Life Cycle Models of Biobased Product Systems

Over the next century, a much larger fraction of chemicals, materials and fuels will be produced from plant raw materials. These biobased industrial products offer the potential for a much more sustainable economy based on environmentally-superior products. In order to realize the full economic and environmental benefits of biobased products, we must carefully analyze and improve their life cycle performance. We are currently involved in life cycle studies involving "refining" of corn, soybeans and forage crops (alfalfa and switchgrass) to fuel ethanol and other products. Our goal is to identify portions of the overall agricultural production, biorefining and product use systems that have the greatest impact on environmental and economic performance so that these areas can be targeted for additional research and improvement.

Utilization of Renewable Resources

Eventually more fuels, chemicals and materials will be produced from renewable plant materials. Our current work is focused on pretreatments to increase the conversion of lignocellulose to fermentable sugars. We collaborate with others on the development of microorganisms and engineering strategies to ferment complex mixtures of these sugars. A new project is to genetically engineer plants to express the cellulase (cellulose-hydrolyzing) enzymes in plant tissue and then to develop processing strategies so that these enzymes can retain their activity until they are released in the biorefinery. We are also working to develop optimal mixtures of hydrolytic enzymes to convert the complex carbohydrates in biomass to fermentable sugars.

Reviewed Journal Publications

Huda, M. S., Balan, V, Drzal, L. T., Chundawat, S. P. S., Dale, B. E. and Misra, M., "Effect of Ammonia Expansion (AFEX) and Silane Treatments on Corncob Granules on the Properties of Renewable Resource Based Biocomposites," J. Biobased Materials Bioenergy, 1, no.1, 1-10 (2007).

Wyman, C.; Dale, B.E.; Elander, R.T.; Holtzapple, M.; Ladisch, M.R.; Lee, Y.Y. "Coordinated development of leading biomass pretreatment technologies," Bioresource Technology 96, 1959-1966, (2005).

Teymouri, F.; Laureano-Perez, L.; Alizadeh, H.; Dale, B.E. "Optimization of the ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX) treatment parameters for enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stover," 96, 2014-2018, (2005).

Wyman, C.; Dale, B.E.; Elander, R.T.; Holtzapple, M.; Ladisch, M.R.; Lee, Y.Y. "Comparative sugar recovery data from laboratory scale application of leading pretreatment technologies to corn stover," Bioresource Technology 96, 2026-2032, (2005).

Alizadeh, H.; Teymouri, F.; Gilbert, T.I.; Dale, B.E.; "Pretreatment of switchgrass by ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX)," Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 121, 1133-1142, (2005).

Laureano-Perez, L.; Teymouri, F.; Alizadeh, H.; Dale, B.E. "Understanding factors that limit enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass," Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 121, 1081-1100, (2005).

Mosier, N.; Wyman, C.; Dale, B.; Elander, R.; Lee, Y.Y.; Holtzapple, M.; Ladisch, M. "Features of promising technologies for pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass," Bioresource Technology 96, 673-686, (2005).

Kim, S.; Dale, B.E. "Life cycle assessment of various cropping systems utilized for producing biofuels: Bioethanol and biodiesel," Biomass & Bioenergy 29, 426-439, (2005).

Kim, S.; Dale, B.E.; "Life cycle assessment study of biopolymers (polyhydroxyalkanoates) derived from no-tilled corn," International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 10, 200-210, (2005).

Kim, S.; Dale, B.E. "Life cycle inventory information of the United States electricity system," International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 10, 294-304, (2005).

Kim, S.; Dale, B.E. "Environmental aspects of ethanol derived from no-tilled corn grain: nonrenewable energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions," Biomass and Bioenergy 28, 475-489, (2005).

Teymouri, F.; Laureano-Perez, L.; Alizadeh, H.; Dale, B. E. "Ammonia Fiber Explosion Treatment of Corn Stover," Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 113-116, 951-963, (2004).

Teymouri, F.; Alizadeh, H.; Laureano-Perez; L.; Dale, B. E.; Sticklen, M. "Effects of Ammonia Fiber Explosion Treatment on Activity of Endoglucanase from Acidothermus cellulolyticus in Transgenic Plant," Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 113-116, 1183-1191, (2004).

Kim, S.; Dale, B. E. "Global Potential Bioethanol Production from Wasted Crops and Crop Residues," Biomass and Bioenergy. 26, 361-375, (2004).

Kim, S.; Dale, B. E. "Cumulative Energy and Global Warming Impact from the Production of Biomass for Biobased Products," Journal of Industrial Ecology. 7 (3-4), 147-162, (2004).

Kim, S.; Dale, B. E. "Life Cycle Assessment Study of Biopolymers (Polyhydroxyalkanoates) Derived from No-Tilled Corn," International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. Online First, 1-11 (2004).

Weimer, P. J.; Mertens, D. R.; Ponnampalam, E.; Severin, B. F.; Dale, B. E. "FIBEX-treated rice straw as a feed ingredient for lactating dairy cows" Animal Feed Science and Technology 103, 41-50, (2003).

Sulbaran-de-Ferrer, B.; Aristiguieta, M.; Dale, B. E.; Ferrer, A.; Ojeda-de-Rodriguez, G. "Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Ammonia-Treated Rice Straw", Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 105-108, 155-164, (2003).

Dale, B. E. "Greening the Chemical Industry: Research and Development Priorities for Biobased Industrial Products" J. of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology 78, 1093-1103, (2003).

Zhong, H.; Teymouri, F.; Chapman, B.; Maqbool, S.B.; Sabzikar, R.; El-Maghraby, Y.; Dale, B.E.; Sticklen, M. B. "The pea (Pisum sativum L.) rbcS transit peptide directs the Alcalignenes eutrophus polyhydroxybutyrate enzymes into the maize (Zea mays L.) chloroplasts" Plant Science 165, 455-462, (2003).

Books, Chapters, Monographs

Kim, S.; Dale B. E. "Life cycle assessment of integrated biorefinery-cropping systems: all biomass is local," Chapter 20 in Agriculture as a Producer and Consumer of Energy. Outlaw, J.L.; Collins, K.J.; Duffield, J.A., Eds., Published by CAB International (2005).

Other Works

Nathanael Greene, Principal Author. Bruce E. Dale among 13 contributing authors. "Growing Energy: How Biofuels Can Help End America's Oil Dependence" December 2004.

Dale, B.E.; Weaver, J.K. "Process and Apparatus for Treating Cellulosic Materials," Russian Patent #2239329 (2004).

Dale, B. E.; Weaver, J.K. "Process and Apparatus for Treating Cellulosic Materials," Chinese Patent #99807580.9 (2004).

Dale, B. E.; Justin K. Weaver. "Process and Apparatus for Treating Cellulosic Materials" New Zealand Patent, #507-774, (2003).