Achievement

Trainee Steve Zicari made significant research progress on outcomes for the sugar beet to energy project during the 2012-2013 academic year. Notably, laboratory scale work that was initiated last year investigating a non-traditional processing scheme for converting sugar beets into ethanol and biogas energy was scaled up to pilot scale. Technical and economic evaluations of the pilot demonstration were sufficient to support achievement of a significant ($5MM) follow-on grant to construct a demonstration scale facility in California within the next 18 months. A copy of the recent press release can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/XUDOnr. A provisional patent has been filed recently describing the process developed with both the IGERT trainee and PI listed as co-inventors with additional industry partners.