ISTC Sponsored Research Projects

Below is a list of projects ISTC has sponsored.

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10 Project(s) Found

• Antioxidants from Wood-Derived Pyrolyzates (Bio-Oils)
  HWR12-220
  Start: 9/1/11 - Completion: 3/31/14
  
  Investigators
  1. Larson, Richard; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (PI)
  2. Sherma, Brajendra; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

  Project Summary

  The proposed project will identify and optimize conditions for the isolation of value-added products (phenolic antioxidants) from bio-oil, a product of pyrolysis of biological materials. The substance(s) chosen for testing will be hardwoods known from the literature to be high in phenolic concentration and to have abundant phenols of types (highly substituted and electronrich) that are similar in structure to synthetic petroleum-derived antioxidants, such as BHT and BHA. The research will proceed by (1) obtaining wood samples and subjecting them to pyrolysis under conditions that maximize the yield of bio-oil relative to gas and char production; (2) extracting the desired phenolics from the crude oil fraction using alkali/solvent processes, and analyzing the extracts by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry; (3) testing the phenolic fractions by standard methods of antioxidant activity versus a known standard antioxidant, BHT, in bio-fuels and/or lubricants. It is expected, based on their structural characteristics, that bio-oil derived phenols will have comparable activity to the commercial product.

  View publications from this project

• Sorption of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) to Biochar and Estimates of PAH Bioavailability
  HWR12-221
  Start: 8/1/11 - Completion: 6/30/13
  
  Investigators
  1. Machesky, Michael; Illinois State Water Survey (PI)
  2. Scott, John; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (PI)
  3. Holm, Thomas; Illinois State Water Survey

  Project Summary

  Biochar may be an effective soil amendment capable of improving the ion exchange capacity and nutrient and water retention properties of soils. Also, because it is stable for long periods, biochar may be suitable for carbon sequestration. However, biochar contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known carcinogens. The PAH content of biochar may therefore restrict its beneficial uses or even result in its being classified as a hazardous waste. However, PAHs sorb strongly to black carbon, which limits their solubility in sediments and soils. Because biochar is a form of black carbon, the PAHs in biochar may have limited mobility and bioavailability. Biochar properties depend on the starting material and production conditions. It is likely that PAH sorption and bioavailability also depend on these factors. The objectives of this project are to characterize the binding of a PAH probe compound to a set of biochars and the extractability of the probe, which is related to its bioavailability.

• Fate of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products in Irrigated Wastewater Effluent
  HWR12-223
  Start: 9/1/11 - Completion: 6/30/13
  
  Investigators
  1. Jin, Guang; Illinois Sate University (PI)
  2. Armstrong, Shalamar; Illinois State University
  3. Bierma, Thomas; Illinois State University
  4. Kelly, Walt; Illinois State Water Survey
  5. Walker, Paul; Illinois State University
  6. Zheng, Wei; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

  Project Summary

  This project takes advantage of a unique opportunity to study the fate of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in treated municipal wastewater effluent as it is used to irrigate cropland in Lexington, Illinois, estimated to begin in 2012. A project to study the fate of nutrients and traditional contaminants in the wastewater is already in place, including wells, Iysimeters, and field tile autosamplers. The work funded by this project provides the data needed to design a study of PPCPs in the irrigated cropland and to seek larger-scale research support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for such a study. Four tasks are to be performed in this project. First, seven priority PPCPs will be measured in wastewater before and after lagoon treatment in two communities similar to Lexington to establish the presence and concentrations of these contaminants. Second, these PPCPs will be measured in soil and water samples from the Lexington field to established background levels prior to irrigation. Third, soil samples from the Lexington field will be analyzed in terms of characteristics likely to influence PPCP fate, including soil carbon, cation exchange capacity, pH and other characteristics. Finally, laboratory-based studies of PPCP soil sorption and desorption will be performed on Lexington field soils to compare actual soil behavior to that predicted from literature. This work will form the basis for a research proposal by Illinois State University (ISU), Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), and the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) to USDA to study PPCPs during the initial three years of irrigation.

• A Strategy for Improving Household Hazardous Waste Collection Options for East Central Illinois
  HWR13-229
  Start: 1/15/13 - Completion: 7/31/13
  
  Investigators
  1. Monte, Susan; Champaign County Regional Planning Commission (PI)

  Project Summary

  The objective of this project is to collect background information and to inventory and describe alternatives for Household Hazardous Waste collections in seven East Central Illinois counties.

• Exploratory Study on Gasification of Pelletized Grassy Biomass
  HWR13-230
  Start: 5/15/13 - Completion: 12/16/13
  
  Investigators
  1. Liu, Peter Ping; Eastern Illinois University (PI)
  2. Cloward, Jerry; Eastern Illinois University

  Project Summary

  This exploratory research is proposed to study the characteristics of grassy biomass pellets in terms of their gasification behavior and to identify realistic operation conditions for those grasses either native or readily available in the State of Illinois.

• Uptake and Accumulation of Pharmaceuticals and Hormones in Vegetables after Irrigation of Reused Water
  SR1
  Start: 9/1/12 - Completion: 8/31/13
  
  Investigators
  1. Zheng, Wei; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (PI)

  Project Summary

  The goal of this study is to investigate uptake and bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals and hormones by common vegetables that are irrigated exclusively with contaminated water.

• Spatial and Source Apportionment Analysis of Contaminants in the Illinois River Sediments
  SR2
  Start: 9/1/12 - Completion: 8/31/13
  
  Investigators
  1. Zheng, Wei; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (PI)
  2. Marlin, John; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
  3. Zou, YoungHoug; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

  Project Summary

  The overall goal of the proposed research is to perform spatial data analysis, and further identify the major sources of contaminants and their contributions to pollution in the Illinois River Basin.

• Performance Validation and Demonstration of In-Stream Hydrokinetic Power for Waste Water Treatment Plants
  SR3
  Start: 10/1/12 - Completion: 8/30/13
  
  Investigators
  1. Lu, Xinli; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (PI)
  2. Garcia, Marcelo; Dept. of Civil and Env. Eng. UIUC
  3. Janssen, James; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
  4. Patel, Vinod; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
  5. Pickowitz, Joe; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
  6. Springman, Michael; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

  Project Summary

  The project purpose is to demonstrate and validate the performance of two commercially available in-stream hydrokinetic turbines to generate electricity for use in WWTPs. The investigation will focus on the technical, economic and environmental aspects of generation. The study hopes to enrich the knowledge base on Pico hydropower generation with additional field data, identify potential barriers, and to transfer useful data and knowledge to WWTPs on the current state-of-the art.

• Biochar supercapacitors for energy storage
  SR4
  Start: 10/1/12 - Completion: 9/30/13
  
  Investigators
  1. Jiang, Junhua; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (PI)
  2. Wang, Xinying; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

  Project Summary

  The overall objective of this project will be to develop high performance and low cost biochar supercapacitors for energy storage.

• SR5 – Evaluate Feasibility of Sustainable and Economical Utilization of Biomass Gasification Byproducts
  SR5
  Start: 1/15/13 - Completion: 1/14/14
  
  Investigators
  1. Patel, Vinod; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (PI)
  2. Ping Liu, Peter; Eastern Illinois University
  3. Sharma, BK; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

  Project Summary

  The overall goal of this project is to develop a unique environmental friendly technology to make value added building materials from gasification solid waste thereby managing solid waste efficiently, saving the natural resources, and reducing greenhouse gases emissions.