Resume

• 2011

  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

  Forest Biomaterials

  North Carolina State University

• 2009

  National Council for Air and Stream Improvement

  National Council for Air and Stream Improvement

  Cotton Incorporated

  Cary

  NC

  Dr. Jesse Daystar is the Chief Sustainability Officer and VP of Sustainability at Cotton Incorporated where he directs internal and external sustainability efforts including: directing sustainability research

  working with cotton industry stakeholders to develop industry sustainability goals

  assisting in the communication of sustainability messages; and providing technical insights to Cotton Incorporated

  the cotton industry

  and brands.

  Chief Sustainability Officer

  Vice President

  Sustainability

  Raleigh-Durham

  North Carolina Area

  Instructor

  Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment

  Raleigh-Durham

  North Carolina Area

  Adjunct Professor

  North Carolina State University

  Master of Science (M.S.)

  Forest Biomaterials

  TAPPI

  ALCHE

  North Carolina State University

• 2008

  North Carolina State University

  Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment

  Triangle Life Cycle Assessment

  Duke University

  Cotton Incorporated

  PESCO-BEAM Environmental Solutions Inc

  Raleigh

  Through the use of life cycle assessment and his engineering background

  Jesse Daystar is conducting researched focused on evaluating the environmental impacts of forest based biofuels. The findings from this research inform policy makers

  technology investors

  and startup biofuels companies.

  Research Assistant

  North Carolina State University

  Founder and CEO

  Raleigh-Durham

  North Carolina Area

  Triangle Life Cycle Assessment

  Raleigh-Durham

  North Carolina Area

  Assistant Director

  Duke Center for Sustainability & Commerce

  Duke University

  PESCO-BEAM Environmental Solutions Inc

• 2003

  Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

  Wood Science and Wood Products/Pulp and Paper Technology

  Pulp and Paper Engineering

  North Carolina State University

  Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

  Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

  North Carolina State University

• Environmental Issues

  Biomass

  Alternative Energy

  Energy

  Biofuels

  Life Cycle Assessment

  Environmental Engineering

  Chemical Engineering

  Cleantech

  Environmental Awareness

  Climate Change

  Sustainability

  Environmental Policy

  Energy Efficiency

  Sustainable Energy

  Waste Management

  Environmental Science

  Renewable Energy

  Environmental Management Systems

  Carbon

  Life-cycle assessment of bioethanol from pine residues via indirect biomass gasification to mixed alcohols

  The goal of this study was to estimate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fossil energy requirements from the\nproduction and use (cradle-to-grave) of bioethanol produced from the indirect gasification thermochemical conversion of\nloblolly pine (Pinus taeda) residues. Additional impact categories (acidification and eutrophication) were also analyzed. Of\nthe life-cycle stages

  the thermochemical fuel production and biomass growth stages resulted in the greatest environmental\nimpact for the bioethanol product life cycle. The GHG emissions from fuel transportation and process chemicals used in the\nthermochemical conversion process were minor (less than 1 percent of conversion emissions). The net GHG emissions over\nthe bioethanol life cycle

  cradle-to-grave

  was 74 percent less than gasoline of an equal energy content

  meeting the 60\npercent minimum reduction requirement of the Renewable Fuels Standard to qualify as an advanced (second generation)\nbiofuel. Also

  bioethanol had a 72 percent lower acidification impact and a 59 percent lower eutrophication impact relative to\ngasoline. The fossil fuel usage for bioethanol was 96 percent less than gasoline

  mainly because crude oil is used as the\nprimary feedstock for gasoline production. The total GHG emissions for the bioethanol life cycle analyzed in this study were\ndetermined to be similar to the comparable scenario from the Greenhouse Gases

  Regulated Emissions

  and Energy Use in\nTransportation model. A sensitivity analysis determined that mass allocation of forest establishment burdens to the residues\nwas not significant for GHG emissions but had significant effects on the acidification and eutrophication impact categories.

  Life-cycle assessment of bioethanol from pine residues via indirect biomass gasification to mixed alcohols

  The heightened interest in biofuels addresses the national objectives of reducing carbon emissions as well as reducing\ndependence on foreign fossil fuels. Using life-cycle analysis to evaluate alternative uses of wood including both products and\nfuels reveals a hierarchy of carbon and energy impacts characterized by their efficiency in reducing carbon emissions and/or\nin displacing fossil energy imports. Life-cycle comparisons are developed for biofuel feedstocks (mill and forest residuals

  \nthinnings

  and short rotation woody crops) with bioprocessing (pyrolysis

  gasification

  and fermentation) to produce liquid\nfuels and for using the feedstock for pellets and heat for drying solid wood products

  all of which displace fossil fuels and\nfossil fuel–intensive products. Fossil carbon emissions from lignocellulosic biofuels are substantially lower than emissions\nfrom conventional gasoline. While using wood to displace fossil fuel–intensive materials (such as for steel floor joists) is\nmuch more effective in reducing carbon emissions than using biofuels to directly displace fossil fuels

  displacing\ntransportation fuels with ethanol provides the opportunity to also reduce dependence on imported energy. The complex nature\nof wood uses and how wood fuels and products interact in their environments

  as well as the methods needed to understand\nthese impacts and summarize the relative benefits of different alternatives

  are discussed herein. Policies designed to increase\nbiofuel use by subsidies or mandates may increase prices enough to divert biomass feedstock away from producing products

  \nsuch as for composite panels

  resulting in increased emissions from fossil fuel–intensive substitutes.

  Carbon Emission Reduction Impacts from Alternative Biofuels

  The production of six regionally important cellulosic biomass feedstocks

  including pine

  eucalyptus

  unmanaged hardwoods

  forest residues

  switchgrass

  and sweet sorghum

  was analyzed using consistent life cycle methodologies and system boundaries to identify feedstocks with the lowest cost and environmental impacts. Supply chain analysis was performed for each feedstock

  calculating costs and supply requirements for the production of 453

  592 dry tonnes of biomass per year. Cradle-to-gate environmental impacts from these modeled supply systems were quantified for nine mid-point indicators using SimaPro 7.2 LCA software. Conversion of grassland to managed forest for bioenergy resulted in large reductions in GHG emissions due to carbon uptake associated with direct land use change. By contrast

  converting forests to cropland resulted in large increases in GHG emissions. Production of forest-based feedstocks for biofuels resulted in lower delivered cost

  lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

  and lower overall environmental impacts than the agricultural feedstocks studied. Forest residues had the lowest environmental impact and delivered cost per dry tonne. Using forest-based biomass feedstocks instead of agricultural feedstocks would result in lower cradle-to-gate environmental impacts and delivered biomass costs for biofuel production in the southern U.S.

  Economics

  Environmental Impacts

  and Supply Chain Analysis of Cellulosic Biomass for Biofuels in the Southern US: Pine

  Eucalyptus

  Unmanaged Hardwoods

  Forest Residues

  Switchgrass

  and Sweet Sorghum

  There has been great attention focused on the effects of first and second generation biofuels on global warming. The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) have mandated production levels and performance criteria of biofuels in the United States. The thermochemical conversion of biomass to ethanol shows potential as a biofuel production pathway. The objective of this research was to examine the alcohol yields and GHG emissions from the thermochemical conversion process for six different feedstocks on a gate-to-gate basis. GHG analyses and life cycle assessments were performed for natural hardwood

  loblolly pine

  eucalyptus

  miscanthus

  corn stover

  and switchgrass feedstocks using a NREL thermochemical model and SimaPro. Alcohol yield and GHG emission for the hybrid poplar baseline feedstock conversion were 105

  400 L dry metric ton-1 and 2.8 kg CO2 eq. per liter

  respectively. Compared with the baseline

  loblolly pine produced the highest alcohol yields

  an 8.5% increase

  and the lowest GHG emissions per liter of ethanol

  a 9.1% decrease. Corn stover

  due to its high ash content

  had the lowest yields and the highest GHG emissions per liter of ethanol. The results were highly sensitive to the ash and water content of the biomass

  indicating that biomass properties can significantly affect the environmental impact of the thermochemical ethanol conversion process.

  Impacts of Feedstock Composition on Alcohol Yields and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the NREL Thermochemical Ethanol Conversion Process.

  The production of six regionally important cellulosic biomass feedstocks

  including\npine

  eucalyptus

  unmanaged hardwoods

  forest residues

  switchgrass

  and sweet sorghum

  \nwas analyzed using consistent life cycle methodologies and system boundaries to identify\nfeedstocks with the lowest cost and environmental impacts. Supply chain analysis models were\ncreated for each feedstock calculating costs and supply chain requirements for the production\n453

  592 dry tonnes of biomass per year. Cradle-to-gate environmental impacts from these\nsupply systems were quantified for nine mid-point indicators using SimaPro 7.2 LCA software.\nConversion of grassland to managed forest for bioenergy resulted in large reductions in GHG\nemissions

  due to carbon sequestration associated with direct land use change. However

  \nconverting forests to energy cropland resulted in large increases in GHG emissions. Production\nof forest-based feedstocks for biofuels resulted in lower delivered cost

  lower greenhouse gas\n(GHG) emissions and lower overall environmental impacts than the studied agricultural\nfeedstocks. Forest residues had the lowest environmental impact and delivered cost per dry\ntonne. Using forest-based biomass feedstocks instead of agricultural feedstocks would result in\nlower cradle-to-gate environmental impacts and delivered biomass costs for biofuel production\nin the southern U.S.

  Integrated Cost and Environmental Life Cycle Analysis of Biomass Supply Systems for Biofuels and Bioenergy

  The economics of producing cellulosic ethanol using loblolly pine

  natural mixed hardwood

  Eucalyptus

  corn stover

  and switchgrass as feedstocks was simulated in Aspen Plus using the thermochemical process via indirect gasification and mixed alcohol synthesis developed by NREL. Outputs from the simulation were linked to an economic analysis spreadsheet to estimate NPV

  IRR

  payback and to run further sensitivity analysis of the different combinations of feedstocks. \n

  Economics of cellulosic ethanol production in a thermochemical pathway for softwood

  hardwood

  corn stover and switchgrass

  Cellulose and some cellulose derivatives can play vital roles in the enhancement of the performance of absorbent products. Cellulose itself

  in the form of cellulosic fibers or nano-fibers

  can provide structure

  bulk

  water-holding capacity

  and channeling of fluids over a wide dimensional range. Likewise

  cellulose derivatives such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) have been widely studied as components in superabsorbent polymer (SAP) formulations. The present review focuses on strategies and mechanisms in which inclusion of cellulose -- in its various forms -- can enhance either the capacity or the rate of aqueous fluid absorption in various potential applications.

  Enhanced Absorbent Products Incorporating Cellulose and Its Derivatives: A Review.

  Daystar

  Ph.D.

  Jesse

  Daystar

  Ph.D.

  North Carolina State University