Posts Tagged ‘Justin Bannister’

Article courtesy of NMSU News Center

NMSU Photo by Darren Phillips

WRITER: Justin Bannister, 575-646-5981, jbannist@nmsu.edu

CONTACT: Nirmal Khandan, 575-646-5378, nkhandan@nmsu.edu

New Mexico State University is working to transform bubbling pools of algae into both a sustainable source for fuel as well as a sustainable industry for New Mexico. To complement this research, NMSU is now also growing its own algae in slime-filled vats called “raceway reactors” at the university’s Fabian Garcia Science Center in Las Cruces.

“At NMSU, we’ve developed significant expertise in the algal biofuel area over the past few years. Not many universities are doing the entire process starting from cultivation all the way to fuel testing,” said Nirmal Khandan, a civil engineering professor at NMSU.

Khandan said only a handful of universities across the country are producing their own algae for research. Once at full capacity, his group will produce four kilograms, nearly nine pounds, of dry algae a month to hand over to other NMSU researchers for their algae work.

“For a university, on a research scale, producing four kilograms of dry algae a month is on the high end,” Khandan said. “Considering we started four years ago from scratch, this is impressive. More importantly, we’re also able to train master’s and Ph.D. students in this emerging field and compete with major universities for funding in this area.”

NMSU is currently cultivating the algae in two 1,000-liter raceway ponds at the Fabian Garcia Science Center. Raceway ponds allow algae to grow and multiply while flowing in a circular pattern around the pond. Construction on another two 1,000-liter raceway ponds, as well as a 4,000-liter photobioreacter, which controls the conditions for algae growth, will be completed by April 2011.

Khandan’s students extract algae each day from the ponds while working to find the right mixture of light and nutrients for maximum yield. His student team was also one of 40 teams selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to receive a $10,000 grant to modify and improve the efficiency of the algae extraction process. In May 2011, his team will present its design at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to compete for another $75,000 in grant money.

The green crude they extract supports research for NMSU’s two major algae-based fuel projects, a $44 million collaborative study funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to commercialize algae-based fuel and a $2.3 million project with the University of Central Florida to study algae-based jet fuel for the U.S. Air Force.

NMSU has a separate partnership with the Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management, a private company, which leases space at NMSU’s Agricultural Science Center at Artesia to grow and test algae.

Release courtesy of NMSU News Center

WRITER: Justin Bannister, 575-646-5981, jbannist@nmsu.edu

CONTACT: Sara Pirayesh Sanders, 575-646-7036, npirayes@ad.nmsu.edu

New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center Entrepreneurship Institute is looking for entrepreneurs and innovators in need of business assistance. Clients selected will receive specialized support as well as relevant, timely and practical business research.

“Entrepreneurship is a key component of reinvigorating the economy,” said Sara Pirayesh Sanders, entrepreneurship director for the Arrowhead Center. “Business research is critical to the success of small businesses because it allows you to have a better understanding of where you are and where you’re going.”

Services are customized to fit start-up businesses as well as established ones. Assistance is available to all business types. Businesses are chosen on a variety of factors, including the degree to which they contribute to economic development in New Mexico.

The deadline for project submissions is Jan. 15, 2011. The submission form is available online at http://arrowhead.nmsu.edu/arrowheadcenter/entrepreneurship/business-assistance.html.

The Arrowhead Center promotes economic and business development in New Mexico through a wide range of services, including entrepreneurship development, technology-based business incubation, policy analysis, assistance with intellectual property, and by managing NMSU’s Business and Research Park. Since its inception in 2004, it has completed more than 200 business research projects involving more than 300 graduate and undergraduate students.

For more information, call 575-646-7036 or visit http://arrowheadcenter.nmsu.edu.

By Justin Bannister, University Communications for the Las Cruces Sun-News

Photo courtesy of Darren Phillips, NMSU

The U.S. military wants New Mexico State University to find improved ways to turn algae into a sustainable source for jet fuel. The research project is part of a $2.346 million grant funded by the Air Force where NMSU will study better ways to grow algae and refine its oil while working with the University of Central Florida to determine the effects of algae-based fuel on jet engines.

“Demand for petroleum will eventually outpace the supply,” said Shuguang Deng, a chemical engineering professor at NMSU and the lead researcher on the project. “The use of petroleum-based jet fuel is not sustainable and negatively impacts the environment. That’s a national security issue.”

Deng said the U.S. Department of Defense consumes 4.6 billion gallons of jet fuel each year and all airplanes globally consume approximately 80 billion gallons of jet fuel yearly. He believes with that level of consumption, the sustainable use of biofuels for aviation has the potential to create far-reaching military and commercial development opportunities.

The researched outlined by the grant is meant to develop the technologies needed to establish a viable algal biofuel alternative for replacing petroleum-based jet fuel in the U.S. military. The main tasks focus on cultivating algae, extracting its oils and developing other useful products during this process. Researchers will also study the effects of biofuels on engine operations, the process for scaling-up operations and the overall economics of the algae production process.

Deng said the project will combine the strengths in research programs at NMSU and UCF to develop sustainable biofuels for aviation, train engineers in the field and potentially develop new business opportunities in both New Mexico and Florida.

“Algal biofuels look very promising, but there are a lot of technical issues,” Deng said. “Algae have the highest energy content of plants. Only algae can meet the demand for a renewable energy source. I expect that in five to 10 years, we’ll start seeing algal biofuels on the market.”

Deng said researchers must increase the biomass weight of algae, increase the lipid content and focus on harvesting and extraction techniques. The work is being done as part of NMSU’s newly created Algal Bioenergy Program, a centralized effort to coordinate research and economic development opportunities related to fuels made from algae.

New Mexico is recognized as an ideal location for growing algae because it has lots of high-intensity sunshine, relatively few cloudy days and access to brackish water supplies, which can be used to grow algae.

Other NMSU researchers involved in this project include Nirmala Khandan and Hongmei Luo in the College of Engineering; Jiannong Xu and Wayne Van Voorhies in the College of Arts and Sciences; Shannon Ivey and Tanner Schaub in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences; and Meghan Starbuck in the College of Business.

Release courtesy of NMSU News Center

July 26, 2010

NMSU photo by Harrison Brooks

WRITER: Justin Bannister, 575-646-5981, jbannist@nmsu.edu

CONTACT: Vickie Galindo, 575-646-5265, vigalind@nmsu.edu

The U.S. Economic Development Administration has awarded New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center a $1.5 million grant for infrastructure improvements to the Arrowhead Business and Research Park and to expand the newly created Arrowhead Drive.

The Arrowhead Business and Research Park covers 224 acres at the southern end of NMSU‘s Las Cruces campus between Interstates 10 and 25. Its goal is to link scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs in developing emerging technologies that contribute to the state’s economic development.

“This funding will help the park continue its expansion and aid us in attracting companies seeking to work with NMSU faculty members and students,” said Pam Wood, research park director.

The university completed a mile-long extension of Payne Street through the research park earlier this year. This new grant will allow the university to expand that section of road, now named Arrowhead Drive, from two lanes to four. The grant will also allow NMSU to finish the park’s wastewater system, to install street lighting and to conduct an engineering study to help better plan for the next stages of development.

The Arrowhead Center won a similar, $900,000 grant from the EDA to help pay for construction on the first part of Arrowhead Drive and its accompanying utilities. Other money for that project came from the state of New Mexico, local road funds, the New Mexico Department of Transportation and NMSU.

“These investments by the Economic Development Administration and other partners are not only making the park more accessible and attractive to new businesses, they’re also helping lay the groundwork for a lot of exciting developments yet to come,” said Vickie Galindo, Arrowhead’s director of business development.

The Arrowhead Business and Research Park’s most recently completed building, Spaceplex 2, is home to General Dynamics and opened last summer. The park’s next building will be more than 8,000 square feet and broken into smaller, 1,700-square-foot pads for businesses intending to establish themselves before jumping into larger spaces. That building is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in the coming weeks.

Other plans for the research park include working with the Las Cruces Public School District to construct an early college high school where high school students could take college-level courses for credit.

Article courtesy of NMSU News Center

Photo by Fred Shepherd

April 27, 2010
WRITER: Justin Bannister, (575) 646-5981, jbannist@nmsu.edu
CONTACT: Vicki Galindo, (575) 646-5265, vigalind@nmsu.edu

A mile-long extension of Payne Street through New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Business and Research Park is now open. The new road, and its accompanying underground utilities, will allow for the park’s continued growth and better connect it with the rest of campus.

“Without this road, we couldn’t continue developing the park,” said Garrey Carruthers, dean of the NMSU College of Business and vice president for economic development. “This road lays the infrastructure necessary to help us attract the kinds of companies that hire our students, offer internships and create jobs in the region.”

The 257-acre business and research park is located on the south end of NMSU’s Las Cruces campus between Interstates 10 and 25. The new road extension stretches south, through the park, from the intersection of Payne and Wells streets to Sam Steel Way.

“Academically, this research park is a place where our students will eventually be engaged in hands-on applications, working with companies in search of solutions that they have identified in the classroom,” said Kevin Boberg, CEO of the Arrowhead Center. “Economically, it’s estimated that once fully developed, the entire research park could contain more than two million square feet of office and lab space where 5,000 to 6,000 people would work. This road enables us to realize those benefits.”

The road project represents nearly $2 million in investments, including a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Other money for the project came from the state of New Mexico, local road funds, the New Mexico Department of Transportation and NMSU.

Photo by Fred Shepherd

The first 11 acres of the park under development are adjacent to the new road. The most recently completed building, Spaceplex 2, is home to General Dynamics and opened last summer. The park’s next building will be more than 8,000 square feet and broken into smaller, 1,700-square-foot pads for businesses intending to establish themselves before jumping into larger spaces. That building is currently under construction with an occupancy date set for later this summer.

Other plans for the research park include working with the Las Cruces Public School District to construct an early college high school where high school students could take college-level courses for credit.

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