Leftover straw gets new life

Agricultural Research, April, 2002 by Marcia Wood

"We're starting by looking at the characteristics needed for the end product, such as strength, tear resistance, and market appeal," Orts points out. "Then we'll look at the processing that will ensure that the agricultural fibers will have the requisite properties. For this research, we'll be using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermomechanical analysis.

"The approaches, or recipes, we develop in the laboratory can next be tested on a larger scale under manufacturing conditions in our pilot plant at the Albany center," says Orts. "Then we'll work with our corporate colleagues for industry-scale testing. This scaling up should help us make sure we overcome any potential barriers to commercializing the product."

The center's 35,000-square-foot pilot plant is undergoing a $20 million renovation, scheduled for completion in 2006. This updating will make the plant one of the most modern facilities of its kind in the western United States.

Equipment at the pilot plant is suitable for processing several different agricultural fibers--not just rice and wheat straw. "We've started testing rice hulls and flax," says Orts. "We're interested in many different alternative fibers because we want to meet the needs of a wide range of growers and producers--those who have to deal with leftovers."

He adds, "The fibers are neither profitable for producers nor an economical raw material for manufacturers unless they can be used within a relatively short distance from where they were produced. Otherwise, transportation costs take too big a bite out of potential profits."

Because of the need to be near to the agricultural source, these regional plants, sometimes called biorefineries, might be smaller than conventional manufacturing facilities.

The demand for biodegradable products continues to increase. Experts estimate that goods made in part from renewable resources will make up 10 percent of all American manufacturing by 2020 and 50 percent by 2050. "People feel good about buying these `green' items," says Orts. "Increasing use of agricultural fibers is one way to give consumers more choices of environmentally friendly products."

This research is part of Quality and Utilization of Agricultural Products, an ARS National Program (#306) described on the World Wide Web at http://www.nps.ars.usda.gov.

William J. Orts is in the USDA-ARS Bioproduct Chemistry and Engineering Research Unit, Western Regional Research Center, 800 Buchanan St., Albany, CA 94710; phone (510) 559-5730, fax (510) 559-5936, e-mail orts@pw.usda.gov.