Location: Bio-oils Research
2023 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Composite polymers with enhanced mechanical strength made from renewable agricultural precursors. Because conventional polymers have excellent durability and mechanical strength for high-performance applications, they have become ubiquitous in modern society. However, these materials are nonrenewable, not biodegradable, and in some cases toxic. Sustainable and biodegradable polymers prepared from renewable resources are attractive alternatives, but often suffer from performance deficiencies relative to conventional polymers. ARS researchers in Peoria, Illinois, developed a biobased composite polymer made from a mixture of cellulose nanofibers and polymerized soybean oil to overcome these deficiencies. Composites are advantageous because they are stronger and more functional than the individual components. The new composites are suitable for packaging, textile, fiber, and rigid plastic applications that non-composites are often unsuitable for. The resulting renewable composites had mechanical strengths that were comparable to nonrenewable conventional plastics like polypropylene. This result is beneficial to the agricultural and polymer industries because it represents a new source of polymer produced from agricultural materials that can potentially replace existing materials derived from petroleum, thereby aiding American farmers by providing additional high-value outlets for soybean oil and residual crop waste (cellulose).
2. Biodiesel made from waste citrus seeds. Worldwide, the citrus industry generates around 50-60 million tons of excess biomass when producing juices, such as orange juice, for human consumption. This underutilized biomass causes environmental issues when discarded, so finding uses for this material reduces food industry waste while potentially generating new revenue streams. ARS researchers in Peoria, Illinois, converted vegetable oil from waste citrus seeds into biodiesel using a well-known process referred to as transesterification. The fuel properties of the biodiesel produced from waste citrus seed oil were within the specifications of the American biodiesel standard. Using a waste oil as a feedstock for production of biodiesel is economically advantageous because feedstock acquisition can approach 80% of the cost to produce biodiesel when refined commodity lipids are utilized as feedstocks. These results are beneficial to the citrus and renewable fuels industries as well as to the public, as an agricultural waste material was utilized to produce an alternative fuel that facilitates the societal transition away from petroleum and its consequent environmental and climatic effects.
Review Publications
Zhang, X., Liu, Z., Qu, D. 2022. Proof-of-Concept study of ion-exchange method for the recycling of LiFePO4 cathode. Waste Management. 157:1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2022.12.003.
Doll, K.M., Muturi, E.J., Flor-Weiler, L.B. 2022. Combining TEMPO and methyl undecenoate to produce an effective anti-mosquito compound with convenient spin-labeling. Experimental Parasitology. 244. Article 108440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exppara.2022.108440.
Moser, B.R., Doll, K.M., Price, N.P. 2022. Comparison of aliphatic polyesters prepared by acyclic diene metathesis and thiol-ene polymerization of alpha,omega-polyenes arising from oleic acid-based 9-decen-1-ol. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 100:149-162. https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12668
Moser, B.R., Dorado, C., Bantchev, G.B., Winkler-Moser, J.K., Doll, K.M. 2023. Production and evaluation of biodiesel from sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) lipids extracted from waste seeds from the commercial orange juicing process. Fuel. 342. Article 127727. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2023.127727.
Moser, B.R., Cermak, S.C., Doll, K.M., Kenar, J.A., Sharma, B.K. 2022. A review of fatty epoxide ring opening reactions: Chemistry, recent advances, and applications. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 99(10):801-842. https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12623.
Kohli, K., Chandrasekaran, S.R., Prajapati, R., Kunwar, B., Al-Salem, S., Moser, B.R., Sharma, B.K. 2022. Pyrolytic depolymerization mechanisms for post-consumer plastic wastes. Energies. 15(23). Article 8821. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15238821.
Winfield, D.D., Moser, B.R. 2023. Selective hydroxyalkoxylation of epoxidized methyl oleate by an amphiphilic ionic liquid catalyst. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 100(3):237-243. https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12672.
Hanif, M., Bhatti, I., Hanif, M., Rashid, U., Moser, B.R., Hanif, A., Alharthi, F. 2023. Nano-magnetic CaO/Fe2O3/Feldspar catalysts for the production of biodiesel from waste oils. Catalysts. 13(6). Article 998. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13060998.
Shah, S.N., Liu, Z., Sharma, B.K. 2023. Glycerol Monooleate (GMO): a valuable biobased lubricity and pour point enhancer blend component for the ULSD fuel. ACS Omega. 8(22):19503-19508. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c00889.
