Graduate Research Assistantship
in Energy Beet Juice Processing & Storage
Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering (ABEN)
North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
Research Program
You will have the opportunity to help establish energy beetsas a source of industrial sugars by evaluating alternative methods for thick raw juice storage, testing the fermentability of the stored juice, and improving methods for pilot-scale concentration of rawjuice. This research will contribute to a multidisciplinary project; the project rationale is summarized below. You will design and carry out original, experiment-based research in this area, and present your results at a national scientific meeting and in peer-reviewed scientific journals. You will work with professionals in industry and at North Dakota State University. Research will be augmented by formal coursework in the areas of biofuels, bioproducts & food process engineering, instrumentation and measurements, and other, appropriate elective courses in science, engineering, statistics and economics.
One graduate research assistantship will be awarded in Spring 2015. Preference will be given to applicants for the Master of Science (M.S.) program in ABEN;however, applicants to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in ABEN will also be considered.The assistantship will be $18,800/year for M.S. (two years) or $22,000/year for Ph.D. (three years), plus tuition waiver, beginning in July or August 2015.
Closing Date
Screening of applicants will begin March16, 2015; however, later applications may be considereduntilthe assistantship is awarded.
Qualifications
Prospective students must 1) hold a baccalaureate degree in engineering, or 2) have taken the equivalent of basic undergraduate engineering courses and show potential to undertake advanced study and research as evidenced by academic performance and experience. Candidates must also meet the admission requirements of NDSU's GraduateSchooland the Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering Department. Preference will be shown for candidates with previous experience and coursework in biofuels, bioproducts,food processing engineering, and chemistry related to the above project. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
(see also
For More Information
Dr. Dennis P. Wiesenborn, Professor
Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering Department, North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND 581086050, United States of America
E-mail:
Phone: (701) 2317277, Fax: (701) 2311008
Rationale for this project:Energy beets are special sugarbeet varieties under development to yield highquantities of sugars. The sugarsmay be used to produce value-added chemicals and biofuels,many of which are currently produced from or compete with non-renewable sources such as petroleum.These beet varieties have significant potential to compete with corn grain as an important source of industrial sugars in the U.S. Industrial sugarsmay be fermented to ethanol and other biofuels without costly pretreatment. Despite this great potential of energy beets, the crop has high moisture content, which is a challenge for transportation and storage. Additionally, energy-intensive practices accepted in the beet table sugar industry are not justifiable if the ultimate goal is reduction of greenhouse gases. These issues have prompted a search for alternative methods for transportation, storage and processing of beets that would reduce energy inputs, allow yearlong industrial operation, and contribute to meaningful reduction of greenhouse gases. The focus of this research is on the conversion of raw beet juice to a concentrated form that is shelf stable and can be readily transported by tanker truck or rail for fermentation at another site. The research proposed here would help identify and establish the best alternatives through processing, storage and fermentation tests as well as computer modeling. This would be accomplished through an interdisciplinary partnership between NDSU and SDSU, and contribute to ongoing efforts by the private and public sectors to establish an energy beet biofuels industry in the North Central U.S.