Dr. Stephen W. Searcy, professor and associate head of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University, will lecture on biofuels Monday (Oct. 5) from 3 to 3:50 p.m. in Room 203 of the Zachry Engineering Center on campus.

Searcy’s talk, “Logistics Systems for a Nascent Biofuels Industry: Challenges and Opportunities,” is part of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering’s seminar series sponsored by Parsons Corp.

Abstract
Government policy and raising crude oil prices are encouraging the development of renewable fuels created from biomass crops. The established goal of 36 billion gallons of liquid fuels in the nation’s energy supply by 2022 means nearly one half billion tons of plant dry matter will have to be collected, stored and transported from remote, distributed fields to central processing facilities.

The challenges associated with the development of a biomass feedstocks logistics system are many. The feedstock has undesirable characteristics (high moisture content, low density), is available only portions of the year, may be constrained by transportation infrastructure, and must compete with profit alternatives. In other words, it is a great engineering problem! We will discuss these challenges and the opportunities they present.

Biography
Stephen Searcy is professor and associate head of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University. His area of expertise is development and application of mechatronic systems for agriculture, with emphasis on harvest and transport logistics systems for cotton and energy biomass. He is a registered Professional Engineer, a Fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), and an active member of ASABE, the National Society of Professional Engineers and the Council of Agricultural Science and Technology.

He holds bachelor’s degrees in agricultural mechanization and agricultural engineering and an M.S. in agricultural mechanization, both from the University of Missouri, and a Ph.D. in agricultural engineering from Oklahoma State University.

Submitted by Katherine Edwards, kedwards@tamu.edu

Popularity: unranked [?]

Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) recently funded Mills Scholarships to 10 Texas A&M University graduate students — six of them from the Dwight Look College of Engineering — for the 2009-10 academic year to pursue water-related research.

Engineering students receiving the scholarships are:
• Hannah Childress and Di Long — Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
• Chandana Damodaram, Celso Moller Ferreira, Marcio Hofheinz Giacomoni and Sanjay Tewari — Zachry Department of Civil Engineering

TWRI’s Mills Scholars Program, an endowed fund that supports research in water conservation and management, provided the $1,500 scholarships to the students to use for education-related expenses.

TWRI uses the Mills Scholars program to encourage and assist current and prospective Texas A&M University graduate students addressing priority water resource issues facing Texas.

Some of this year’s Mills Scholars’ research topics include examining the effects of land use, using the hydrologic footprint model to model best management practices and determine downstream effects, investigating the use of green roof technology to mitigate stormwater runoff, and using UV light disinfection to reduce the concentration of tetracycline-resistant genes.

Mills Cox, a former chairman of the Texas Water Development Board, funded the W.G. Mills Endowment, which provides the scholarships.

For more information on the Mill’s Scholarship Program or to learn more about the students’ projects, contact Cecilia Wagner, TWRI project manager, at 979.458.1138 or cawagner@ag.tamu.edu or go to http://twri.tamu.edu/mills.php.

The Texas Water Resources Institute, part of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas AgriLife Research, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University, provides leadership to stimulate priority water resources research and educational programs for AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension as well as throughout Texas.

Submitted by Leslie Jordan, LHJordan@ag.tamu.edu

Popularity: 51% [?]

Thomas Abia, a graduate student in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, has received a grant of up to $5,000 from the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) to support his research.

His project, “In Situ Groundwater Arsenic Removal using Iron Oxide Coated Sand,” is under advisor Dr. Yongheng Huang, assistant professor in the biological and agricultural engineering department.

This year, TWRI presented 10 grants for beginning, expanding or extending water-related research projects to graduate students from Texas A&M University, Rice University, Texas Tech University and The University of Texas at El Paso.

The institute’s funding for the graduate student projects is provided by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the National Institutes for Water Research annual research program. TWRI will publish articles and reports about the progress of each project.

For more information about the grant program and students’ projects, go to http://twri.tamu.edu/usgs.php.

About TWRI

The Texas Water Resources Institute, part of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas AgriLife Research, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University, provides leadership to stimulate priority water resources research and educational programs for AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension as well as throughout Texas.

Contact Cecilia Wagner, 979.458.1138, cecilia@tamu.edu

Popularity: 67% [?]

Texas A&M Engineering’s graduate program ranked 14th overall (8th among public institutions) in the latest U.S. News & World Report survey, “America’s Best Graduate Schools 2010.”

Individual programs ranked were: Aerospace Engineering, 13 (8 public); Biomedical Engineering, 30 (14); Chemical Engineering, 27 (18); Civil Engineering, 13 (8); Computer Engineering, 20 (13); Electrical Engineering, 20 (12); Industrial Engineering, 8 (6); Mechanical Engineering, 17 (10); Nuclear Engineering, 3 (2); Agricultural Engineering 3 (2) and Petroleum Engineering, last ranked in 2008, was second nationally and second among public institutions.

The Look College was contacted earlier this week by Robert Morse, director of data research for U.S. News & World Report, indicating that the Biological and Agricultural Engineering rankings category erroneously listed “Texas Tech University” instead of “Texas A&M University” as the third highest-ranked program.

The error was not detected until after the publication had been printed, so the May 2009 issue of U.S.News & World Report and newsstand guidebook will incorrectly report the third-ranked program as Texas Tech, not Texas A&M. The online version of rankings correctly identify Texas A&M in the Biological and Agricultral Engineering category on the US News & World Report Web site.

Popularity: 35% [?]

Texas A&M University students Cory L. Multer, Robert G. Hardin, IV and Mary Thelen won first, second and third place, respectively, in the 2009 Beltwide Cotton Conference Cotton Engineering Student Paper Presentation Competition sponsored by the Cotton Industry Support Group.

Robert G. Hardin, IV, Mary Thelen and Cory L. Multer display their award plaques garnered in the Beltwide Cotton Conference Cotton Engineering Student Paper Presentation Competition.

The paper competition was held in two of 11 technical conferences that recently convened at the National Cotton Council-coordinated 2009 Beltwide Cotton Conferences in San Antonio.

Multer received $250 for his winning presentation, “Cotton Ginning Simulation Model – Minimizing Cost per Bale.” Hardin received $200 for “Design and Evaluation of a Cotton Redistribution Device for the Module,” and Thelen won $150 for “Evaluations of EPA Approved FRM PM 2.5 and PM 10 Samplers.”

The competition is designed to encourage outstanding undergraduate and graduate work in the cotton engineering discipline and to promote student attendance at the annual Beltwide Cotton Conferences.

Each year the cash prizes and plaques are made possible from the Cotton Industry Support Group (CISG), a non-profit organization that serves to foster support and cooperation between Texas A&M University’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and the U.S. cotton industry.

T. Cotton Nelson, (901) 274-9030, cnelson@cotton.org

Popularity: 9% [?]

Dr. Bryan Shaw, associate professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to chair the newly created Texas Advisory Panel on Federal Environmental Regulations.

Dr. Bryan Shaw

Last year, Perry assigned Shaw to the Texas Environmental Flows Advisory Group. Shaw is a commissioner of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. He also has served as associate director of the Center for Agricultural Air Quality Engineering and Science and as Acting Lead Scientist for Air Quality and Special Assistant to the Chief of the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.

He received his bachelor’s and master’s degree at Texas A&M University. He went on to earn his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1994.

Shaw was one of three appointed to the Texas Advisory Panel to assess potential impacts on Texas of federal environmental regulations. On Nov. 25, 2008, the Panel released a report entitled “Potential Impacts to Texas of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Proposed Framework for Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through the Clean Air Act.”

Contact Bryan Shaw, bshaw@tamu.edu
Written by Lauren Kern, laurenkern@tees.tamus.edu

Popularity: 11% [?]

Dr. G. Kemble Bennett, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, invites all faculty and staff to the annual Fall Faculty Meeting Friday (Sept. 19) at 3 p.m. in Room 102 of the Zachry Engineering Center.

During the meeting, Bennett will recognize and introduce new faculty members and present a State of the College Address. Light refreshments will follow.

All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.

Popularity: 36% [?]

Texas A&M Engineering ranked 17th among engineering schools (9th among public institutions) offering a doctorate in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings of the country’s undergraduate universities and programs.

The rankings were released today (Aug. 22).

Specialties ranked were: Aerospace, 11 (8 among public institutions); Agricultural, 3 (2 public); Chemical, 24 (15 public); Civil, 10 (7 public); Industrial, 8 (7 public); and Mechanical, 19 (12 public).

Nuclear engineering, last ranked in 2004, was third (second public), and petroleum engineering, ranked in 2002, was first.

Popularity: 38% [?]

Turning everyday waste into gasoline may seem like a distant dream, but thanks to researchers with the Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and Byogy Renewables Inc., it could become a reality within two years.

Dr. Kenneth Hall, associate director of TEES and the Jack E. & Frances Brown Chair and professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, and his colleagues, Mark T. Holtzapple, a professor in chemical engineering, and Sergio A. Capareda, a professor in biological and agricultural engineering, have developed a process to make converting biomass to high-octane gasoline possible.

The advanced process is possibly the only integrated system that converts biomass directly to gasoline. Most other emerging processes convert the biomass into alcohol and then blend it with gasoline. The system is relatively inexpensive and focuses on using biomass waste streams and non-food energy crops rather than food products such as corn.

Additionally, the cost of such a conversion would lie between $1.70 and $2.00 per gallon excluding all government subsidies and tax credits. This cost range is dependent on the type and cost of feedstock as well as the size of the biorefinery. This would provide some much-needed relief for consumers when it comes to fueling their vehicles, whose current options are to pay more or drive less.

Biomass includes garbage, biosolids from wastewater treatment plants, green waste such as lawn clippings, food waste, and any type of livestock manure. Additionally, since it does not use crops such as corn, it will not put a strain on food supplies. The process could also utilize non-food/feed crops grown specifically for biomass energy.

“This technology is important because it addresses many issues — eliminating waste, producing economical fuel quickly and being friendly to our environment,” Hall said. “It’s a win-win for industry and consumers. Furthermore, this technology is ready to be commercialized now and does not require any new scientific or technological breakthroughs to become a reality.”

Through an agreement with the Texas A&M University System, Byogy has licensed the process and hopes to have a plant using the technology up and running within 18 months to two years. The intent is to have raw garbage going in one end of the plant and 95-octane gasoline coming out the other.

Texas A&M University’s Department of Chemical Engineering is world-renowned in the area of process design, integration and optimization. A team led by professor Mahmoud El-Halwagi, a pioneer in the field of Process Integration, has been assembled to conduct the initial process integration work to provide a detailed set of design and operating procedures that will lead to the most competitive biofuels production processes for this technology.

“Our goal with this technology is to achieve as much as a 2 percent contribution to the nation’s gasoline demand by 2022 through the building of 200 more bio-refineries,” said Benjamin J. Brant, President and Chief Technology Officer of Byogy. “We firmly believe the TEES technology combined with the Byogy team offers this possibility.”

The focus at the initial plant would be on using urban waste, which the plant would grind, sort and then convert into gasoline. The fuel produced by this process could immediately be used as a drop-in substitute to the current petroleum gasoline supplies with a seamless integration into the existing fuel distribution infrastructure. Nothing needs to be changed at retail gas stations, pipelines, regional fuel terminals or in any motor vehicle.

“Our plan is to produce two-and-a-half billion gallons or more of carbon neutral renewable gasoline per year, said Daniel L. Rudnick, Chief Executive Officer of Byogy. We are positioning ourselves not only to handle the opportunity  biomass waste streams  that are available today, but also the sustainable biomass energy crops of the future. This green substitute for conventional gasoline is the Holy Grail of all biofuels.”

About TEES: TEES is the engineering research agency of the State of Texas and a member of The Texas A&M University System. TEES researchers conduct quality research and provide practical answers to critical state and national needs. The agency partners with industry, communities and academic institutions to solve problems to help improve the quality of life, promote economic development and enhance the educational systems of Texas. TEES also promotes new technology education and investigates problems in health and the environment.

About Byogy Renewables, Inc.: Byogy is a new technology company that offers the next generation of high-octane liquid transportation fuels derived from renewable biomass waste streams and dedicated non-food energy crops. It was founded by leading renewable energy entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists and industry pioneers from the private sector and academic world.

For more information, contact Dr. Kenneth Hall, 979-845-3357, krhall@tamu.edu; Benjamin J. Brant, 303-670-0880, bbrant@byogy.com; Daniel Rudnick, 661-333-2662, drudnick@byogy.com.

For more information on TEES visit http://tees.tamu.edu. For more information on Byogy visit www.byogy.com.

Popularity: 12% [?]

COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M University engineering graduate students Sanghyun Kim and Chihun Lee of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, and Bailey Sullivan, Reema Padia, Sean Tolle and Dipankar Dwivedi of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, recently received Mills Scholarships from Texas A&M AgriLife’s Texas Water Resources Institute.

Kim’s graduate advisor is Dr. Robin Autenrieth and Lee’s is Ralph Wurbs. Sullivan is advised by Dr. Karthi Karthikeyan; Padia is advised by Karthikeyan and Dr. Saqib Mukhtar. Dr. Binayak Mohanty advises Tolle and Dwivedi.

The students were awarded up to $1,500 that is used for education-related expenses. The institute uses the Mills Scholars program to encourage and assist current and prospective graduate students to incorporate water resources studies into their graduate programs at Texas A&M University.

Mills Cox, a former chairman of the Texas Water Development Board, funded the W.G. Mills Endowment, which provides the scholarships.

For more information on the scholarship program and projects, go to http://twri.tamu.edu/mills-recipients/2008-09/.

Contact: Cecilia Wagner at cawagner@ag.tamu.edu

Popularity: 11% [?]