Location: Plant Polymer Research
2023 Annual Report
Objectives
The goal of this research project is to use a wide range of technological approaches in the utilization of agricultural byproducts and feedstocks to improve functionalities of protein/carbohydrate particles for applications including, polymer seals, battery, pesticide, food ingredients, cellulose products, elastomer, and water treatment. Over the next five years, we will focus on the following objectives:
Objective 1: Enable commercial production of new products based on functionalized particles for polymer seals and energy storage applications.
Objective 2: Enable commercial production of new products based on the microencapsulation of environmentally-friendly pesticides and bioactive food ingredients.
Objective 3: Enable commercial production of value-added products of micro/nano-sized celluloses and hemicelluloses from various agricultural wastes.
Objective 4: Enable commercial processes to produce biochar products for elastomer composites and water treatment applications.
Approach
This research aims to enable biobased particle technologies that produce functional particles using renewable agricultural byproducts and feedstocks. The characteristics of these functional particles include size, shape, aggregate structure, and surface functionalities. These particles can be further modified to function as reinforcements in polymer matrices, multifunctional coatings for battery separator membranes, as controlled-release materials delivering food ingredients and chemicals and as cosmetic ingredients, and filtering media for water purification. The outcome of this research will contribute to the utilization of vast amounts of byproducts generated by the food industries, and benefit climate change by reducing greenhouse gases, all of which will promote a sustainable global bio-economy. Our previous research on biobased particles has produced composites with useful mechanical properties. Further development will advance polymer seals and energy storage applications. Our ‘masterbatch process’ will be applied to develop multifunctional coatings on battery separator membrane for ion conduction and short circuit prevention. Encapsulated products will be developed to extend active time of natural pesticides and to stabilize bioactive food ingredients. We will also develop nano-size hemicellulose/cellulosic materials for composite and cosmetic applications. Sustainable biochar from agricultural byproducts will be developed as an effective water filtration media for agricultural run-off and potable water. We will also improve biochar to become a more effective rubber filler. Upon the completion of this project plan, all technologies developed will be transferred to respective industries.
Progress Report
A critical vacancy has halted progress of Objective 1. In support of Objective 2, research progressed as planned. Hemp oil is over 80% polyunsaturated fatty acids and is an exceptionally rich source of the two essential fatty acids, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid with the most desirable nutritional profile of lipids for human health. Hemp oil is known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease. However, fatty acids in hemp oil are highly susceptible to oxidative degradation during food processing, storage, and transportation, thus causing the loss of their biological functionality. This type of degradation can be prevented by encapsulating the oil into polymeric shells. ARS researchers in Peoria, Illinois, investigated the effects of heat on the oxidation of the hemp oil. The hemp oil was subsequently encapsulated into corn proteins and oxidative stability evaluated after encapsulation. Previously studied procedures for the encapsulation of essential oils are not applicable to hemp oil because this oil is not soluble in commonly used solvents. Therefore, a new procedure was developed and successfully applied to the encapsulation of hemp oils. After the encapsulation, hemp oil showed improved stability at elevated temperatures proving the protein shell prevents or retards oxidation of hemp oil. In addition to the hemp oil research, there has been commercial interest in previously developed technology for the encapsulation of pesticides. This invention is for producing encapsulated pesticides that do not wash away with rain. On average, pests account for 20-40% of yield losses worldwide, costing the global economy a combined 290 billion dollars, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The purpose of this invention was to avoid multiple application of pesticides, which saves effort, expenses, and time. A material transfer agreement with ARS was filed in March and current collaboration is ongoing.
Many agricultural wastes contain cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Hemicellulose, the second most abundant natural polysaccharide after cellulose, has great potential as a raw material in many food and non-food applications such as chemicals, hydrogels, cosmetics, and drug delivery. In support of Objective 3, ARS researchers in Peoria, Illinois, have utilized three methods to obtain hemicellulose from soybean stover, a common agricultural waste. Method one used hot water to extract hemicellulose from soybean stover; the effectiveness of this method as a function of the water temperature is still being examined. Method two extracted soybean stover hemicellulose using low concentrations of sodium hydroxide (4, 7, and 10%). Method three consisted of two steps: the first removed lignin from soybean stover using ethanol and strong base, followed by hemicellulose extraction using low concentrations of sodium hydroxide. The best hemicellulose yield was obtained by method three. The resulting soybean stover hemicellulose properties are being investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high-pressure liquid chromatography, and rheometry in order to support the growing hemicellulose market.
The guayule shrub is an evergreen shrub that can be grown in arid soils common to the southwestern United States. Since it can be used to provide rubber latex, it holds great potential to be a domestic source of natural rubber, most of which currently is sourced from southeast Asia via the sap from natural rubber trees. Natural rubber is a 30 billion dollar industry worldwide and projected to grow annually by 3.5% due to growth in the tire, automotive parts, footwear, medical devices, and consumer goods markets. Natural rubber is a critical military resource, and the USDA launched the Emerging Domestic Sources of Natural Rubber Symposium in 2021, and now holds periodic partners and stakeholders meetings to grow this effort and reduce dependence on southeast Asian exports of natural rubber. In support of Objective 4, ARS researchers in Peoria, Illinois, have explored using sustainable poplar and Paulownia wood biochar feedstocks as partial filler for rubber composites using guayule rubber as the rubber matrix. Domestic natural rubber from guayule was compared to common natural rubber sourced from southeast Asia. Modifications in how the guayule composites were processed with respect to their curing time improved their rigidity/strength properties compared to the control composite from southeast Asian natural rubber. Studies to maximize the biochar/carbon black ratio of the fillers is ongoing. This research helps ARS towards the goal of completely sustainable and domestically-sourced rubber composites.
Accomplishments
1. A new more cost-efficient method to extract hemicellulose from soybean stover waste. Acquiring useful resources from agricultural waste is a primary goal of ARS and helps build a circular economy. Soybean stover, the leftover waste after harvesting, has little economic value, even less than corn or wheat stover. Hemicellulose represents a 1-2 billion dollar industry with applications including packaging films, emulsifiers, stabilizers, gels, and binders in food products. Hemicellulose can also undergo cross-linking to form hydrogels that can be used in cosmetic products, agricultural seed coatings, and wound healing materials. ARS researchers in Peoria, Illinois, have developed efficient methods to extract hemicellulose from soybean stover, adding value to this agricultural waste material. The new method removes lignin first from the soybean stover and improves hemicellulose extraction efficiency, which was not economically feasible previously. This work enables soybean stover, a previously unfeasible resource, to become a competitive, sustainable source of hemicellulose.
Review Publications
Peterson, S.C., Thomas, A.J. 2022. Lauric acid treatments to oxidized and control biochars and their effects on rubber composite tensile properties. C - Journal of Carbon Research. 8(4). Article 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/c8040058.
Biswas, A., Cheng, H.N., Kuzniar, G.M., He, Z., Kim, S., Furtado, R.F., Alves, C.R., Sharma, B.K. 2023. Bilayer films of Poly(lactic acid) and cottonseed protein for packaging applications. Polymers. 15(6). Article 1425. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15061425.
Moser, J.K., Hwang, H., Felker, F.C., Byars, J.A., Peterson, S.C. 2023. Increasing the firmness of wax-based oleogels using ternary mixtures of sunflower wax with beeswax:candelilla wax combinations. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 100(5):387-402. https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12679.
Kenar, J.A., Compton, D.L., Peterson, S.C., Felker, F.C. 2022. Characterization and properties of starch-dicarboxylic acid inclusion complexes prepared by excess steam jet cooking. Carbohydrate Polymers. 296. Article 119955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119955.
Vaughn, S.F., Liu, S.X., Berhow, M.A., Moser, J.K., Peterson, S.C., Selling, G.W., Hay, W.T., Jackson, M.A., Skory, C.D. 2023. Production of an odor-reducing, low-dust, clumping cat litter from soybean hulls and soybean hull biochar. Bioresource Technology Reports. 21. Article 101317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biteb.2022.101317.
Selling, G.W., Hay, W.T., Evans, K.O., Peterson, S.C., Utt, K.D. 2023. Improved hydroxypropyl methylcellulose films through incorporation of amylose-N-1-hexadecylammonuium chloride inclusion complexes. Industrial Crops and Products. 194. Article 116352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2023.116352.
Xu, J., Selling, G.W., Liu, S.X. 2023. Effect of jet-cooking on rheological properties of navy bean flour suspensions. Food Chemistry Advances. 2. Article 100316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.focha.2023.100316.
Hwang, H., Kim, S., Moser, J.K., Lee, S.L., Liu, S.X. 2022. Feasibility of hemp seed oil oleogels structured with natural wax as solid fat replacement in margarine. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 99(11):1055-1070. https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12619.
