Prof. Goldfarb and Prof. Lehmann (Cornell Soil Sciences) will join forces on a new 3-yr USDA-funded project to design a flexible thermochemical conversion pathway that converts seasonally available biomasses to biofuels and bioproducts. In Central and Upstate New York, concerns over run-off from dairy and agricultural activities such as grape cultivation, cabbage, corn and hay farming could be assuaged by a new integrated biorefinery. The process design focuses on biomasses specific to NY industries. It will produce soil amendments that act as slow-release fertilizers to mitigate excess nutrient run-off, as well as activated carbon adsorbents to sequester water contaminants, preventing future Hazardous Algal Blooms and protecting drinking water supplies.
