused on soil and water conservation. One of the major efforts has focused on conservation-till or no-till, with the goal of retaining …

Physical Properties Of Low Oil Distillers Dried Grains With Solubles (Ddgs), Jessica A. Herr Saunders, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Corn-based ethanol production is exponentially growing in the U.S. As the use of ethanol as a fuel source increases, so does the need to find valuable uses for coproducts of the production process, such as distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). DDGS is a good source of nutrients, energy, and protein. Currently DDGS is sold by ethanol processors as livestock feed, thereby increasing profit for the production plants. As the industry continues to grow, there will be a growing need to find additional uses for DDGS. Physical and chemical properties of coproduct streams are becoming increasingly investigated, as these characteristics …

Physical Properties Of Extrudates Containing Distillers Grains Extruded In A Twin Screw Extruder, Nehru Chevanan, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Extrusion trials were conducted with varying levels of DDGS along with soy flour, corn flour, fish meal, vitamin mix, mineral mix and net protein content adjusted to 28% in a Wenger TX-52 twin screw extruder. The properties of extrudates obtained with experiments conducted in full factorial design with 3 levels of DDGS content, 2 levels of moisture content and 2 levels of screw speed were studied. Increasing the DDGS content from 20% to 60%, resulted in 36.7% decrease in the radial expansion leading to 159%, 61.4% increase in the unit density and bulk density of the extrudates. Increasing the DDGS …

Effect Of Die Dimensions On Extrusion Processing Parameters And Properties Of Ddgs-Based Aquaculture Feeds, Nehru Chevanan, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Kurt A. Rosentrater, James L. Julson

Kurt A. Rosentrater

The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of die nozzle dimensions, barrel temperature profile, and moisture content on DDGS-based extrudate properties and extruder processing parameters. An ingredient blend containing 40% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), along with soy flour, corn flour, fish meal, whey, mineral and vitamin mix, with a net protein content adjusted to 28% was extruded in a single-screw laboratory extruder using seven different die nozzles. Increasing moisture content of the ingredient mix from 15 to 25% resulted in a 2.0, 16.0, 16.3, 22.9, 18.5, 32.5, and 63.7% decrease, respectively, in bulk density, water-solubility …

The Strength Of Seeds And Their Destruction By Granivorous Insects, Jonathan G. Lundgren, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

The influence of seed structure and strength on their destruction by granivores is central to understanding the dynamics of granivore-plant interactions. For up to nine seed species, the effects of seed size (cm3), mass (mg), density (mg/cm3) and coat strength (MPa) on the damage inflicted by three post-dispersal granivores (Harpalus pensylvanicus, Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis, and Gryllus pennsylvanicus) were evaluated. Seed destruction rates by G. pennsylvanicus were statistically unrelated to the size and toughness of the seeds. Seed densities significantly affected their destruction by A. sanctaecrucis and H. pensylvanicus, as did seed size, mass, and strength in H. pensylvanicus under choice conditions. …

E. Coli And Enterococci Attachment To Particles And Loading Rates In Pastureland Runoff, Michelle L. Soupir, H. E. Saied Mostaghimi

Michelle L. Soupir

Limited data on microbial partitioning between the freely suspended and particulate attached phases during transport along overland flow pathways results in high uncertainty in bacterial fate and transport models. The objectives of this work were to partition E. coli and enterococci between the unattached and attached phases at the edge-of-the-field and to identify the particle sizes to which the attached bacteria preferentially associated. The average E. coli PC for all samples collected was 0.06 which corresponded to 4.8% attached and the average PC for enterococcus was 0.18 which corresponded to 13% attached. E. coli and enterococci PC, PAF, and TC …

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Based Nonfluorescent Probe For Multiplex Dna Detection, Lan Sun, Chenxu Yu, Joseph Irudayaraj

Chenxu Yu

To provide rapid and accurate detection of DNA markers in a straightforward, inexpensive, and multiplex format, an alternative surface-enhanced Raman scattering based probe was designed and fabricated to covalently attach both DNA probing sequence and nonfluorescent Raman tags to the surface of gold nanoparticles (DNA-AuP-RTag). The intensity of Raman signal of the probes could be controlled through the surface coverage of the nonfluorescent Raman tags (RTags). Detection sensitivity of these probes could be optimized by fine-tuning the amount of DNA molecules and RTags on the probes. Long-term stability of the DNA-AuP-RTag probes was found to be good (over 3 months). …