Lignocellulose, mostly from agricultural and forestry resources, is a potential renewable material for sustainable development of biorefineries. From previous studies, reducing sugar production through biological pretreatment involves two steps: solid-state fermentation (SSF) for delignification, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis by adding celluloytic enzymes (cellulase and xylanase etc.). In the process described in this thesis, the necessary enzymes are produced in-situ and the hydrolysis proceeds directly after the solid-state fermentation. Enzyme hydrolysis releases free amino nitrogen (FAN), reducing sugar and many other potential nutrients from the fermented materials. This method additionally avoids the need for removal of inhibitors compared with conventional chemical pretreatment processes. A range of solid-state fermentations were carried out to investigate the effect of washing procedure, particle size and nitrogen supplement on Trichoderma longibrachiatum growth. From these preliminary studies it was concluded that nitrogen supplementation is a crucial factor to improve significantly the fungi growth and production of feedstock using sugarcane bagasse as raw material. In order to evaluate the influence of environmental humidity on petri dish experiments, moist environments were investigated, with over 75% relative humidity to limit water evaporation from solid-state fermentation. The results showed that moist environments gave approximately 1.85 times the reducing sugar yield than dry environments. The process of simultaneous enzymatic hydrolysis of substrates and fungal autolysis were also studied. The degree of hydrolysis was affected by initial fermented solid to liquid ratio, temperature and pH range. The optimal conditions for subsequent hydrolysis of fermented solids were determined. The optimal solid to liquid ratio, 4% (w/w), temperature 50°C and pH 7 were established. The highest final reducing sugar, 8.9 g/L and FAN, 560 mg/L, were measured after 48 h. The fungal autolysis was identified by image analysis as well as by the consumption of nutrient and the release of free amino nitrogen and phosphorous. Solid state fermentation in a multi-layer tray bioreactor and a packed-bed bioreactor were also developed, with moist air supply for oxygen provision and heat removal. Fermented solids in the multi-layer bioreactor led to the highest subsequent hydrolysis yield on reducing sugar, FAN and Inorganic Phosphorous (IP), 222.85 mg/g, 11.56 mg/g and 19.9 mg/g, respectively. These series of fermentation experiments illustrate the feasibility for the application of consolidated bioprocessing, through simultaneous pretreatment and enzyme production as a more economic and environment-friendly process compared with those reported for chemical pretreatment followed by commercial enzyme process. A growth kinetic model regarding both growth and respiration is also proposed. Ethanol production was studied using the generic feedstock produced from sugarcane bagasse and soybean hulls. Total ethanol yield reached 0.31 mg g-1 (61.4% of theoretical yield) after 30 h of submerged fermentation. The result of subsequent fermentation has already shown the potential of the generic microbial feedstock to be used to produce varied products depending on the microorganism utilised.

Neste trabalho, inicialmente, foram obtidos TPSs (amidos termoplásticos) com diferentes concentrações de amido e plastificantes, por processamento em câmara de mistura, com o objetivo de determinar formulações para estudo em extrusora reativa. As formulações de TPS que apresentaram os melhores resultados de torque reométrico foram as que continham 39%m/m de amido. Investigou-se a influência da velocidade da rosca na obtenção de TPS por extrusora reativa, e os resultados mostraram que este parâmetro teve pequena influência na estabilidade do amido termoplástico, sendo possível utilizar 150 rpm de rotação. Foram produzidas 5 blendas com razões de TPS:PEBDL variando de 30:70; 40:60; 50;50; 60:40 e 70:30 para o desenvolvimento de um sistema ligante para a injeção de alumina pelo processo de moldagem de pós (MPI), a partir das quais foi possível analisar a influência do TPS no PEBDL, através de análises de MEV, IF, TGA, DMA e propriedades mecânicas. Quanto maior a concentração de TPS nas blendas, mais heterogênea foi a morfologia observada por MEV e menor o módulo de armazenamento e de perda obtidos por DMA. Este comportamento foi similar ao encontrado pela análise de resistência à tração, que apresentou propriedades mecânicas pobres para elevadas concentrações de TPS. Foram escolhidas três blendas para testar como veículo orgânico em feedstocks de alumina, com carga de partícula sólida de 45%, 50% e 55%v/v de Al2O3. A carga crítica para o sistema ligante-partículas sólidas determinada por reometria de torque foi de 50%v/v de alumina. / In this work, TPSs (thermoplastic starch), with different concentrations of starch and plasticizers for processing in the mixing chamber, were obtained in order to determine formulations for study in a reactive extruder. The TPS formulations that showed the best results for the rheometric torque were those containing 39% w/w starch. The influence of the screw speed to obtain TPS in the reactive extruder was investigated and the results showed that this parameter had little influence on the stability of the thermoplastic starch, allowing the use of 150 rpm rotation speed. Five blends were produced, with TPS:LLDPE ratios of 30:70; 40:60; 50:50; 60:40 and 70:30, to develop a binder for alumina injection by the powder molding process (MPI). From these five systems it was possible to analyze the influence of TPS in LLDPE through SEM analyzes, MFI, TGA, DMA and mechanical properties. The higher the concentration of TPS in blends, more heterogeneous morphology was observed by SEM and the lowest storage and loss modulus were obtained by DMA. This behavior was similar to that found by analysis of tensile strength, which showed poor mechanical properties for high concentrations of TPS. Three blends were chosen for testing as an organic vehicle in alumina feedstocks, with solid particles load of 45%, 50% and 55% v/v of Al2O3. The critical load for the system binder-solid particles, determined by torque rheometry, was 50% v/v of alumina.

Neste trabalho, inicialmente, foram obtidos TPSs (amidos termoplásticos) com diferentes concentrações de amido e plastificantes, por processamento em câmara de mistura, com o objetivo de determinar formulações para estudo em extrusora reativa. As formulações de TPS que apresentaram os melhores resultados de torque reométrico foram as que continham 39%m/m de amido. Investigou-se a influência da velocidade da rosca na obtenção de TPS por extrusora reativa, e os resultados mostraram que este parâmetro teve pequena influência na estabilidade do amido termoplástico, sendo possível utilizar 150 rpm de rotação. Foram produzidas 5 blendas com razões de TPS:PEBDL variando de 30:70; 40:60; 50;50; 60:40 e 70:30 para o desenvolvimento de um sistema ligante para a injeção de alumina pelo processo de moldagem de pós (MPI), a partir das quais foi possível analisar a influência do TPS no PEBDL, através de análises de MEV, IF, TGA, DMA e propriedades mecânicas. Quanto maior a concentração de TPS nas blendas, mais heterogênea foi a morfologia observada por MEV e menor o módulo de armazenamento e de perda obtidos por DMA. Este comportamento foi similar ao encontrado pela análise de resistência à tração, que apresentou propriedades mecânicas pobres para elevadas concentrações de TPS. Foram escolhidas três blendas para testar como veículo orgânico em feedstocks de alumina, com carga de partícula sólida de 45%, 50% e 55%v/v de Al2O3. A carga crítica para o sistema ligante-partículas sólidas determinada por reometria de torque foi de 50%v/v de alumina. / In this work, TPSs (thermoplastic starch), with different concentrations of starch and plasticizers for processing in the mixing chamber, were obtained in order to determine formulations for study in a reactive extruder. The TPS formulations that showed the best results for the rheometric torque were those containing 39% w/w starch. The influence of the screw speed to obtain TPS in the reactive extruder was investigated and the results showed that this parameter had little influence on the stability of the thermoplastic starch, allowing the use of 150 rpm rotation speed. Five blends were produced, with TPS:LLDPE ratios of 30:70; 40:60; 50:50; 60:40 and 70:30, to develop a binder for alumina injection by the powder molding process (MPI). From these five systems it was possible to analyze the influence of TPS in LLDPE through SEM analyzes, MFI, TGA, DMA and mechanical properties. The higher the concentration of TPS in blends, more heterogeneous morphology was observed by SEM and the lowest storage and loss modulus were obtained by DMA. This behavior was similar to that found by analysis of tensile strength, which showed poor mechanical properties for high concentrations of TPS. Three blends were chosen for testing as an organic vehicle in alumina feedstocks, with solid particles load of 45%, 50% and 55% v/v of Al2O3. The critical load for the system binder-solid particles, determined by torque rheometry, was 50% v/v of alumina.

Fuel molecules are organic solvents that have disruptive effects on the bacterial membrane. This is a significant barrier in biofuel production, as it limits the fuel concentration that can be achieved through fermentation. One potential way of overcoming this barrier is to identify lipid compositions that can better withstand solvent stress, for which it is important to understand how organic solvents disrupt the membrane. Use of biophysical characterization techniques to quantify physical properties like fluidity and thickness will enable us to understand the mechanism by which solvents disrupt membranes. Native membranes are very complex, and we sought to develop in-vitro models for the membrane of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis that use pure phospholipids. Toward this goal, a number of the unusual B. subtilis fatty acids were synthesized, partial synthesis of the membrane phospholipids was achieved, and preliminary assessment of solvent effects on standard lipids was performed using a fluorescence technique.

Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) are a by-product when producing methane through anaerobic digestion (AD). Due to their many uses as building block chemicals, it is of interest to look into ways to optimize anaerobic digestion toward VFA production instead of methane generation. This report will focus on different parameters to produce VFA from food waste (FW), primary sludge (PS), and digested sludge (DS) in different ratios. In this project, three different experimental sets were run over a period of 25 days. The three different sets were 100 % FW, 100 % PS, and 50/50 % FW and PS mixture. Reactors were adjusted to an initial pH-value of 10 and then sparged with nitrogen to create an anaerobic environment. Measurements of the pH were done by sampling at each retention time. Gas chromatography (GC) was used at the end of the project to determine the concentrations of the VFA in the samples. The results showed that, with pH 10, a retention time of 15 days and using only FW, was optimal for VFA production as it gave the highest total concentration of 14.03 g VFA/L. Acetic acid was found in the highest concentration in all ratios. A mixture of FW and PS had an optimal retention time of 12 days, but did not generate as high concentrations of VFAs as only using FW, with a maximum concentration of 9.34 g VFA/L. Using only PS generated even lower concentrations, with a maximum of 5.33 g VFA/L, but did not start decreasing during the experimental run, and no clear conclusion can, therefore, be drawn.

Use of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) as a forage and feedstock species requires knowledge of fertilizer application rates and harvest timing to optimize yield and quality. Three experiments were conducted at the Brown Loam Branch Experiment Station, Raymond, MS to quantify nitrogen rates, harvest timing, and genotype effects on biomass, nutrient removal, chemical composition and ethanol yield. Dry matter yield varied with N rate, genotype, harvest frequency and timing. Yields among genotypes were: NF/GA992 = NF/GA001 (13.7 Mg ha-1) > Alamo (11.6 Mg ha-1) > Cave-in-Rock (6.1 Mg ha-1). A single (9.5 Mg ha-1) or two harvests annually (10.3 Mg ha-1) produced the greatest dry matter yield. As harvest frequency increased from three (7.3Mg ha-1) to six (5.9 Mg ha-1) harvests annually, yield decreased. There was an effect of N application on yield, but not at application rates greater than 80 kg ha-1. Nitrogen did not consistently affect tissue nutrient concentrations but more frequent harvests led to increased nutrient concentration. Nutrient removal responses to N application were mostly similar to the yield responses. Nitrogen use efficiency and recovery declined as N rate increased. Estimated ethanol yield averaged 162 L Mg-1 for Alamo, NF/GA001 and NF/GA992 . A single (2.4 kL ha-1) or 2 harvests annually (2.3 kL ha-1) produced the greatest ethanol production and was correlated with by biomass yield. Nutrient removal, N use efficiency, N recovery and ethanol production were related to biomass yields rather than chemical composition differences. The findings in this dissertation will enable a database on management effects on ethanol yield and composition, enhance current biomass models, facilitate improved management of feedstock production inputs and improve feasibility of alternative fuel development.

Reducing the size of bulky magnetic components (inductors and transformers) in power converters can be achieved by increasing switching frequency and applying innovative designs of magnetic components. Ferrite is the most suitable bulk magnetic material for working at high frequencies but it is difficult to fabricate novel designs of ferrite magnetic components because of the limitations of conventional fabrication methods. Additive manufacturing (AM) has the potential to make customize ferrite magnetic components. One big challenge in 3D printing ferrite magnetic components is the lack of compatible and functional ferrite materials as printers' feedstock. This work focuses on developing ferrite feedstock for 3D printing ferrite magnetic components and providing a guideline for formulating ferrite feedstock by studying the effects of materials and processing parameters on major properties of the ferrite feedstock. The ferrite feedstock should not only be processable by a 3D printer but also make functional ferrite material that can work in power converters. To meet the requirements, the following four aspects of the feedstock are considered in this study: 1. the feedstock should be sinterable to achieve high enough magnetic permeability; 2. magnetic permeability of the feedstock can be easily tailored; 3. rheological properties of the feedstock should ensure reasonable printing resolution; 4. the feedstock can print high aspect ratio structures without slumping. Based on the four major considerations and the desired properties, materials were selected for formulating the ferrite feedstock. The effects of materials and processing variables on the major properties of the ferrite feedstock need to be studied to develop a formulation guidance of the feedstock. The effects of materials fractions and the post-printing peak sintering temperature of the feedstock on maximizing magnetic permeability were studied. The peak sintering temperature had a significant impact on permeability and solid loading (SL) and solid loading excluding diluent (SLED) had smaller impacts. Densities and microstructures of the sintered ferrite cores were characterized to illustrate how the variables affect magnetic permeability. Adding sintering additives to the feedstock was selected as an easy and effective way to tailor the permeability of the ferrite feedstock. The effect of the fractions of two types of additives, SiO2 and Co3O4, on permeability of ferrite were studied. Both SiO2 and Co3O4 can effectively reduce the permeability of the ferrite. A novel multi-permeability toroid core design was 3D-printed with ferrite feedstocks having different fractions of SiO2 to demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating special designs of ferrite magnetics using feedstocks with additives. Core-loss densities of ferrite cores fabricated with feedstocks having different fractions of the two additives were also characterized since it is another important property of ferrite cores in high-frequency converters. Adding SiO2 significantly increases the core-loss density of ferrite cores while adding proper fractions of Co3O4 decreased core-loss density at low magnetic flux densities. The mechanisms of how Co3O4 affect permeability and core-loss density were discussed. The effect of the solid loading (SL) on print-line width resolution was studied by conducting line printing tests. The experiment results showed the best print-line width resolution was achieved using the feedstock with an intermediate SL. The is, which considered both viscosity of the feedstock and coagulation in the feedstock suspension, were discussed. The effect of solid loading excluding diluent (SLED) and UV illumination time on the achievable aspect ratio of printed feedstock was studied. Yield shear strength (y) of feedstocks composition versus UV-curing time were characterized. We evaluated various phenomenological models reported in the literature for predicting the critical yield shear strength (y*) required to obtain a paste structure for a certain aspect ratio. Knowing y* would help to determine the shortest time needed for UV illumination. Applying the model that best fitted to our experimental results, we developed a processing guideline that from specified magnetic permeability and dimensions of a ferrite core, would prescribe the needed SLED and the minimal UV curing time for printing. The guideline was demonstrated by the successful fabrication of tall ferrite inductor cores commonly found in power converters. The main contributions of this study are listed below: 1. Designed, formulated, and characterized ferrite feedstock that not only has functionality for power electronics applications but is also compatible with a direct extrusion type 3D printer. The feedstock can be made into ferrite cores with relative permeability ranging from 10 to 500 which are much higher than those of soft ferrite feedstocks currently reported elsewhere. The packing densities of 950℃ sintered ferrite cores made from the feedstock can be as high as 95%. With the Hyrel 30M 3D-printer, the smallest nozzle orifice diameter that the feedstock can be extruded from is 0.42 mm. We demonstrated printing of the feedstock into a cylinders with a height of 18 mm and an aspect ratio of 3 without slumping issue. 2. Identified the effects of materials and processing variales on 4 major considerations of the ferrite feedstock including maximizing sintered packing density, tailoring permeability, print-line resolution, and achievable dimensions of the printed feedstock without slumping. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms of how the variables affect main properties of the feedstock was provided. 3. Provided a preparation guideline of the ferrite feedstock that prescribe feedstock formulation and UV illumination time per print-layer from the target relative permeability and dimension of a ferrite core. / Doctor of Philosophy / To reduce the size of power electronic devices, applying novel designs of ferrite magnetic components (inductors and transformers) is a promising method. While conventional fabrication methods cannot fabricate novel designs of ferrite magnetic components that have odd or intricate geometries, additive manufacturing (AM) has the potential. One big challenge in 3D printing ferrite magnetic components is the lack of compatible and functional ferrite materials as printers' feedstock. This work focuses on developing ferrite feedstock for 3D printing ferrite magnetic components and providing a guideline for formulating ferrite feedstock by studying the effects of materials and processing parameters on major properties of the ferrite feedstock. The ferrite feedstock should not only have the desired functionalities but also be suitable for printing. Major considerations and desired properties of the feedstock were discussed. Materials were selected to formulate the feedstock based on the desired properties. To develop a formulation guidance for the feedstock, the effects of materials and processing variables on the major properties of ferrite feedstock were studied. The studies included the following 4 aspects: 1. the effects of materials fractions in the feedstock and the post-printing sintering temperature of the feedstock on maximizing magnetic permeability; 2. the effect of additives in the feedstock on tailoring permeability; 3. the effect of feedstock rheology on print-line resolution; 4. the effect of materials fraction and ultraviolet light illumination time on achievable aspect ratio of printed feedstock.

In today's competitive market place, all the components of a supply chain must be well coordinated to achieve economic and service goals. This dissertation is devoted to the modeling, analysis, and development of solution approaches for some logistics problems with emphasis on coordination of various supply chain components and decisions. Specifically, we have addressed four problems in this domain that span various decision levels. The first problem deals with integrated production and shipping scheduling for a single manufacturer and multiple customers. We develop an optimum-seeking algorithm and a fast heuristic, both of which exploit structural properties of the problem. The second problem is a joint production and delivery scheduling problem in which a single vendor supplies goods to a single buyer over a finite horizon. We model this multi-period problem by using a dynamic programming framework and develop an effective Lagrange multiplier method for the solution of the single-period problem, which is then used to solve the multi-period problem. We show that the optimal shipments in each period follow a pattern of geometric-then-equal sizes except for the last shipment, which may be of a larger size. We also show that an optimal solution for the infinite horizon problem can be derived as a special case of our finite horizon approach. In addition, we propose two fast heuristic methods, which, as we show, can obtain almost optimal solutions. We also address the design and logistics operation of biomass feedstock supply chain. To that end, we consider two problems. The first of these problems arises in the context of delivering biomass sorghum to a biorefinery. We propose multi-period, mixed integer linear programming models, which prescribe the strategic and tactical logistics decisions. Our aim is to investigate different logistical configurations available in a sorghum biomass feedstock logistics system. The second of these problems further allows sharing of loadout equipment among storage facilities. We develop an efficient Benders decomposition-based algorithm, and also, two heuristic methods that are capable of effectively solving large-scale instances. We also show the advantage of using mobile equipment. / Doctor of Philosophy / Invariably, logistics cost constitutes a significant portion of the total cost incurred in operating a supply chain. In today’s fierce market competition, it is imperative to reduce this cost to a maximum extent. To that end, our work in this dissertation is devoted to the modeling, analysis, and development of solution approaches for some supply chain problems with the aim of reducing logistics cost. Specifically, we address four problems that span strategic-, tactical- and operational-level decisions in supply chain optimization. The first problem that we address deals with integrated production and shipping scheduling for a single manufacturer and multiple customers. Our aim is to integrate the production and shipping functions of a manufacturer for the objective of minimizing the sum of the shipping cost and the penalty incurred for late deliveries. We develop an optimum-seeking algorithm and a fast heuristic both of which exploit structural properties of the problem. The results of our computational investigation reveal efficacy of our approaches and a significant benefit that accrues from integrating the production and distribution functions. In the second problem, we address a joint production and delivery scheduling problem in which a single vendor supplies goods to a single buyer over a finite horizon. The vendor’s production rate and buyer’s demand rate can vary from period to period and are known in advance. The objective is to determine a production/shipment schedule that minimizes the total cost of production setup, shipment of orders, and holding of inventory at both the vendor and the buyer. We model this problem as a dynamic program, each stage of which constitutes a single-period problem with prescribed starting and ending inventory levels. We develop an effective approach for the solution of this single-period problem, which is then embedded within the dynamic programming framework. We show that the optimal shipments in each period follow a pattern of geometric-then-equal sizes except for the last shipment, which may be larger in size. We show that an optimal solution for the infinite horizon problem can be obtained as a special case of our finite horizon approach. In addition, we propose two fast heuristic methods, which, as we show, can obtain almost optimal solutions. For the third problem, we aim to address the design and operation of a biomass feedstock supply chain. We first present a comprehensive taxonomic literature review of the work in this area that exploits the operations research (OR) methodologies. Then, we study sorghum-biomass-to-biofuel logistics supply chain, and call it as a sorghum biomass feedstock logistics system (S-BFLS). We propose a multi-period, mixed integer linear programming model which prescribes the strategic locations and sizes of storage facilities, number of equipments to purchase, and allocation of farms to satellite storage facilities (SSLs), as well as tactical decisions including period-to-period biomass transportation flows and period-to-period biomass inventory plans. We study a wide spectrum of available harvest, preprocessing, transportation, and storage options as a part of the sorghum biomass feedstock logistics system. We have also investigated the option of just-in-time (JIT) delivery in conjunction with regular delivery, and call it as a hybrid delivery system. Our model is applied to a real-life-inspired case. Based on our analysis, the most cost-effective S-BFLS consists of forage-chopping for harvesting, bunkers or bags for ensiling, and hybrid delivery. Ensiling by modules is not found to be as cost-effective as by bags or bunkers due to the occurrence of high equipment ownership cost and operating cost. Compression of biomass is also not found to be cost-effective. It incurs extra equipment ownership and operating costs while not amounting to sufficient reduction in transportation cost because of the requirement of over 50% moisture content for ensiling. Forage-chop harvest and whole-stalk harvest have little difference in economic effectiveness. The hybrid delivery system is found to be effective since it reduces logistics cost for all the configurations. In the fourth and last problem, we permit sharing of mobile equipment among SSLs for loading biomass on tractor-trailers. We develop an efficient Benders decomposition algorithm (BA) to solve this problem. Our model formulation implicitly takes into account transportation of loadout equipment among SSLs. The BA further takes advantage of this feature of our formulation and Benders cuts. We have also proposed two fast approximate methods called Heuristics H1 and H2, both of which exploit the decision hierarchy of the problem. Computational experiments reveal efficacy of the proposed methods. Heuristic H2 generates fast and high quality solutions. However, the BA generates solution of desired accuracy (optimality gap) when not optimal. Our real-life-inspired case study has shown that 1.73–4.13% of cost reduction can be achieved by mobilizing loadout equipment in a BFSC. Also, expensive equipment leads to a greater benefit due to mobilization.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Grain Science & Industry / Dirk E. Maier / The feasibility of utilizing cellulosic biomass as an energy feedstock is dominated by factors such as facility location, feedstock availability, and transportation cost. The main goal of this research was to develop a GIS-based method that will generate more accurate biomass residue availability data as input data to biomass supply chain logistics models. This research was carried out in four objectives to ensure that, as improvement parameters were implemented, the methodology remained valid and became more accurate. The first objective compared an existing method to a proposed method to quantify feedstock availability given a facility’s location using a geographical information system. The proposed method proved to be more robust (by a factor of 1.45) than the existing method because it calculates the distance from the facility to farm fields using a real road network, and the acreage of crop-specific fields in a given service area based on crop season specific satellite images. The second objective implemented two improvement parameters to the previously proposed constant removal rate (CRR) method. It examined the effect of field-level yield variance and variable removal rates (VRR) on quantification of the feedstock availability supply for a biorefinery. The new VRR method predicted on average 113,384 ± 38,770 dry tons (DT) of additional residue per service area compared to the CRR method. The third objective further improved the VRR method by utilizing multiple crops as biomass sources and estimating VRR based on crop rotation. On average a 3,793 ± 5,733 DT per service area difference resulted when increasing the number of crop-specific VRR rates used to estimate feedstock quantification. The supplementary use of crop-specific VRR rates affected residue availability given a crop’s residue removal rate is influenced by crop yield, crop rotation, soil characteristics, as well as field location and management. The fourth objective assessed the suitability of potential feedstock storage locations (FSL) to store multi-crop biomass remotely based on a spatial and location-allocation analysis. The sensitivity analysis showed that scenario 2 (16-km; 10-mile service area) appeared to be the more cost-effective option given fewer FSLs (35) were needed and more demand points could be serviced (98.1%) compared to scenario 1 (8-km; 5-mile service area; 62.1% demand points; 50 FSLs), despite presumably higher transportation costs.

Rising world petroleum prices and global warming are contributing to interest in renewable energy sources, including energy produced from agricultural crops and waste sources of biomass. A network of small mobile pyrolysis units may be the most cost effective system to convert biomass from agricultural feedstocks to bio-crude oil. Mobile pyrolysis units could be moved to the feedstock production fields thereby greatly simplifying feedstock logistics. In the North Central (NC) region of the U.S., possible feedstocks are corn stover, energy sorghum, and switchgrass. A grid-based Geographic Information System (GIS) program was developed to identify optimum locations for mobile pyrolysis units based on feedstock availability in the NC region. Model builder was used to automate the GIS analysis. Network analysis was used to find the best route to move the mobile pyrolysis units to new locations and to identify the closest refinery to transport the bio-crude oil. To produce bioenergy from feedstocks, the removal of biomass from agricultural fields will impact the hydrology and sediment transport in rural watersheds. Therefore, the hydrologic effects of removing corn stover from corn production fields in Illinois (IL) were evaluated using the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The SWAT model was calibrated and validated for streamflow and sediment yields in the Spoon River basin in IL using observed data from the USGS. The modeling results indicated that as residue removal rates increased, evapotranspiration (ET) and sediment yields increased, while streamflows decreased. Biochar is a carbon-based byproduct of pyrolysis. To ensure that the mobile pyrolysis system is economically and environmental sustainable, the biochar must be land applied to the feedstock production fields as a soil amendment. An assessment of hydrologic changes due to the land application of biochar was made using the SWAT model in the Spoon River basin and changes in soil properties due to incorporation of biochar into the soil obtained from laboratory experiments by Cook et al. (2012). Model simulations indicated that a biochar application rate of 128 Mg/ha decreased water yield, and sediment yield in surface runoff and increased soil moisture and ET.