North Dakota State University

Responsibilities

• Teaching (20%)
• Research (80%)
  • Biodiesel Co-product Development: Utilization of Canola Meal and Canola Proteins for Industrial Bioproducts
  • Feasibility of a Cattle Feedlot/Large Dairy Co-located with the Blue Flint Ethanol Plant
  • Feedstock Analysis and Pretreatment of Mixed Perennial Species for Ethanol Production
  • Pretreatment of Sugar Beet Pulp for Ethanol Production
  • Synergy of Using Field Peas as an Ethanol Feedstock

Expertise Areas

• Biofuel Production from Cellulosic Feedstocks
• Biobased Chemicals and Materials
• Bioprocess Engineering
• Process Optimization
• Solid State and Liquid Fermentation Systems

Current Research

• Interaction of biomass pretreatment and densification on enzymatic hydrolysis
• Biomass pretreatment and fermentation for biofuel or chemical production
• Recovery and efficacy of immobilized cellulases
• Rapid biomass compositional analysis
• Protein utilization for industrial bioproducts

Current and Recent Project Grants

• pH-responsive Capsules for Enhanced Delivery and Recovery of Cellulases for Biomass Hydrolysis, Natinal Science Foundation (s. Minko (Clarkson Univ.). A. Voronov, and S. Pryor
• Demonstration of Improved Canola Bioproducts using Carbon Dioxide Oil Extraction, ND APUC (S. W. Pryor, C. Ulven, and D. Wiesenborn)
• Renewable Energy and Products from Biomass Grown in North Dakota: USDA/CSREES Special Grant
• Biobased Energy Educational Materials Exchange System (BEEMS): USDA CSREES Higher Education Challenge Grant - with Ohio State Univ., Michigan State Univ., Univ. of Idaho, and NC A&T.
• Transforming and Densifying Biomass in Regional Biomass Processing Center: North Central Sun Grant Initiative - with SDSU, SD School of Mines and Technology, Michigan State Univ., and Federal Machine (Fargo)
• Environmental and Economic Consequence of Biomass Feedstock Production in the Northern Great Plains: Specific Cooperative Agreement with USDA/ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (Mandan, ND)
• Enzymatic Pretreatment of Sugar Beet Pulp for Ethanol Production: ND SBARE, Sugarbeet Research and Education Board of MN and ND, and American Crystal Sugar
• Biodiesel Co-product Development: Utilization of Canola Meal and Canola Proteins for Industrial Bio-products: USDA NRI
• Synergy of Using Field Peas as an Ethanol Feedstock: APUC
• Analysis for a Cattle Feedlot and Anaerobic Digestion Biogas Facility Co-located with Blue Flint Ethanol: APUC/Great River Energy Feasibility
• Feasibility of Large Dairy Co-located with the Blue Flint Ethanol Plant: Great River Energy

Professional Memberships

• American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)
• American Society of Engineering Education

Professional Activities

• Associate Editor for Biological Engineering Transactions, 2010-
• Biological Engineering representative on the ASABE Nomination Committee, 2011-2013
• USDA/DOE Biomass Research and Development Initiative Grant Review Panel, 2007, 2009
• North Dakota Biomass Energy Taskforce, Jamestown, ND 2006
• World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing
  • Advances in Bioprocessing track recorder, 2005
  • Bioprocessing of Agricultural Feedstocks track recorder, 2004
• The Northeast Sun Grant Initiative Regional Planning Meeting, Buffalo, NY 2004

Courses

• ABEN 110 - Introduction to Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (Fall)
• ABEN 450/650 - Bioprocess Engineering
• ABEN 456/656 - Biobased Energy

Publications