BREAKING THE LIGNIN BARRIER WITH TERMITE TAV5 TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY (T4): BIOPOWER AND BIOFUEL FROM AGRICULTURAL WASTE

The overall project goal is to increase sustainability of agricultural/food production systems, by boosting efficiency of bioenergy/biofuel generation from agricultural wastes - supporting an aim of NIFA's Bioprocessing and Bioengineering program. Biogas can be used on-farm for electricity, heat, or vehicle fuel, reducing fossil fuel dependence and making agriculture systems more environmentally and economically sustainable. Specific objectives are:To advance Termite TAV5 Treatment Technology (T4) from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 (proof of concept) to TRL 4 (validated in laboratory)/TRL 6 (pilot-scale validated in relevant environment), via testing of rice husk/straw, wheat straw, and corn stover in the lab and field.To conduct a life-cycle environmental assessment of energy products (heat, electricity, and vehicle fuel) from biogas produced from agricultural wastes using T4 Technology.To compare levelized costs of energy and energy return on investment for biogas produced using T4 technology.