Purdue Hemp Products Utilization Consortium will initially focus on superabsorbent materials research
Academic researchers, Indiana hemp farmers, industry stakeholders and others networked and celebrated during the Oct. 22 launch of a consortium that will advance the research and development of hemp-based products developed at Purdue University.
The objectives of the Purdue Hemp Products Utilization Consortium (H-PUC) are to process scale-up and agricultural experimental trials, fine-tune and optimize technology — including the process conditions for intended applications — and develop marketing strategies to reach prospective customers to understand their needs.
Senay Simsek is H-PUC’s primary investigator. She is a professor in and the head of Purdue’s Department of Food Science. She also holds the Dean’s Chair in Food Science.
“H-PUC is addressing global needs and the challenges of growing populations and climate change through sustainable solutions,” she said. “While our initial focus is superabsorbent materials, our vision extends beyond this. We aim to broaden our scope over time.”
Simsek said H-PUC has several short-term and long-term goals.
“Our short-term aims will be to leverage funds, test pilot-scale production and evaluate pilot production conditions,” she said. “Our long-term plans include scaling up of production, partnering with companies with intellectual property, customizing materials for specific applications and developing marketing strategies.”
Hemp-based superabsorbent materials
Simsek collaborated with Marguerite Bolt in Purdue’s Department of Agronomy and former Purdue researcher Laila Hossain to develop the hemp-based superabsorbent materials. Simsek said hurds and bast are two parts of the hemp plant that offer unique benefits for sustainable material development, particularly in absorption technologies.
“Hemp hurds, found in the inner woody core of the hemp stalk, are highly absorbent due to their high cellulose content and low lignin levels. This makes them an excellent alternative for superabsorbent applications,” she said. “Hemp bast, the fibrous outer layer, while less absorbent, provides strength and durability.”
Simsek and her team tested the Purdue superabsorbent materials made from hemp using standardized absorbency tests, which compared them against traditional superabsorbent materials such as polyacrylate-based products.
“The hemp hurd, due to its enhanced surface area and porosity from our refining process, showed significantly higher absorption capacity than both hemp bast and many traditional materials,” she said. “This validation underscores not only the effectiveness of our technology but also its potential to replace less sustainable options in the market.”
Simsek said H-PUC allows her and her research team to collaboratively advance the development of hemp-based products, focusing on both environmental and economic sustainability.
“Through this consortium, my team will be able to scale up our research on hemp-based superabsorbent materials, refine the technology and explore new applications. This collaborative effort not only accelerates our ability to bring environmentally friendly products to market but also strengthens Purdue’s leadership in industrial hemp research,” she said. “Our next steps include optimizing pilot-scale production and partnering with companies to commercialize these innovations.”
Simsek disclosed the superabsorbent hemp-based materials to the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization, which has applied for a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to protect the intellectual property. Industry partners interested in developing or commercializing the work should contact Dipak Narula, assistant director of business development and licensing — physical sciences, at [email protected], about track code 70273.
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Click here to see the free events happening at The Pantheon during November 18-22, and enjoy free co-working every day.
The primary purpose of the MOU is to establish a framework for enhanced collaboration, with the aim of promoting increased agricultural trade and fostering economic development for Indiana. The MOU outlines an agreement for the organizations to partner in the following ways:
Encourage and support the expansion of agricultural exports through the state’s port facilities.
Investigate opportunities to develop new container shipping facilities that would serve critical needs in the agriculture and hardwood industries.
Connect key agricultural stakeholders with Indiana’s ports to explore new shipping opportunities and convene critical stakeholder forums.
Research container export opportunities related to ISDA’s key priorities.
“ISDA has helped position Indiana agriculture as a global leader in innovation and commercialization for food and fuel production, and our ports play a critical role in connecting our ag industry with world markets,” said Jody Peacock, CEO for the Ports of Indiana. “Our organizations and our industries are inextricably linked, and we have several shared objectives and opportunities for collaboration that can create future growth for our state and our agricultural communities.”
Earlier this year, the two organizations partnered with the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Marketing Council to conduct a trade mission to Indonesia and to host the first-ever Indiana Container Shipping Conference. Governor Eric Holcomb kicked off the conference as business, agriculture and transportation leaders discussed ways to develop new container ports, grow agriculture exports and expand global trade to support Indiana’s economic growth. In July, Ports of Indiana received federal approval to establish Indiana’s first international sea cargo container terminal on Lake Michigan and signed an MOU with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges to explore new agriculture and container shipping opportunities.
Agriculture contributes more than $35 billion annually to the Hoosier economy, making Indiana the ninth largest agriculture state. Indiana ranks 13th in the nation for waterborne shipping, generating $29.9 billion in annual economic impact. Ports of Indiana handles more than 4 million tons of agriculture products at its three ports on the Ohio River and Lake Michigan, and those cargoes make up more than a third of the total shipments.
To view the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) click here or visit isda.in.gov.
Company culture is often referred to in business books and board rooms, but is hard to define. Beck’s Hybrids’ Bethany Gremel, Director of Brand Experience and Culture, joins today to answer a few big questions: what is company culture? How do you define it for impact?
Bethany gets into culture as a living organism that needs fed and its foundation being a series of behaviors rather than words. She also talks about culture and brand working together, how their team fosters culture at Beck’s and getting new people integrated into the company successfully – starting with their interview process.
How does culture keep going as employees age with the company? Bethany stresses the importance of loving and caring in the workplace and how what happens inside the company shows up on the outside of the company. Beck’s has expanded significantly over the last several years and as they’ve scaled, Bethany gets into the notion of “you cannot create culture, you have to catch it.”
About 1.6 million barrels per day of petroleum jet fuel were consumed in the United States in 2023. That number is expected to increase to nearly 2 million barrels daily by 2050. Southwest Airlines is taking a bold move, migrating away from petroleum to sustainable fuels. Anthony Gregory, COO of Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures, joins today to talk about its impact on agbioscience innovation, farmers and airline travelers in the future.
As one of the world’s largest airlines, Anthony gets into Southwest’s proactive approach to sustainable aviation fuel, their investment arm aiding new companies in this space and seeing agriculture and aviation industries come together. He also talks about sustainable aviation fuel as a new market for ethanol producers and the critical role of the Midwest economy – farmers, universities, large-scale airline hubs and more – to lead in this space.
So what will it take for sustainable aviation fuel to become a reality? Anthony talks economic and environmental sustainability, the current challenges facing SAF consumption and how ethanol producers can begin the process of increasing demand. He also talks alternative feedstocks and other byproducts in SAF production – and the Southwest Airlines investment approach to new technologies that that help bring innovation in this space to market.
Anthony talks through this journey with Southwest Airlines and their stance of being “one of many.” Airlines are trying to make a big leap in this space and he’s optimistic that small steps forward in this space will create long-term lasting impact.
Sustainea and Primient announced a co-location partnership for the supply of corn dextrose from Primient’s facility in Lafayette, Indiana to Sustainea’s first Bio-MEG (monoethylene glycol) plant. Sustainea’s planned facility represents an investment of around $400 million and will produce a renewable, plant-based alternative to petroleum-based MEG.
Sustainea is a company created with the ambition to be the global leader in Bio-MEG, which can be used as a drop-in product, delivering high quality and functionality while significantly reducing the carbon footprint. Primient is a leading manufacturer of plant-based ingredients and industry leader in producing high-quality, low carbon dextrose. Adding Primient’s feedstock to Sustainea’s Bio-MEG plant, will significantly reduce the need for traditional fossil-based plastics by producing bioproducts for beverage bottles, food containers, apparel, and footwear.
Gustavo Sergi, Chief Executive Officer of Sustainea, says, “This partnership marks a significant step forward in building one of the largest sustainability ventures globally. Primient has proven to be a strategic partner and long-term ally, with notable operational synergies and shared values. The high energy efficiency and low-carbon dextrose produced at the Lafayette plant will uniquely position Sustainea’s products for both sustainability and competitiveness. This announcement greatly serves our customers who will benefit from decarbonizing an ever-growing PET [polyethylene terephthalate] market.”
Jim Stutelberg, Chief Executive Officer of Primient, says, “We chose a co-location partnership with Sustainea due to our aligned vision and mission, and because Sustainea’s Bio-MEG has a very strong value proposition in today’s marketplace. The selection of Lafayette is a validation of Primient’s industry-leading low carbon footprint, enabled by our investments in co-generation capabilities to transition production entirely away from the use of coal. Our collaboration with Sustainea is a great example of Primient truly living our vision of building a better future through plant-based solutions. By integrating Primient and Sustainea’s strengths, we are driving biobased innovation and filling the void for renewable, plant-based solutions.”
With enthusiastic support from the state of Indiana and the city of Lafayette, the agreement was influenced by the region’s strong infrastructure, existing transportation networks and supportive local policies. Groundbreaking is set to begin after conclusion of engineering and final investment decision, with production expected to start in 2028.
Corn prices hit a 4-year low in Q3, on the prospect of a record harvest. That data follows research and insights from USDA that expects net farm income to be down 25% year over year. One solution to this challenge is innovation. Tim Hassinger, CEO of Intelinair, joins today to share perspective on the market and innovation’s role in driving net farm income and operational efficiency.
Agriculture is a cyclical business and the industry is certainly going through it now. Tim talks managing today for how you want to come out of this economic turbulence, what he hears from farmer customers (hint: it’s realism) and how innovators should be operating for success.
Where is Intelinair finding their success? Fresh off winning AgTech Data Analytics Company of the Year at the AgTech Breakthrough Awards, Tim talks growing and scaling their business and their continued pursuit of adding tools to their suite that help the farmer make better decisions and – ultimately – save money.
How does the former leader of Dow AgroSciences and Lindsay Corporation feel about his time as CEO of Intelinair? Tim talks about new challenges, adjusting his mindset to meet the needs of the business and what has him excited as he looks to the future.
Funding will support the new Indiana AI Innovation Network
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced TechPoint, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership’s (CICP) branded growth initiative for the state’s digital innovation economy, as a Stage Two winner for the 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC). TechPoint won the award for its plans to launch and operate the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Innovation Network for Indiana-based companies and organizations.
“AI will have a transformative impact on the future of our workforce and economic competitiveness for our community,” said Melina Kennedy, CEO of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership. “This SBA award enables TechPoint and other CICP initiatives to continue leading AI adoption strategy and innovation ecosystem building work.”
The $100,000 funding will be awarded to support TechPoint’s impactful and inclusive approach to nurturing a collaborative national innovation ecosystem to advance small business research and development (R&D) from ideas to market. The organization won $50,000 in the Stage One round earlier this year.
The Evansville-based Indiana Center for Emerging Technologies also won a cash prize from the GAFC in both stages.
“We are gratified to see this additional support as we work with our incredible partners to ensure Indiana puts AI to work in the most positive, imaginative and useful ways possible,” said TechPoint President and CEO Ting Gootee.
Chelsea Linder, TechPoint’s Vice President, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, said the AI Innovation Network will be launched quickly to begin benefiting participants.
“There is huge market demand for support services in the AI space, and we have the absolute best group of foundational partners helping us build and shape this service,” Linder said.
Stage One of the SBA competition emphasized ecosystem network building, focusing on the enhanced support that can be provided to small businesses and startups through these Growth Accelerator Partnerships.
By fostering connections between entrepreneurs, mentors, partners, philanthropies, corporations, investors, and other shared resources, the SBA GAFC 2024 catalyzes strategic ecosystem partnerships to build community and organizational capacity for the successful launch, growth, and scale of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)-based entrepreneurs.
BioBond Adhesives, Inc. (“BioBond”), a portfolio company of Big Idea Venture’s Generation Food Rural Partners I, LP (“GFRP”) Fund, today announces the opening of its headquarters and development laboratories in Lafayette, Indiana. This strategic location will enable BioBond to accelerate the commercialization of its plant-based, biodegradable adhesive and coating alternatives, targeting a wide range of industries including packaging, construction, electronics, furniture, apparel, marine, and aerospace.
BioBond’s mission aligns with the GFRP Fund’s focus on driving innovation and economic growth in rural areas. The fund collaborates with universities across the U.S. to commercialize intellectual property in food, protein, and agriculture.
“We have received tremendous support from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, AgriNovus, USDA Rural Development, Greater Lafayette Commerce, and Beck’s in finding a suitable USDA-qualified site located just south of Lafayette,” said Marc McConnaughey, CEO of BioBond. “Indiana is a welcoming environment for startups, and our proximity to Purdue University offers a rich ecosystem for collaboration and growth.”
BioBond is poised to launch four plant-based adhesive and coating products in Q4 2024, a remarkable achievement in less than a year since its inception. “Petro-based adhesives and coatings are a major source of VOCs and microplastics,” stated Frank Klemens, Managing Director of the GFRP Fund. “BioBond’s innovative solutions will reduce our daily exposure to these harmful substances and contribute to a healthier environment.”
Tom Mastrobuoni, Chief Investment Officer for GFRP, added, “Indiana has embraced our investment, and the support from AgriNovus and Beck’s has been instrumental in accelerating BioBond’s technology towards commercialization.”
Anu™, a health and wellness brand developing innovative controlled-environment agriculture systems, won first place and $20,000 among 10 small businesses at the national SCORE 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition in Des Moines, Iowa. SCORE, or Service Corps of Retired Executives, is a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Purdue University alumni Scott Massey and Ivan Ball founded anu. The company has received financial support from the Purdue Research Foundation.
“This funding will support sales and the rapid growth of our intellectual property portfolio, focusing on AI computer vision control systems that optimize yield and energy efficiency in our cultivation containers,” said Massey, who acts as CEO.
Anu empowers individuals and communities to sustainably grow Pure Produce® with superior nutrition and flavor, enhanced food safety, and reduced waste.
“The easy-to-use anu seedpod subscription is like ‘Nespresso for plants,’ working in conjunction with our efficient Rotary Aeroponics® technology to effortlessly grow the widest variety of plants indoors,” Massey said.
Winning the competition
Ten small business owners competed in the SCORE competition; Massey was the only one from Indiana. All contestants received guidance from SCORE’s mentors to prepare and deliver their pitch.
Judging criteria included the effectiveness of the presentation, brand identification, uniqueness and viability of the product or service; the thoroughness of the business plan; scalability; and any sustainability or social impact. Financials were also assessed on overall potential.
Established a commercialization partnership with ekō Solutions, a subsidiary of Land Betterment Corp.; this partnership is bringing Pure Produce® Containers to market, offering the performance of a large vertical farm in a modular shipping container, making institutions, military bases, hospitals, schools and other food-serving environments self-sufficient without preservatives or pesticides.
Anu’s solution
Massey said indoor farming has the potential to combat nutrition insecurity by sustainably growing high-quality food closer to consumers, but poor strategies have limited its impact.
“The industry is like the early ice industry — costly and inefficient. Just as the shift toward refrigerators from ice factories made ice accessible, indoor farming must break free from facility constraints,” he said. “Like ice, produce is perishable and needs controlled environments. Success depends on a productive, energy-efficient system that maximizes space, reduces costs and works as simply as a Keurig — letting consumers Harvest When Hungry™ by replacing mature plants with new seedpods.”
Massey said anu’s pilot 20-foot container farm grows tons of produce annually, offering a full return on investment in the time it takes to plan and build a traditional vertical farm.
“Unlike fixed facilities, our containers are deployable in hours, planted that day and harvested within a month, letting operators focus on food prep,” he said. “Our Self-Nurturing™ seedpods, preloaded with nutrients, require no expertise. We maximize space and labor, exponentially increasing the market size to now include institutional markets, bypassing traditional suppliers.”
