xt7s4m91cv35 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7s4m91cv35/data/mets.xml University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Kentucky University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies 2010 volumes. Call Number: LD2762.9 .K38c. Accession Number: 2018ua049 journals LD2762.9 .K38c English Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection University of Kentucky Odyssey Magazine Research -- Kentucky -- Periodicals Education -- Research -- Periodicals Research -- Kentucky Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research and Graduate Studies, Fall 2010 text images Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research and Graduate Studies, Fall 2010 2010 2010 2026 true xt7s4m91cv35 section xt7s4m91cv35 FALL 2010

YS A‘Y

)

° Unlocking the equine genetie code

0 Engineeringr horse 8 rider safety

UK»

l‘NI\'l'R\II'\ U}

“dd KENTUCKY”

Equine Research 1
UK serves Kentuckians 8 the horse industry
Unlocking the equine genetic code
UK‘s Livestock Disease Diagnostic (Ienter
Engineering horse 8 rider s21 fety

Stimulus Research 10

UK successfully secures stimulus funds

Energy Research 13 I

6 ways to get rid of carbon

(\L‘rihlitlmltU\t'l'\Il1<'lilIC\[

Hl l'l\‘\

Utlysscr is pulvlislietl ln llIL‘ Ullitc ol the \ 1L c l’i'esidt-nt for R
resmi'tlr il(l\illlkk'\. innmuiw \kllﬂlillNllll‘. .ind Ullhlillikllllg pcnplt‘ ili.ii rue pru‘l
i’esctu'cli enterprise.

.-\n liqual Opportunity l'niwrsm
©1010Universin of Kentuclu

KEN'l‘UCKY

he horse is an undeniable
UK SEWQS emblem of the culture and history
KenkalanS of (Zentral Kentucky. Kentucky’s

E; the horse lﬂdllSt signature equine industry contributes
ry $4 billion annually to the economy

and generates 80,000 to 100,000

jobs. Since 1987, the University of Kentucky’s Maxwell H. Cluck Equine
Research (ienter has been the nexus for scientific discovery, education and
outreach on equine health. 'lhe (iluck Center, part of the UK College of
Agriculture‘s Department of Veterinary Science. has had an international
impact on equine research. \'et Science faculty collaborate on research
proiects \\ ith lacultv in the UK colleges of agriculture and medicine, with vets
in (Ientral Kentucky and scientists around the world. The (iluck Center has:

0 Wm idecl leadership in the sequencing olithe complete horse genome
and structural charac teri/ation of horse genes (see p. ll

' Developed six maior vaccines to protect against strangles, equine
inlluen/a. equine rhintipneumonitis. equine viral arteritis, and shaker
loal svnclrome and \aliclatecl the ellicacv of the equine rota\irus
\acc inc-

0 l)e\elopecl diagnostic tests lior contagious equine metritis. 'l‘v/zer's
disease. equine proto/oal inveloencephalitis. equine lierpesvirus

inveloenc eplialopatliv, strangles, and equine \‘iral arteritis

llllllI'n'”

“WW—1w

Developed the enzyme—linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test.
Based on technology from UK researchers David Watt, Tom Tobin
and Daniel Tai, the test detects more than 100 performance-
enhancing drugs in horses. These researchers formed WTT, one of
UK’s first successful spin—off companies. Neogen, an international
food and animal safety corporation, acquired W in 1991. Since
then, Neogen has returned $1.9 million in royalties to UK.

' cues are destiny. DNA
Unlkamg the holds the secret to life. “These are
equme genetlc COde phrases that leap to people’s minds

when you talk about genetics.“ says

Ernest Bailey, an immunogenetics
researcher and professor at the UK Maxwell ll. Cluck Equine Research
Center. “While the human genome project has taught us, unfortunately that
there aren’t simple fixes for cancer or heart disease lurking inside our genetic
code. the reality is that gene sequencing is to this century what vaccines and
antibiotics were to the 20th century."

Bailey‘s genomics work began in W94. when he and a group of equine
scientists began to discuss their mutual interest in creating a genome
map to help them battle equine diseases. \Vith support h‘om the Morris
Animal Foundation and the Dorothy Russell llaVemeyer Foundation. 70
international scientists came to Lexington in 1995 to start to map the 32
pairs of chromosomes in the horse genome. Each chromosome is a long
chain of DNA. The horse genome contains 20.000 genes pieces of DNA
which code for proteins and enxymes

"lhe human genome project revealed that only 3 percent of DNA makes
genes. A whopping 9? percent of DNA does not code for proteins. but
this so-called ‘junlt‘ has all of the transcribed messages that executed the

i“ 2-: 2% it

3")

s
»

design. That 97 percent is where
the action is,” Bailey says with a
smile.

“By 2004 we had our gene
map, we could identify point-
tor—point where the genes for the
horse existed. and we could even
use the human genome to predict
the sequence of the horse genes.
hut we could not reliably predict
the .ittivity of horse genes lmsed
on the llLllllllIl sequente. \‘l’e
needed to lxnow What \\';Is in
that 9— pertent ot miseelliineous
l).\:\.v

ltt 100i

group ol

\xhen the inter—

n.ttion.il stientists

.ii'titttl.tted the “\\hole horse
genome" .is their go.il. it seemed
lll\(' .l pipedreum. Bailey e\pl.iins
th.it the hum.tn genome proieet
tost \i liillion. the klllkle‘Il
genome \\.l\ Sol) million. .ind
the t.tttle genome \\;is $50
million. “lhere iust isn‘t [lllll
l\lll(l ol money for .m .tninml
\\ e don‘t lit‘eed to eat." he says.
But in 1003 the [hold lnstitute
in Boston. \\here the human
genome sequenting too|\ plate.
\\.is looking lor .tnother species
to sequent e. rind. lieutuse ol the
disertses Builey .tnd his group

\\ ere \\ .tnting to study. the horse

\\ its selet ted. 'lhe equine genome

James MacLeod (left). the John S. and Eliza-
beth A. Knight chair at the Maxwell H. Gluck
Equine Research Center, and graduate stu-
dent Jennifer Janes are both veterinarians in
the Department of Veterinary Science.

MacLeod, director of UK's Equine Initia-
tive, came to UK from Cornell in 2004 and
studies osteoarthritis in horses. In 2009, he
received more than $1 million from the Na—
tional Science Foundation to develop com-
puter—based methods to study gene ex-
pression. “We used to think that one gene
produced only one protein, but genome
sequencing has revealed that one gene can
generate multiple proteins. Through RNA se-
quencing and our computational strategies,
we can sort out these gene products. The
methods allow scientists to assess the ‘whole
forest' (whole genome) before we pick our
‘trees’ (individual genes) to study at greater
detail,“ says MacLeod.

Janes, who recently received a $100,000
grant from the Morris Animal Foundation, is
studying wobbler syndrome. a devastating
neurological disease that pinches the spinal
cord and causes a horse to lose coordination.
Janes is working simultaneously on a PhD.
at the Gluck Center with MacLeod and board
certification in pathology with Dr. Neil Wil—
liams, associate director of the UK Livestock

Disease Diagnostic Center.

was sequenced in 2006, and
by 2007 two assemblies were
completed. Bailey adds that
a computer algorithm ﬁts the
eorresponding pieces of DNA
together to make 2111 assembly.
The horse genome Lost an
estimated $15 million‘ and
this newtoiind genetie treasure
[i'm'e is oiiliiie for stientists
.ill oVer the world to use.
Antitipating the next question,
Bailey says: “l low tlo st ientists
tise genetits to stittl_\' tlisetises?
lliree “ins: ion tan tle\elop a
test loi‘ a simple genetit tlelet t,
\oti tan \lltth tliaiiges in gene
e\pi‘ession. aiitl \‘Hll tan sttith
toniple\ tliseases that are a
toniliinatioii «it geiietit and
em n’oiiiiieiital lat tors."
lliaiilxs to this pi'oiett.
stlt‘l]ll\l\ at the (.ltitL ( enter
h.i\e tle\elopetl a ntiiiilier Ul
simple tests litt' gt‘tit'llt tlt'lt't Ix
lil\e tilllltllltms that taiise

Ll\\ill'll\lll iii iiiiiiiattii'e horses

and a shiteslonghnig tlisease
iii satltlleliretls. But l’iailet says the real promise ol the horse genome is iii
studying gene e\pression. “l'.\ er\'tliing ti'iitn \\llil[ \‘iiti teetl ii horse to l]U\\
niueh it exei‘tises Llltlllfj‘tW gene e\pi‘ession. \\e'\e iie\ei’ liatl ii tool ltetoi‘e
that allowed us to lUUl\ at those ehanges. \Vitli toinple\ tliseases. lil\e
laminitisia hoot inflammation that ends rating \.ll'L‘t'l\i.lIl(l a iitiniliei'
of. respiratory eontlitions. the genome \\ ill help us tintlerstantl the tintlei’l} iiig
(times and lL‘JLl to lietter management pi'attit es. ( iL‘Ht‘l lL\ might help its t me
some things. liut it will .ihsolutely help its tle\'elop nioi'e etlet tn e treatments

tor the most toinple\ and tlt‘hhl‘llllig equine diseases."

UK) S Livestock onstruction crews have

been hard at work at the corner

DiS€aS€ Diagnostlc ol plewtown Pike and Citation
Center Bou evard With the rapid expansion

of the University of Kentucky‘s
Liyestoek Disease Diagnostie Center (LDDC). Funded by a state
appropriation. the $28.5 million expansion will double the size of the existing
latility. \yhieh underseores the importanee of proteeting the health of
Kentue lyy’s animalsra eharge the tenter has had since its ereation.

'lhe lsentuelx'y Department ol Agrieulture established the LDDC in
the early 197k as a way to quieldy diagnose disease outbreaks in farm
animals. 'lhe lab. non operated by the Uniyersity of lsentttelx'y. otters tests
to help \eterinariaus diagnose and treat diseases. Partnering \yith the state
\eteriuariau's ollie e. the l [H X :‘s new stateyyide Animal Health Information
Management \ystem t an trat l\ lotal disease patterns and \yarn larm managers
and \ eterinarians ol emerging epidemit s.

lhe l lll K also identilies disease outbreaks by eondueting neeropsies—
animal autopsiesn on In estot l\. L ompanioiL and \\ ild animals. l)ireetor(iraig
( arter etupliasi/es that the l [)1 X is a “lile lab": “lay erything \\ e do is to sa\ e
liyes. lhe tntormation gained lrom the loss ol one animal might sa\ e l() or 20
or lllll." llie L enter tonduets the most equine ueeropsies in the world due to
its pro\imit\ to ( entral lsentutlo‘s horse larms. 'lhe l,l)l)(i handles 3.000
net ropstes and olHHHl t liuital eases per year. 'lhe ;\meriean ;\ssoeiation ol
Veterinary laboratory lhaguostie ians reeently a\\arded the l,l)l)(i national
attt‘editatiou. "a gold star" in (,arter‘s \yords. lor its testing proeedttres tor
tll stit't It'N.

l Ill X latttlty members speeiali/e in pathology. elinieal pathology.
ll.lytt'l‘lttltlg_\'_ molt-tular biology. serology. eliuieal toxieology. yirology. and
epidemiology. ilhe eeuter‘s eurrent researeh proieets inelude studies on
nobbler syndrome. toutt'aeted loal syndrome. eontagious equine metritis.

Ian sousa Intuit e/lu/aris. and uterine artery ruptttre.

Engineering horse 8 rider safety

tlilctcs Shouldn‘t die if
they make one small mistakc." This
phrase \\dS unm‘cd over and ()\'Cl'
at tlic press wnfcrcntcs following
tlic dcntli ()li Olympit lngcr \ndnr
Knnmritnsln'ili in \"nnunn'cr last
winter. ln tlic \\ rcltx alter [liis [rngic
incident, [lie spchl olr tlic unn’sc. IlK‘
licigln (it [lie \\‘(ills anal llu‘ PHHCL In t
systems \\‘cri‘ Illllkll (limiixxul.
L‘lnpll.l\l/lllf_{ tlic i'pspmnxilnlity ()l‘
\I\()H\ unn‘xt‘ tlt‘xigncrx IO pi‘mitlt‘
lllt‘ salt-st unnpctiiiun unimnnn-m
pimililc. ;\ rcxun‘tli {mm in l'l\ lt‘tl
lnNn/(lnnt'Smiiliistlcl\innimnnan
\lk’ t;lll\ llh’ “emerging \pu lilll_\ " ()l
\poriAxiilbn' L‘nginwring.
\niitli. n nn‘tlmnitnl Ungim‘cr
\\‘lin \iiitlit'x nnnimL mix. "llivi'v
,n‘L‘ Lliiut pinnllclx in UlllL‘l' \pm'Ix

intlutling (nnnminiw rating (Ultl

tlic cqucstrizm sport of eventing.“
livcnting. an Olympic sport \\'lllLl]
will lk‘ featured at the \Vorld
l‘lqiicstrian (Limos in licxington. is
tlic trintlilon of cqucxtrinn sportx
inLanling tlrcsmigc. gm» mnntri'
:inal \L’ltllllll] inmping.

’l ii pin Ilic rixlx (iliinim‘ytlnring[lic
kl'()\\ uninir) PlLlSC in pcrspuiiw.
\miili tin-x wmc smiisiim. ll. ii
lim‘xc \mpx \nthlcnly .mil tln‘ riilt'r
liillx Ull. [licrt'K i1 3 pi’ru‘ni Lllilllkk‘
ml iniin‘y. ll lllk‘ lliH‘Sk‘ lnllx illltl lln‘
I'lLlL'l' liillx. iln‘i‘t‘K ,1 — PL'R \‘HI t lILIHtL‘
lllk‘ I'ltlk‘l' \\ill llt‘ \t‘i‘imnxli iniin'ul
“l'nn iI lllL‘ lnn‘w \llllllllt‘l\illlll\ rrrrr
Lilltln‘x llx ll'nlll lt‘gx rm il inin
(lllkl llipx mm; wnn'linim l.lllkllllf_"
«in Iln' ritlt'riwiln'rt'ix INHR‘ [lHH 41
V) pun-in tliimu‘ Iln‘ riilt-r \\ill ln‘

wrimnxl} lHllll'L‘Ll in lnllyil." 'lln'w

so—called “rotational falls” are rare,
but devastating. And they happen
when the horse contacts something
that’s immovable, and cross country
features a wide range of immovable
objects, like fences, gates and walls.

A decade ago British engineers
developed the “fTangible pin” safety
systemdhesebreak—awaypinsallow
part or all of the iump to collapse if
hit with enough impact. \While these
pins have been widely implemented.
they don‘t address the safety of
other kinds of iumps—that‘s where
Smith comes in. W'ith funding fTom
the U5. Equestrian Federation and
the U5. liventing Association, a
dozen UK faculty and students from
mechanical, materials, hiosystems
and agricultural engineering.
and construction management are
working together to develop new
standards and evaluate new devices
to improve eventing safety.

The UK team is studying the
physics involved through motion
tracking (using high—speed cameras
that capture a thousand fTames per
second) to test new safety devices.
The team is simulating the force
of a horse striking a jump with a
the kind civil
engineers Lise to test bridges. “We
can measure the amount of force

lab sledgehammer

required to activate a safety device,"
Smith explains. “In cross country.

horses contact the obstacles 25 percent
of the time, and they hit hard. With
another horse and rider coming up to
that obstacle in two to four minutes,
the device has to be reset. We’re trying
to evaluate the difference between a
‘regular’ hard hoof strike and one that
precedes a catastrophic accident to
fine tune new devices."

At the 2010 Lexington Rolex
'fhree‘Day Event, one of the five four-
star events worldwide, the UK team
premiered a woodAfoam composite
fence they developed. “It has the
traditional look of wood but has a
foam center, so it gives and breaks at
a certain force.” Smith explains. “ibis
composite was used in a practice fence
in the warm—up area at the Rolex.

“By testing otir designs, and
designs that have been developed all
over the world, we can help the sport
establish standards for safety devices,
and advise course builders on the
right way to implement these devices

to save the lives of riders and horses.”

he University of
UK succe$8fuuy Kentucky has received $92.6
secures Stlmulus ﬁlnds million in eompetitive federal

grant funding through the

American Reeorery and Rein-

vestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). UK‘s \"it e President for Resetirth James

\W. Tracy says. “In these tough etonomie times. the things that will pttsh

UK closer to Top 20 sttttus remain the same—great people. new titeilities

and lending—edge [ethnology UK is using these funds to .id\'.int e its 'lop ll)

resettrth Agenda. to ttttmtt e\tellent littulti'. .tnd tr.tin the ne\t geneixition ol
st‘holurs rind st ientists."

llls‘s ;\l{l{.-\ gmnts. wltitlt rttn the gttmttt trout [iltlltlrlhht'tl fuels to

tttttism training lot‘ te.1t hers. not only lullill ntition.1l gottls on renew .tlile energw

tmd ioli tretttion. they ttlso Lit l\le our “|\entut l\\ lglies." [his term. toinetl

lw' l'l\ l’resident lee l. lotld. Ira. dest rtlies the tontltttons tlttt li.t\e held
l\enttttl\itms lth tor generations ~ poxem. pool llt‘tlllll ette .md illitemu.
lit Addressing ottr stttte‘s luggest litutltli prolilems. lll\k tlllk sit\ tlIltl Klltlllk‘lk‘N
the l'ni\ersit\ ol l\entutl\\ ttm help people int llktllllllk I. more prodtn tne

li\ es.

CAER to expand with $11.8 million NIST grant

The U5. (iommeree Department‘s National Institute of Standards and
'leehnology (NIST) awarded $11.8 million in ARRA funding to support the
expansion of [7k‘s (Zenter for Applied Energy Research (CAER). This grant
is heing mntehed with 53 million from the Commonwealth of Kentucky
(Ind 51 million from his to tomplele the $15.8 million project. CAER
Direttor Rodney Andrews is the prineipttl investigator on this grant whieh
will sigiiitit.iiitl\ e\p.md the 3(l—yettr~old tenter with ti new 36.()()()7squttre—
toot liuilding tletlit.itetl to researth in the hiomttss .ind liiotuels industries.
.tstnt ed distriliutetl power generattion .md storage. and teehnologies for
elettrit \elutles. lhe t.ttilit\' will intlude l.1l>s tor protess dewlopment.
proton pe mtmttlttt ttn‘ing rind testing. .ls well .ts Applied rese.u‘th on litttteries.
t ttpttt ttors. solo energ\ nittteruls. tmtl lnoluels. lhe proiett is e\petted to lie
tonipleted in summer 11)] l.

UK wins $6.4 million grant for rodent laboratory

UK received a $6.4 million ARRA grant to build a new laboratory for
collecting, maintaining and storing rodent sperm and embryos for use in
genetic research on conditions like cardiovascular disease. The grant from
the National Center for Research Resources, part of the National Institutes
of Health, will support the 9,026-square-foot laboratory’s construction as
part of a fourth—floor renovation of the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging.
The laboratory will be comprised of three facilities, in which researchers
will cryogenically preserve sperm and embryos; provide sterile barriers to
maintain research—project integrity; and isolate specimens ofspecific strains
with certain microbial characteristics to meet researchers’ needs. UK Vice
President for Research James W. Tracy is the principal investigator on the
project. The laboratory will serve researchers from across the university.

UK gets $6 million grant to promote
electronic health records

The US. Department of Health and Human Services awarded more than
$6 million in ARRA funding to UK to assist Kentucky physicians with
maximizing the use of electronic health records. UK will establish the
first Kentucky—based Health Information Technology Regional Extension
Center (REC) solely focused on serving Kentucky health care practitioners.
This investment will help grow the emerging health information technology
industry, which is expected to support tens
of thousands of jobs ranging from nurses
and pharmacy techs to IT technicians and
trainers. UK‘s REC partners include the
University of Louisville, Kentucky’s Area
Health Education Centers, Health (Late
Excel, and HealthBridge. Carol Steltenkamp,
UK‘s chief medical information officer.
says that electronic health records will
improve patient care across the state:
“RECs will focus on helping health care
practitioners in small practices, and small-
community and critical—access hospitals,
on how best to utilize electronic medical
records and health information technology."

Energy Research

6 ways to get rid of carbon

In Kentucky coal is king: more than 90 percent of our
electricity comes from coal. Nationally 50 percent of power
production is coal based. Coal is abundant (the United Sates
still has 300 billion tons of coal) and cheap (Kentucky has the
fourth lowest energy costs in the nation, thanks to coal). Coal
puts Kentuckians to work and attracts industries that require
cheap power. But coal’s carbon dioxide (C0,) impact is huge:
in 2007 the state’s 20 coal—ﬁred electric power plants emitted
90.3 million tons of (30,.

Curbing these (1), emissions is at the top of the White House’s energy
agenda‘ but what will happen to Kentucky when the proposed limits become
law? In 200“) the National Association ofManufacturers and the American
(Iouncil for Capital Formation released a study asserting that one of the
proposed laws would result in a loss oli25,000 to 35,000 Kentucky jobs and
a 64 percent increase in electricity rates by 2030.

Scientists at the University of Kentucky’s Center for Applied Energy
Research (CARR) and the Kentucky (Ecological Suwey (KGS) are actively
seeking solutions to coal‘s carbon dioxide—related environmental impact.
Whey are finding short—term ﬁxes that will allow today’s power plants to
concentrate (:O‘ and then bury it underground or convert it with algae.
and studying long—term solutions for more efﬁcient, lower emissions power
production.

“Energy companies need to know the
roadmap before they actually take the
journey,” says CAER’S Jim Neathery
as he explains that while companies
are concerned about the environmental impact of C()_,. they are hesitant to
choose a new technology to lower emissions before a law is enacted. “In order
to keep otir electricity affordable. utilities don‘t want to potir a huge investment
into a technology that won‘t get them to the level of the law.“ He explains
that when the federal guidelines come out. (:AER‘s Carbon Management
Research (iroup will have the know-how to recommend the right technology
for each power plant and make that technology as affordable as possible. ’lhis
group is a consortium of university researchers. state agencies and power
American lilectric l’o\\'er. Big Rivers lilectric (it)t'p()l‘tl[l011,

companies
Duke linergy, liast Kentucky l’o\\'er (ioopei‘atn e. LOX 175.. and l‘ilectric
Power Research Institute.

illiis (:AliR group is \\'oi'ki1ig on chemical tapttirc' ol ( O lI‘tiIH the lltie
gas that billous otit ot a c()tll*lll'c‘tl po\\ er platit. llie toctis is to create better
soltetits .tiitl tatahsts to speed tip the
chemical pi‘otess of separating and
concentrating t H ill] order to pipe it
loi' ttiitlei'gi’otiiitl storage or toii\ert it to
liioiiiasst and run ling solieiits to s.t\e
iiioiie\. lstalilislietl \titli a \l.:~ iiiillioii
l.U\ l‘.\. grant. ( .\l R‘s t\\o .Il]tl*
a halt stoi'\. (1.1 iiiegauait pilot plant
enables the \tlt'Il[1\l\ to tt‘st their tit-ti
clieiiiitals. siiiitilatiiig \HJl’lll'k'Kl ptmei'
pi'otltittioii on a small stale. Ilie group
is also stttthiiig a long term solution. a
tethiiologi talletl ”tlieiiiital looping
t oiiibtistion." [his more ettic ieiit option
takes nitrogen otit ot the equation. lint
\\lll require a total i‘etlt'sign ot po\\ei'
plants. “It‘s a toniple\ s\steiii that \\e

still Ht't‘tl [U \\tn‘l\ titlt. llis l§ [ti _ l\c‘.li'\

a\\ a) sa\ s \e.itliei‘\.

Deep r0111 reservoirs thousands of feet below
Kentu1‘lx'v are 11 potential bun/mg ground for coal‘s
( O downside. \X/ith data on oil and gas drilling that

d1 111's l1111l\' to 1818. the Kentu1kv (1eologi1'al Suwye

(K(1 S) )is le; 1din1I UK s 1ese11r1h on freol<10i1 sequestration of( O

\Xith st1111 funding. K(1S11n1l1ts industrial paitne1s1hose11 testsite to inject
(:0 1 un1l11"g1ound. In the summer (#2009, an 8.126—l1111t well was drilled four
miles southeast 11ltl1e()l1io RiVL‘I‘in ll'1111o1‘l1'(Iount\' Kentuelo. [he (1 1rget
\\11s11l1‘1plhi1l\ 1'o1kl'1111ni1tiot1 111lled th1 Kno\ (iroup. found under much
ol th1 l .S. Midwest. [111 Knox (1rout 1 is 1lolomite——'11 hne—graine1 l ro1l\ that
underlies 11pp1'oxi11111t1'h two—thirds of Kentueky. More than 18,000 barrels of
salt water and 300 tons (11(1), were inieeted into
the well. K(}S geologist Riek Bowersox says, “The
proie1t showed that an industrial (1), storage

well drilled into those sul1surl‘a1e 1'on1litions would
require 11hout 120 a1res to store 1 million tons of
(1),. or about 3.500 a1'1'es ol resen'oir to store 30
million tons. Seven to 10 wells like this one would
he required to store 30 million tons 111(1):." Sueh
well 1'11pa1ity would have handled 33 pereent of
the 90.3 million tons of (K). emitted l1y1oal—rire1l
plants in 200" V

“There’s a growing need for green energy From

w biomass, but there are a lot of problems getting

biomass into the market—transportation,

if low density, capital investment,” says Darrell

Taulbee, who has worked at CAER since 1980. How do you overcome these
problems? Briquettes. (Think charcoal, medicinal pills, dog and cat food.)

In the process of mining, 20 to 30 percent of the coal generated is “ﬁne
coal”——tiny particles with the consistency of flour. Typically this ﬁne coal
material is disposed of in sludge—like ponds called slurry impoundments. 'lhese
impoundments are oﬁen hundreds of feet deep and hold millions ol gallons of
slurry. Kentucky has 500 million tons of ﬁne coal in slurry impoundments.
Tattlbee says, “\Ve throw away enough each year to run a small industrial
country of 10 to 20 million people."

lnstead of throwing that potential energy away, 'l'aulbee and his team are
making ﬁne coal/biomass briquettes. ’lhey‘ye developed ways to process the
wet ﬁne coal and combine it with sawdust. agricultural residues wheat straw
and corn stover), energy crops (switchgrass and tescue). and weeds from
ﬁelds on reclaimed surlac e mines to malxe durable. energydense briquettes.
In December 2008. more than tour tons ot this strcallc‘cl “engineered tuel“
was combusted tor heat at the last lsentuc lcy( orrec tionall omple\ in \Vest
liberty. lsentuclcy. Vlaulbee says it lsemuc l\\* lollows the lead ot other states
and adopts an Rl’S (Renewable l’orttolio \tandardt, which requires that a
speciﬁc portion olithe electricity consumed in the state ctitttc‘ lt'om renewable

sources, briquettes would be the cheapest and tastest \\a\ to c omph.

Burt Davis. who has spent his 30—year career at

UK studying clean—fuel technology says. “Today it‘s
.still easier to pttmp oil out of the ground than it is to
dig coal and convert that coal to liquid. But here‘s
the thing. W’e~l§entucky and the United States
have much more energy in the form of coal than the vvorld does in petroleum.

:\nd \\e‘re finding ways to increase the efficiency ofcoal conversion.“

'l ethnology from the 1920s is finding a new-more efficient—life at
(I:\f.l{. thanks to 55.26 million in federal funds sectired h} Congressmen
llal Rogers and (ieoff Davis. 'lhe funds will build a Process Development
l'nit tl’l )l't critical for ongoing research in fiischer—li‘opsch (Fl) synthesis.
a process that c an convert coal to liquid. To produce liquid fuel. coal tnust he
l)t't)l\L‘ll down into its most liasic ingredients through gasification—applying
heat under pressure to convert coal into a gaseous mixture. primarily hydrogen
and c .irlion inonmide. called syngas. Discovered by tvvo (ierman scientists in
the 1910s. the H process uses a catalyst (a reaction accelerator) to convert
svngas to hydrot arhons. 'lhe hydrocarbons come out ofthe li'l' reactor as \vax
that is “t rat lx'ed" tlong molecules are c hemically broken into shorter ones) to
vield 30 percent lo\\‘ei>qualit_v gasoline and 80 percent high—quality diesel. fiT
diesel is c leaner than traditional petroleum diesel hecause nitrogen and sulfur
are remo\ ed in the process. resulting in fewer undesirable emissions.

'lhe l’l)l' \vill allo\\ (AluR to test novel technologies to convert coal. gas.
hiomass. and coal/hiomass mixtures to liqtiicl fuels while reducing the overall
carhon footprint of the process. The I’DU will he capahle of producing a
harrel a day of finished products. which will he supplied to other universities
and the gmernment for testing in a range of diesel and iet engines.

A favorite of antient Rome‘s arehitetts to today's
slx'yxtraper designers. eonerete ix a durahle hut
dirty material. (AliR's latk (iroppo explains.
“(iontt'eteismadeupollxtsitallythreeingredients:
coarse aggregate (erushed stone). line aggregate tsandh and Portland teinent
which aets as the glue that holds it all together." l'or eyery ton ol new l’ortland
cement. one ton ol'(‘,(), is released ll‘tm] the Lilns that hale it. ( :.'\l R is looking
at ways to replaee sonie ol' that dirty l’oriland teinent with toal L()Hll)Ll\Il0H
hyproduets (C(ills) like lly ash. 'lhis ash tan he used as a raw ingredient in
eonerete or as a suhstitute for around ll) patent of the l’ortland kt'lllL‘Ill.
(iroppo sayst “'lhe eonerete will tontain toarse aggregattu line aggregate.
l’ortland‘ and lly ash. You need ll) pereent less l‘ortland. \inte you use less
l’ortland‘ you pi‘odtiee less (10, to make the same amount of Ltlllkl'k'lk'.“1\lltl
fly ash has other henelits: it inal\es stronger. longer lasting LUHL rete.
(iroppo‘s worlx‘ is part 0‘, the Center for koal-Deriwd l,o\\ lnergy
Materials l'or Sustainahle (ionxtruetion. whith is supported with funds
secured hy Senator .\liteh \ldionnell. 'lhe tenter's goal is to deyelop low
energy eoiistiiiiiiig low (XX emittingi kt)ll\ll‘llLllt)H materials lroin (Kills.
This researeh. \VlllLll will he tested inside a new kiln. is housed at (',-\l R in
a huildiney eonstrueted with eonerete made from 20 pert ent lly ash tront a
Kentueky power plant. (iroppo adds. "\\"e are in the prot ess ot tonstruttinet
two new huildings that will most assuredly also require lly axh tontrete
heeause we helieye in the researth we tonduet‘lly ash inalxes LOIILX‘L‘IC
better."

,m.—————~'

toneept is biologieal sequestration: tapturing the (:0: atgthe power plant
site and turning it into biomass. And we‘re looking at algae for this purpose
betause they are the fastest pliotosynthesi/ing organisms known to man."
Algae talw in L arbon dimide {(1),} and water ll l ,0). t‘omert it to biomass
(a nii\iui'e ol proteins. tarboln'drates and lipids). and exhale oxygen (0,).
liiergy lirom sunlight dri\ es these t hemital i‘eat tions. 7
lnsidt‘a greenliouw at ( i.\l R. l++\eriital tubes (talledphotobioreattorsl.
and numerous l’\'( pipes nialxt' up an 8.541housand—liter system that
L'\}\H\t'\ lllk' algae to sunlight in a toiitinuous title. ( ,oalrlired llue gas is led
Ill.ll[11l\t‘\ \\ iili algae in .i nuli'it'iu—ritli liquid. algae tonsume the (l) as

[hm grim. algae art~ barn-sled.
and Illlll‘lt'lils are hauled.
( I'Hkl\t‘l s.i\s t‘\L‘I\llllllf_{ that
unites out ol this \\s1t'l]lt.lIl
by reused. lllt‘ resulting lipids
om l‘k' iiiIiM‘Ilt‘tl [H KllL'\k’l
lutl. lllk' algat~ tan lu- \k‘lll to
.m .Ith‘I'Hltlt (llfﬁ’lekl lH [H.llxk'
Hitlllrlllt‘;.is.\\lllklltJHtlI‘lM'J
iui’liint (M j1t-iit‘iait tluliitiu.
A‘I t Ml lH‘ \lltllllt |ll\ tiHHt‘l'lt'tl
to niala lllll'iill. "I'm making
\lliialilt pi’odutis. this \\\lt‘lll
HHIHMHNlllt‘\‘\L‘.lllt'\UllHllllt\
mi (N olptili'tx \ou ll\t' lllL‘

tai'lion l\\li t."