Research uniquely positioned for impact:
New and Improved Co-Products from Specialty Crops
Plant Polymer Research offers many specialized research resources including:
NCAUR Pilot Plants, Extrusion & Molding, and Polymer Processing & Characterization.
Composites are manufactured using plastics such as polypropylene (PP) or acetonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and plant-based fibers such as woody biomass, corn co-products, orchard wastes, and Agave from tequila production. Partnerships between PPL and local plastics manufacturers allow real-world testing and stakeholder feedback. Learn more: Partnership Wins
Congratulations to the PPL pennycress researcher!!!
Dr. Mila Hojilla Evangelista
has won the 2022 ARS Technology Transfer award!
Nanoparticles (left), made from renewable resources, are able to bond to glass and plastic surfaces. The nanoparticles are not visible to the naked eye. After coating with nanoparticles, water does not form droplets. This improves visibility and enhances safety.
Learn more:
Transparent coatings repel water
A new 99+% biobased, biodegradable agent (AIC) has been developed to control crop-damaging microbes. A potato (left) has been exposed to a damaging fungus. At the control site, significant damage is observed. At the AIC sites, the potato is healthy.
News
- Congratulations to PPL scientist Dr. Atanu Biswas! He is a recipient of a 1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical Program. With these funds Dr. Biswas will be working with Prof. Ryan Beni of Tennessee State University on “Enhancing the Value of Agricultural Materials”.
- Congratulations to PPL scientist Dr. Atanu Biswas! He is a recipient of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Fellowship Award in 2020 and 2021 and was interviewed for “Under the Microscope” feature article.
- The research of Dr. Atanu Biswas was recently highlighted in an article by IFT – Food Technology Magazine.
- Public-Private Partnership is a Win-Win
- Dr. Mila Hojilla-Evangelista was awarded the 2018 Iowa State University Food Science and Human Nutrition Alumni Impact Award and the 2018 American Oil Chemists’ Society Archer Daniels Midland Award for Best Paper in Protein and Co-products, Engineering/Technology
- Better Paper, Plastics With Starch
- Peoria Ag Lab scientist working on project with researchers in Brazil
- Transparent Coating for Glass, Plastics—and More—May Have Bright Future
- Cutting the Fat—and Calories—in a Childhood Favorite
- Corn: The Latest Glue Ingredient?
- Beets: A Biodegradable Bonus for Earth-Friendly Plastics?
- Zein—A Corn Compound With Diverse Valuable Uses
- Electroactive Bioplastics Flex Their Industrial Muscle
