Troy Runge

University of Wisconsin–Madison | UW · Department of Biological Systems Engineering

Energy crops grown on marginal lands offer an alternative supply of renewable resources while avoiding competition with food crops and supporting feed crops. To sustainably grow energy crops, the economic and environmental impacts of various crop management practices such as the adoption of cover crops, fertilization rates, harvesting methods and i...

Purpose Global demand for construction materials has grown exponentially in the last century, contributing to climate change and detrimental impacts on the ecosystem. To aid in sustainable growth and reduce our environmental footprint, renewable construction materials, such as lumber, have been incorporated into green building activities. The purpo...

https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1cV3c3QCo9bITO The meat industry in the US generates considerable amount of slaughterhouse waste (SHW), which is typically converted into more usable products through the rendering process. Although rendering generates sellable fat and meal commodities, it has large environmental impacts because it is energy intensiv...

http://www.springer.com/home?SGWID=0-0-1003-0-0&aqId=4151938&download=1&checkval=ceeda7953589233f2e94f2a793a47dc1 Purpose Producing biochar from forest residues can help resolve environmental issues by reducing forest fires and mitigating climate change. However, transportation and storage of biomass to a centralized facility is often cost-prohibi...

Achieving the 1.5oC limit for global temperature increase relies on large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies. In this article, we explore two CDR technologies: soil carbon sequestration (SCS), and carbon capture and storage (CCS) integrated with cellulosic biofuel production. These CDR technologies are applied as part of...

The Front Cover shows how a diverse team with expertise in many different fields works together in an integrated fashion to address complex problems. Only when the whole system, from field to the liquid fuels and co‐products, is assessed, can we identify the key parameters needed to design an economically viable biorefinery‐based economy. Cover art...

Invited for this month's cover is the research team from the D.O.E. Great Lake Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The cover image shows how a diverse team with expertise in many different fields works together in an integrated fashion to address complex problems. Only when the whole system, from field to the l...

The hydroxycinnamic acids, p ‐coumaric acid ( p CA) and ferulic acid (FA), add diversity to the portfolio of products produced by grass‐fed lignocellulosic biorefineries. The level of lignin‐bound p CA in Zea mays was modified by alteration of PMT expression. The biomass was processed in a lab‐scale alkaline‐pretreatment biorefinery process and the...

This study assesses the role of spatial-resolution and spatial-variations in environmental impacts estimation and decision-making for corn-stover harvesting to produce biofuels. Geospatial corn-stover yields and environmental impacts [global warming potential(GWP), eutrophication, and soil-loss] dataset for two study areas in Wisconsin and Michigan...

Anaerobic digestion (AD) reduces GHG emission and facilitates renewable energy generation. The slow rate of adoption of this technology is often attributed to economic and technical considerations. Collaboration of two or more dairy farms into a centralized AD system can improve the process economics through economies of scale. However, uncertainti...

Cellulose acetate is one of the oldest synthetic thermoplastic polymers with many applications including use as films, fibers, and membrane products. Traditionally, cellulose acetate is prepared by reacting cellulose with acetic anhydride in acetic acid using sulfuric acid as a catalyst. This process suffers from extensive depolymerization of the c...

The current or “conventional” paradigm for producing process energy in a biorefinery processing cellulosic biomass is on‐site energy recovery through combustion of residual solids and biogas generated by the process. Excess electricity is then exported, resulting in large greenhouse gas (GHG) credits. However, this approach will cause lifecycle GHG...

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) causes maintenance issues in anaerobic digesters (AD). This study investigates the feasibility of biochar to reduce H2S in biogas produced from manure-based ADs. Two experiments were conducted where (1) biochar, steam treated wood, and raw wood produced from poplar wood chips were added to a respirometer system and the H2S re...

Biochar amendments can reduce nitrate (NO3) leaching in agricultural soil. It has been hypothesized that functional groups on the biochar surface from oxidation can increase NO3 sorption. This study evaluates the effect of chemical oxidation of biochar on NO3 sorption characteristics. Eight biochars, made from wood and corncobs, underwent sodium hy...

This study investigates levels of bacteria through population indicators as well as the levels of antibiotic-resistance bacteria in dairy manure. Although overall bacteria levels may be reduced during manure processing, it is of interest whether changes in management practices could lead to increased levels of antibiotic-resistance bacteria, which...

A sustainable dairy manure amendment for soilless crop growth systems was evaluated for its ability to provide nutrients and serve as a major component of the growing media. After manure liquid/solid separation, the solids stream containing organic N and P was pelletized and used as a nutrient source for cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cer...

Replacing conventional plastic materials with biodegradable polymeric materials produced from renewable raw materials has numerous advantages, including reducing the dependence on nonrenewable fossil resources, reducing water pollution, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant renewable and biodegradable r...

Nanocellulose was extracted from wood by green GVL pulping without bleaching, but with no impact on the properties of nanocellulose.

Lignocellulose materials are sustainable resources to produce various value-added organic acids and aldehydes. However, selective separation and effective recoveries of the lignocellulose-derived organic acids and aldehydes from their sugar precursors and byproducts remain challenges. This study demonstrated that cross-linked polyethylenimine (CPEI...

Cellulosebased, second-generation biofuels have been considered as an alternative fuel source to compensate for depleting fossil fuel reserves. Considering compounds that may be obtained from lignocellulose during biorefining, furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and levulinic acid are among the most promising building blocks for energy fuels prepara...

The use of chitosan natural polymers to replace synthetic polymers is of interest as part of the green materials movement. However, a major challenge of using chitosan material is its rigid and brittle nature associated primarily with its intra- and inter-molecular hydrogen bonds creating a hydrogen bond network. Plasticizers are able to make chito...

Due to factors such as snow and ice impeding drivers’ vision, the number of automobile crashes significantly rises during winter months. This study sets forth an automatic evaluation network of the risk perceived ability for motorists driving on the freeway in snow and ice environments, using a deep learning approach and the rough sets technique. F...

This study investigates community-based processing of manure to produce organic fertilizer using granulation. We developed a mixed-integer optimization model to determine the minimum sale price of granulated manure, i.e., price corresponding to zero net present value (NPV = 0). We used dairy farms inventories for two regions in Wisconsin to develop...

In this study, levulinic acid (LA) was produced from rice straw biomass in co-solvent biphasic reactor system consisting of hydrochloric acid and dichloromethane organic solvent. The modified protocol achieved a 15% wt LA yield through the synergistic effect of acid and acidic products (auto-catalysis) and the designed system allowed facile recover...

Dairy manure containing partially digested plant cells is an inexpensive bioenergy feedstock. The carbohydrates and lignin that remain after digestion are typically processed in an anaerobic digester to produce biomethane, but due to the remaining material's recalcitrance, the process has a low conversion efficiency. To improve the conversion of th...

The ability to quantitatively evaluate the visual feedback of drivers has been considered as the primary research for reducing crashes in snow and ice environments. Different colored Chevron alignment signs cause diverse visual effect. However, the effect of Chevrons on visual feedback and on the driving reaction while navigating curves in SI envir...

Agricultural residues, such as corn stover, are being considered for biofuels and bioproducts. They represent inexpensive, pentosan-rich feedstock that are available in abundance. These materials are typically pretreated to make them more amenable to biological processes such as fermentation. One such treatment involves extraction using alkali to r...

Hybrid poplar genetically engineered to possess chemically labile ester linkages in its lignin backbone (Zip-lignin™ hybrid poplar) was examined to determine if the strategic lignin modifications would enhance chemical pulping efficiencies. Kraft pulping of Zip-lignin and wild-type hybrid poplar was carried out in lab-scale reactors under varying s...

The minimum selling price (MSP), specific energy consumption, and greenhouse (GHG) emissions resulting from biobased production of adipic acid, succinic acid, 1,3-propanediol, 3-hydroxy propionic acid, and isobutanol were estimated for various combinations of titer, yield, and volumetric productivity. The MSP, energy consumption, and GHG emissions...

The production of renewable chemicals and biofuels must be cost- and performance- competitive with petroleum-derived equivalents to be widely accepted by markets and society. We propose a biomass conversion strategy that maximizes the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass (up to 80% of the biomass to useful products) into high-value products that c...

Increased clustering and consolidation of livestock production systems has been linked to adverse impacts on water quality. This study presents a methodology to optimize manure management within a hydrologic region to minimize agricultural phosphorus (P) loss associated with winter manure application. Spatial and non-spatial data representing lives...

Increased clustering and consolidation of livestock production systems has been linked to adverse impacts on water quality. This study presents a methodology to optimize manure management within a hydrologic region to minimize agricultural phosphorus (P) loss associated with winter manure application. Spatial and non-spatial data representing lives...

Centrifugation is a commonly applied separation method for manure processing on large farms to separate solids and nutrients. Pathogen reduction is also an important consideration for managing manure. Appropriate treatment reduces risks from pathogen exposure when manure is used as soil amendments or the processed liquid stream is recycled to flush...

Modeling the life cycle of fuel pathways for cellulosic ethanol (CE) can help identify logistical barriers and anticipated impacts for the emerging commercial CE industry. Such models contain high amounts of variability, primarily due to the varying nature of agricultural production but also because of limitations in the availability of data at the...

This study presents a comparative cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of distillers grain (DG) gum, a bio-based paper coating binder, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Non-renewable energy use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and eutrophication potential were assessed for each binder. Economic, mass, and energy allocation were used to allocate th...

This study investigated polyethylenimines (PEIs) with varied architectures as low toxicity and efficient catalysts for aqueous isomerization of glucose to fructose. Under the investigated reaction conditions, the studied PEIs achieved 33-36% maximum fructose yields with 66-77% selectivity at 110-120 °C, with the branched PEI generally outperforming...

Angiosperms represent most of the terrestrial plants and are the primary research focus for the conversion of biomass to liquid fuels and coproducts. Lignin limits our access to fibers and represents a large fraction of the chemical energy stored in plant cell walls. Recently, the incorporation of monolignol ferulates into lignin polymers was accom...

A two-stage reaction system was developed to synthesize butyl levulinate (BL), a derivative chemical of levulinic acid, from agricultural residue (rice straw). A single reactor was employed during the first processing stage for the conversion of rice straw cellulose to levulinic acid (LA) in a novel co-solvent system consisting of dilute phosphoric...

Effective isomerization of glucose to fructose is a crucial step for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural production from lignocellulose. The present study investigated polystyrene-supported organic bases with varied structural properties for aqueous isomerization of glucose. The results indicate that the heterogeneous organic bases can achieve approximately 30...

Fructose is not only an important food and beverage ingredients, but also a renewable resource for production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. This study investigated non-toxic basic amino acids (arginine, lysine and histidine) as isomerization catalysts to isomerize glucose to fructose in water. The results showed that arginine was the most effective i...

A two-stage reaction system was developed to synthesize butyl levulinate (BL), a derivative chemical of levulinic acid, from agricultural residue (rice straw). A single reactor was employed during the first processing stage for the conversion of rice straw cellulose to levulinic acid (LA) in a novel co-solvent system consisting of dilute phosphoric...

Priorities and Projects Based on an in-depth analysis of the current state of chemical pulping technology and research needs, the team identified two R&D priorities to focus further research:  Getting the yield, including review of key topics such as wood preparation, chip treatment, penetrants, and catalysis  Keeping the yield, with process imp...

Large dairy farms produce equally large quantities of manure that must be managed for effective waste disposal, nutrient utilization, and material recycling of bedding or flush water, all while minimizing risks to surrounding ecosystems. This study evaluated a large dairy farm's (approx. 4,000 cows) manure treatment system in terms of solids, nutri...

This study investigated the possibility of substituting petroleum-based polymers with biopolymers for films and paper coatings. Arabinoxylan (AX) was extracted from distillers’ grains, a low-value corn ethanol byproduct, and modified through crosslinking with glutaraldehyde (GA) which was made into films and paper coatings. The effects of degree of...

Cladophora, a fresh-water green macroalgae, has unique cellulose properties and thus may be promising for production of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). Cellulose was extracted from Cladophora glomerata and subjected to microfluidization with or without enzymatic hydrolysis pretreatment to produce CNFs. Increasing microfluidization passes produced sma...

This study investigated sulfite pretreatment to overcome recalcitrance of lignocelluloses (SPORL) pretreatment and subsequent enzymatic digestibility of undigested dairy manure to preliminarily assess its potential use as an inexpensive feedstock for cellulosic bioethanol production. The sulfite pretreatment was carried out in a factorial analysis...

Agricultural operations can pose a threat to the quality of nearby water sources particularly from nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses following land application of manure. Biochar application to soils has the potential to ameliorate degraded soils and reduce nutrient leaching to groundwater. The effects of amending sand soil columns with hybrid...

Coatings contribute to about 10% of the overall cost of paper production of which, the binder is the highest cost component in the formulation. In addition to costs, the binders that are currently being used are synthesized from fossil fuel feedstock raising concerns towards the sustainability of paper coatings. Furthermore, papers coated with waxe...

Bamboo is one of the world's fastest growing feedstocks. It is a promising nonwood resource that can be used in the pulp and paper industry. Among more than 1200 species of bamboo, the timber varieties can be processed much like trees, allowing current pulp mill logistical systems to be used. Bamboo can be difficult to pulp because of its high sili...

Model compounds and recalcitrant biomass were studied to elucidate the mechanism of ambient-temperature acid pretreatment of cellulosic biomass for bio-ethanol production. Pure cellulose, a pure hemicellulose and alfalfa stems were pretreated with sulfuric acid under ambient temperature with varied acid loading and time. Changes in water-soluble ca...

Various separation technologies are used to deal with the enormous amounts of animal waste that large livestock operations generate. When the recycled waste stream is land applied, it is essential to lower the pathogen load to safeguard the health of livestock and humans. We investigated whether cationic polymers, used as a flocculent in the solid/...

Isomerization of glucose to fructose is a key intermediate step for the biochemical conversion of lignocellulose to liquid fuels and chemicals through the sugar platform. This study demonstrates facile and general strategies to fabricate heterogeneous or magnetic base catalysts based on organic bases for the isomerization of glucose to fructose in...

A novel pretreatment with sulfuric acid at ambient temperature had demonstrated positive effects on ethanol production from alfalfa stems. To better understand these effects and help create a process control system, physical parameters (pore dimensions, surface area, and crystallinity index) and the enzymatic digestibility of alfalfa stems were stu...

This study investigated the possibilities of making valuable products from corn ethanol byproducts and providing the beverage industries more variety of high quality emulsifiers other than gum arabic. An arabinoxylan-protein gum (APG) was extracted from distillers' grains (DG), a low-value corn ethanol byproduct, and modified through acylation with...

To examine the national fuel and emissions impacts from increasingly electrified light-duty transportation, we re-constructed the vehicle technology portfolios from two national vehicle studies. Using the vehicle technology portfolios from these studies, we normalized assumptions and examined sensitivity around the rates of electrified vehicle pene...

Spatial variability in yields and greenhouse gas emissions from soils has been identified as a key source of variability in life cycle assessments (LCAs) of agricultural products such as cellulosic ethanol. This study aims to conduct an LCA of cellulosic ethanol production from switchgrass in a way that captures this spatial variability and tests r...

Organic nitrogen in the form of protein and degraded protein fragments is one of the most important components of dairy manure. Conventionally, protein concentration in dairy manure was estimated by crude protein but it is often overestimated because crude protein contains non-protein nitrogen (NPN). The Bradford assay is predominantly used in meas...

The concept of co-production of liquid fuel (ethanol) along with animal feed on farm was proposed, and the strategy of using ambient-temperature acid pretreatment, ensiling and washing to improve ethanol production from alfalfa stems was investigated. Alfalfa stems were separated and pretreated with sulfuric acid at ambient-temperature after harves...

In order to improve corn ethanol profitability and energy efficiency, a natural gum consisting of primarily arabinoxylan and crude protein (CP) was extracted from distillers’ grains (DG), a major byproduct from the dry grind corn ethanol production. DG was fractionated into an alkali-soluble gum fraction and an alkali-insoluble residue fraction by...

Bamboo is one of the world's fastest growing feedstocks and represents a promising nonwood resource that can be utilized in the pulp and paper industry. The timber varieties offer low feedstock costs, can be processed similarly to trees from a logistics standpoint, and have useful fiber properties for papermaking. Plantations have not yet been esta...

Agricultural residues and energy crops are promising resources that can be utilized in the pulp and paper industry. This study examines the potential of co-cooking nonwood materials with hardwoods as means to incorporate nonwood material into a paper furnish. Specifically, miscanthus, switchgrass, and corn stover were substituted for poplar hardwoo...

Background The current higher manufacturing cost of biofuels production from lignocellulosics hinders the commercial process development. Although many approaches for reducing the manufacturing cost of cellulosic biofuels may be considered, the use of less expensive feedstocks may represent the largest impact. In the present study, we investigated...

The biodetoxification pathway for the reduction of the fermentation inhibitor furfural was utilized to produce furfuryl alcohol using both a commercial Bakers’ yeast and six other native strains, selected for their high tolerance towards the inhibitory effects of furfural. This study explores the potential of the microbial method as an environmenta...

This study quantifies the potential impact of biofuel/bioenergy development on the pulpwood market in Wisconsin. Important demand and supply factors to take into account when quantifying the potential spillover effects include: (i) availability of regional forest residues, (ii) forest biomass demand of the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) mandate...

Dried distillers’ grains (DDG) was chosen as the starting material for a two-step furfural conversion process aiming at increasing the value of corn ethanol byproducts and thus further decreasing the cost of corn ethanol. Modeling the experimental data, dilute acid extraction was predicted to be able to extract 86.7% of total pentose in DDG. Batch...

Recent advances have allowed for improved extraction and conversion of bamboo into useful fiber architectures. While studies have shown that bamboo fiber composite properties are quite competitive, as with all natural fibers, bamboo exhibits poor matrix bond strength and a hydrophilic nature. Initial composite mechanical testing results utilizing u...