Three University of Wisconsin-Platteville students have been working on ways to develop new crop-protection chemicals. Because fluorine-containing chemicals are more biologically active and remain active for longer periods of time, Natalie Haen, Cassie Kniess and Adia Metz worked to further develop and produce aryl fluorinated ethers with enhanced fungicidal and pesticidal applications.

The students were mentored by Ian MacKenzie, an assistant professor of chemistry, and Mark Levenstein, an associate professor of biology at UW-Platteville. The group used light to create different molecules.

“We started with a known chemical and added a catalyst to help a reaction take place faster,” said Haen, a junior chemistry and forensic-investigation major from Luxemburg, Wisconsin. “We did this by putting the chemical in a photoreactor, which shines light on the reaction to speed the process.”

The group found mixed results. Some of the molecules the students expected to work didn’t react at all, Haen said.

The group’s research, titled “Photochemical Synthesis of Aryl Fluorinated Ethers to Develop the Next Generation of Agrochemicals,” recently was showcased at the Research in the Rotunda held at the State Capitol Building in Madison. The students presented their findings to legislators, state leaders and peers from across the UW-System. Visit wisconsin.edu/research-in-the-rotunda for more information.

Pollutants converted to useful ammonia

Capturing and converting nitrate-contaminated waters into valuable ammonia within a single electrochemical cell is the aim of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The researchers demonstrated a device capable of an eight-fold concentration of nitrate, a 24-times enhancement of ammonium production rate, and a greater than 10-fold enhancement in energy efficiency compared to previous nitrate-to-ammonia electrocatalysis methods.

By combining separation with reaction, the researchers overcame previous limitations of producing ammonia directly from groundwater, where the concentrations of nitrate are low, said Xiao Su, the project leader and a chemical and biomolecular engineering professor at the University of Illinois.

The researchers’ goal was to use as little energy as possible to remove nitrate from agricultural runoff before it hit waterways, and transform it back to a fertilizer or sell it as a chemical feedstock, he said.

The team developed a bi-functional electrode that can separate and up-concentrate nitrate from a water stream while converting to ammonia in a single unit using purely electrochemical control. The electrode combines a redox-polymer adsorbent, which captures the nitrate. Cobalt-based catalysts drive the electrocatalytic conversion to ammonium, he said.

The system was tested using agricultural runoff collected from drain tiles around the University of Illinois research farmlands to evaluate the technology’s potential for real-world conditions.

With the capture and conversion platform the researchers don’t need separate electrochemical cells for the water treatment and ammonium production or adding extra chemicals or solvents. Instead they envision a module installed directly onto farmland and operated using the power generated from the electrocatalytic process and a small solar panel.”

The team’s next goal is to develop even more selective materials used in the device to achieve greater nitrate removal and accelerate the conversion to ammonia. They plan to engineer larger-scale systems for practical deployment in the field.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications. Visit nature.com and search for “nitrate conversion” for more information.

Software enables automated-machine speed

Trimble has developed software-based technology that provides Trimble end users and equipment manufacturers the ability to automate the trajectory, speed and overall path design of equipment. Manufacturers can now provide customers with an automated solution that works with Trimble systems or the equipment manufacturer’s existing system.

Traditional path-planning options require manual setup, which impacts productivity, consistency and execution. Trimble’s advanced path-planning technology offers automated, full-path project trajectory. The technology allows plans to be created in the office and adjustments made in the field or worksite, the company stated.

The new software capability will enable a broad range of autonomous applications in a variety of industries, including construction and agriculture. The company field tested the technology with Horsch’s self-propelled sprayers to provide an autonomous, four-wheel-drive solution. Visit autonomy.trimble.com for more information.

Technology converts renewables

Catalyst technology that converts renewable materials such as trees and corn into acrylic acid and acrylates recently was developed by a team led by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Acrylic acid and associated acrylates are used in everyday items, from paints and coatings to adhesives and superabsorbent materials used in diapers.

The chemicals and materials have long been made from fossil fuels. But in the past few decades the corn industry has been expanding from food and feed to manufacturing useful chemicals. One such corn-derived chemical is lactic acid, a key ingredient in the manufacturing of renewable and compostable plastic.

Lactic acid also can be converted to acrylic acid and acrylates using catalysts. But until the recent catalyst discovery traditional catalysts were inefficient, resulting in poor yields and making the overall process too expensive, stated the National Science Foundation, which funded the research.

The new catalyst formulation reduces that cost by improving yield and reducing waste. That could reduce the price of renewable acrylic acid to less than the price of fossil-derived chemicals.

The researchers plan to continue their basic research to understand the aspects of the chemistry. The research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society Gold. Visit pubs.acs.org and search for “methyl lactate to acrylates” for more information.

Fever in soybean studied

Reducing the risk of imported soybean products from spreading African swine fever virus in U.S. swine is the aim of researchers at the Swine Health Information Center. They’ll focus on defining the stability of the virus in soybean products commonly imported into the United States for complete feed diets. They’ll also work to improve diagnostic capabilities and surveillance tools.

Soybean products are widely used in complete pig feeds. They’re globally traded and serve as a potential risk if imported from African swine fever virus-endemic countries or regions, according to the center.

Megan Niederwerder, associate director of the Swine Health Information Center, will serve as project director. The project will include standard operating procedures for in vitro diagnostic assays. Researchers will use quantitative polymerase chain reaction technology to detect African swine fever virus genome and end-point virus titration to quantify infectious virus.

Project objectives will help define the relative risk of various soybean products used in swine diets. Adoption of feed risk-mitigation recommendations based on the project’s data will help protect against the virus entering the country, according to the Swine Health Information Center.

The four-year project recently was awarded a $650,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Visit swinehealth.org or contact psundberg@swinehealth.org for more information.