North Dakota State University

Research Expertise Areas

• Refining, fractionation and conversion of fats and oils from plants, especially for bio-based polymers and fuel
• Effect of ozone and other fumigants on grain handling and storage equipment
• Process modeling for biofuels and renewable products
• Development of prototype processes for new uses of crops produced on the Northern Plains
• Publications and Presentations
• <<<<The following list of research is from an older list>>>>
• Biodiesel Co-product Development: Utilization of Canola Meal and Canola Proteins for Industrial Bioproducts
• Synergy of Using Field Peas as an Ethanol Feedstock
• Computer Imaging-based Artificial Intelligent Techniques and Systems for Quality Control and Characterization of Food and Biological Products
• Development of vegetable oil-based resins for use as binders in composite materials
• Analysis of canola and other oilseeds for biodiesel and other industrial uses
• High-throughput analysis of grains, vegetable oil and other biobased materials using spectroscopic methods
• Process modeling of the Biodiesel process and mechanical fractionation of field peas
• Processing of flaxseed, crambe, amaranth, and other specialty oilseed crops, especially optimizing the preparation of niche oilseeds for improved screw-pressing

Teaching Responsibilities

• ABEN 263, Biological Materials Processing -- Spring
• ABEN 458/658, Food Process Engineering -- Fall of even-numbered years

Service

• Southern Regional USDA-CSREES Project S-1041, "The Science and Engineering for a Biobased Industry and Economy," since 2005, Vice-chair in 2008, Chair-elect for 2009  http://nimss.umd.edu/homepages/home.cfm?trackID=9057
• American Oil Chemists' Society, Associate Editor of Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society2002-2007, Publications Steering Committee 2003-2005
• Red River Valley Section of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and active participant in the North Central Section of ASABE/CSBE

Recognition

• Fulbright Senior Scholar Award to University College Cork, Ireland, 1997-98
• NDSU University Senate, 1996-97, 1999-2001
• NDSU College of Engineering & Architecture Outstanding Researcher Award, 1995
• National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow, 1985-88

Dissertation/Thesis Advisor (Degrees completed since 2003)

• Bhavnita Dhillon, ABEN Ph.D. Dissertation Title: Development and Evaluation of Systems for Disinfection of Durum Wheat using Ozone Gas, Ozonated Water and Acetic Acid. 2010
• Judith Espinoza-Perez, ABEN Ph.D. Dissertation Title: Production, Characterization, and Raw Material Cost Analysis of a Canola  Oil-Epoxy Resin Applied to Composites. 2010 
• Hongjian Lin, ABEN M.S., Thesis Title: High-throughput Methods for Evaluation of New Canola Varieties for Biodiesel. 2010
• Wilhelmi, Andrew.  ABEN M.S. Thesis Title: Field Peas to Supplement Corn Ethanol: Engineering Process Models, Capital Investment, and Annual Operating Costs. 2008 
• Tapasvi, Dhruv.  ABEN M.S. Thesis Title: Evaluating the Economic Feasibility of Canola Biodiesel Production in North Dakota. 2006
• Zheng, Yunling.  ENGR Ph.D. Dissertation Title: Screw Pressing of Whole and Dehulled Flaxseed for Organic Oil Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids.  December, 2003
• Bon, Thomas. ENGR Ph.D. Dissertation Title: Development of a Mechanical Broccoli Harvester, Analysis and Optimization of Selected Subsystems. May, 2003.

Publications