Bioproducts

Triple BIO^TM: BIOAg, Bioenergy and Bioproducts Program

One of the key bioenergy opportunities currently being researched in generally called bioproducts. A bioproduct is any value-added product produced from biomass, such as energy (power and heat), fuels, and chemicals, etc. The critical role of bioproducts is that they replace the use of fossil fuels for many of the products we depend on every day. Historically, most bioenergy facilities have been developed for either waste-management (ie. anaerobic digestion of dairy manure) or the production of commodities such as energy and fuel. More recently, the concept of a biorefinery has driven much of the bioproduct research -- with the idea that multiple co-products are produced from a single (or multiple) biomass feedstocks.

For instance, dairy manure can be processed into electricity, heat, liquid fuel, potted plant substrate, carbon dioxide, fertilizers, chemical-grade hydrogen, and other chemical compounds. If many of these co-products are produced, the potential return on investment (ROI) for anaerobic digestion of dairy manure is dramatically improved (est. increase from $73 / cow to $400 / cow annually).

In addition to research on anaerobic digestion of dairy manure, the Agri-Environmental and Bioproducts Engineering Research Group of WSU's Biological Systems Engineering is developing a number of other bioproducts. This research group focuses on the conversion of low to negative value agricultural biomass waste streams (unique to the Pacific Northwest) into higher value products through natural processes such as fermentation and anaerobic digestion. Examples of their research include:

In addition, AEBE has conducted research identifying the theoretically available biomass resources for Eastern Washington. The Biomass Inventory and Assessment is available from the Washington State Department of Ecology.

For more information, contact Craig Frear (cfrear@wsu.edu or 509-335-1057).

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Updated May 11, 2006