SBIR-STTR Award

Ethanol production is a rapidly growing industry in the United States where corn is the principal feedstock. Dried distiller grains (DDGs) are a co-product of the dry milling process, which currently accounts for approximately 75 percent of the domestic ethanol production. The production of DDGs in the U.S. was 7.3 million tons in 2004 and is expected to increase to over 16 million tons by 2012. DDGs are currently used almost exclusively as animal feed, therefore, finding alternative uses for DDGs, with greater profit potential are needed as DDGs supply increases. The problem is the DDGs contain an estimated 10% fatty oils that causes the byproduct to go rancid if not used in a relatively short time period. The opportunity is to utilize the by-product from the DDGs which could become a new standard in our horticultural industry for organic weed control and enhanced plant growth with an organic product. This organic based product has the added benefit of being plant based to avoid all the problems associated with manure based products. And, with sky rocketing fertilizer prices make this organic product more cost effective everyday just based on its fertilizer value. The potential for this product is very broad in a market that is hungry for organic based products. And the organic demand is increasing from the home gardener to golf courses to organic farming. OBJECTIVES: Our objective is to utilize Extracted DDGs (Dried Distillers Grains) for weed control and enhanced plant growth in horticultural applications. The goal of our Phase 1 is to first extract an estimated 10 percent oil from the DDGs to be sold off to reduce our cost in the DDGs while reducing a dependency on foreign oil and then to prove that Extracted DDGs can be a cost effective way to increase weed control and enhance plant growth in horticultural applications. Initial research demonstrates that Extracted DDGs was more effective than the DDGs in that they showed improved weed control, has higher nitrogen content, making the product a stable product for storage, and eliminated offensive odors associated with DDGs after applications on the ground. The anticipated results are to turn a potentially burdensome supply of low value DDGs into a valuable resource by utilizing the product, what we are calling Invive, in an organic herbicide, fertilizer and soil amendment product that we would expect to use in the horticultural industry. Invive has the potential to reduce our demand on synthetic fertilizer such as Urea Nitrogen that uses natural gas during the production process. Furthermore, we expect to prove that Invive will reduce our need to use synthetic herbicides for weed control, all while producing better results than conventional methods. APPROACH: Initial research has demonstrates that by removing the oils the extracted DDGs were more effective than the DDGs in that they showed improved weed control, has higher nitrogen content, makes the product a stable product for storage and eliminated offensive odors associated with DDGs after applications on the ground. Un-extracted DDGs contain approximately 10 percent oil by weight. We will be using two methods for removing or reducing the oil content of the DDGs. The first is using conventionally organic solvents such as hexane are used to extract oils from plant material such as soybeans which be used for feasibility. The second method will be a degermed DDGs which is a new process whereby the corn germ is removed prior to the corn being processed for ethanol production. The germ of corn contains most of the oil content. This process will produce low oil (estimated 3.5 percent) content DDGs that may prevent the product from becoming rancid and still possess the organic weed control and positive growth traits that the extruded DDGs have demonstrated. To determine the pre-emergence weed control bare ground by applying un-extracted DDGs, Extracted DDGs and Degermed both as surface applied preemergence applications and incorporated into the soil additives. A field site with a natural population of weeds will be used. A broadleaf herbicide will be applied this fall to control existing broadleaf weeds. Each treatment will be surface applied with a separate set of bare ground treatments with the products incorporated to a depth of 4 cm. The experiment will be replicated four times and visually rated for individual broadleaf and grass weed species that are present Ratings will be conducted 0.5, 1, and 2 months after treatment. There will be 14 treatments and the trials will be initiated in April to coincide with standard industry practice. We will also determine the turf quality, length of nitrogen response, growth, and weed control effects on 10 Kentucky Bluegrass varieties by applying both un-extracted DDGs, Extracted DDGs, Degermed DDGs, Urea Nitrogen and Nutralene (synthetic, slow-release nitrogen carrier) as topical applications to measure turf quality and length of response of treatments applied at 2 and 4 pounds actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet at Summit Seed Turfgrass Center. Each treatment will be replicated three times across Kentucky bluegrass varieties planted in 4-foot strips. The treatments will be applied 4 feet strips across the Kentucky bluegrass varieties yielding 4 foot by 4 foot square blocks. Digital ratings of turfgrass quality will be collected at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks after application. Summit Seed personnel will be using a relatively new digital rating system developed by Dr. Kenneth Hignight of Advanta Seed West, Albany, Oregon. The system enables us to make non bias precision ratings for the turfgrass plot evaluations. We believe this will offer us more creditability to conduct research at our turfgrass center

Ethanol production is a rapidly growing industry in the United States where corn is the principal feedstock. The dry milling process includes the whole corn kernel for ethanol production, and the co-product is dried distiller grains with solubles, DDGS, primarily used for animal feeds. The dry milling process currently accounts for approximately 75 percent of the domestic ethanol production. The problem is the DDGS contain an estimated 10 percent fatty oils that causes the co product to go rancid if not used in a relatively short time period. The opportunity is to utilize ethanol by products for use in the horticultural industry for weed control, a natural fertilizer with enhanced plant growth, and an improved absorbent natural based cat litter product. Furthermore, the oils extracted may lead to other product streams such as biodiesel products. The new uses for these co-products will develop more value to the corn ethanol industry. Commercial applications will reflect the pre-emergent herbicide, natural fertilizer, gardening, field, lawn, and small seeded annual/perennial herb application methods. Additionally, utilizing the ethanol by products as a cat litter solution is currently being researched. Anticipated results are to utilize the fertilizer product in a natural herbicide, fertilizer, and soil amendment solution for the horticultural industry. Anticipated results for the cat litter product are to sell a safe natural absorbent cat litter product to the cat litter market segments reducing the need for clumping sodium bentonite/silica cat litter. OBJECTIVES: Prior to the target start date of the cat litter product research, August 2010, a lot of the research objectives in the first year will be focused on the fertilizer product. Objectives include evaluating the ethanol by product components to determine the best component for pre-emergence weed control, field testing grinded components as to hydraulically apply the products to measure inhibiting seed germination compared to non-grinded components, measure turf quality, growth, and weed control of the best 3 components, and to determine at what rate bedding plants exhibit adverse effects when transplanted into treated soils. Objectives for the cat litter product include measuring odor management, hydration capacity, clumping quality, dust maintenance, and measuring the cat's responsiveness to the product. The fertilizer product would have to be developed since it is fairly novel to have a product that provides enhanced plant growth fertilizer and weed control. The potential is very broad in a market that is hungry for natural based products. Commercial applications will reflect the pre-emergent herbicide, natural fertilizer, gardening, field, lawn, and small seeded annual/perennial herb application methods. Additionally, utilizing the ethanol by products as a cat litter solution is currently being researched with a CRADA research agreement between Summit Seed, Inc. and ARS-USDA-NCAUR researchers. APPROACH: The goal in gathering research data will be based on standard methods collecting observable, empirical, and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. Most of the field studies will be repeated in order to provide and build on predictions on future results and studies. One key element during our rating phases, with the fertilizer product, is the use of a digital rating system. This will help in the subjective interpretations of the current digital rating methods on turf grass varieties for quality, density, color, and uniformity. Results will be documented and calculated with the industry standards for mean, median, mode, average, and standard deviations. Data will be archived with the methodologies used, and shared so they are in full disclosure as to be carefully reviewed by project consultants and researchers involved. The set goal is to have the methods and documentation setup for reproduction by other scientific personnel to help prove the validity of the data and methods. Approaching these market segments will start with eye catching packaging that communicates quality and value. Creative Point of Purchase POP at the dealer stores is a very cost effective method for marketing within the stores. Direct mailing pieces to potential dealers is another cost effective lead generation that our company has been very successful with on other products. Product website design including video presentation, power point presentation, photo gallery, text descriptions, comparison charts, comparison photos, and comparison videos will be implemented. Additionally, brochures, e-mail newsletters, online banner advertisements, and specialty trade shows are within budget terms in the early introduction of the products. With a leading sales workforce Summit Seed, Inc. will push the product brands and continue with follow up phone calls. These will be generated from all of the advertising venues listed in the previous paragraph and to ensure that the customers have all of the information in front of them and to answer any questions they may have of the newly introduced products