Final Report for the Iowa Livestock Industry Waste Characterization and Methane Recovery Information Dissemination Project, 2003

The Iowa livestock industry generates large quantities of manure and other organic residues; composed of feces, urine, bedding material, waste feed, dilution water, and mortalities. Often viewed as a waste material, little has been done to characterize and determine the usefulness of this resource. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources initiated the process to assess in detail the manure resource and the potential utilization of this resource through anaerobic digestion coupled with energy recovery. Many of the pieces required to assess the manure resource already exist, albeit in disparate forms and locations. This study began by interpreting and integrating existing Federal, State, ISU studies, and other sources of livestock numbers, housing, and management information. With these data, models were analyzed to determine energy production and economic feasibility of energy recovery using anaerobic digestion facilities on livestock faxms. Having these data individual facilities and clusters that appear economically feasible can be identified specifically through the use of a GIs system for further investigation. Also livestock facilities and clusters of facilities with high methane recovery potential can be the focus of targeted educational programs through Cooperative Extension network and other outreach networks, providing a more intensive counterpoint to broadly based educational efforts.

SF 2088 Convenience Fees Analysis and Recommendations, November 16, 2011

As an expansion of SF2088, the Department of Administrative Services-Information Technology Enterprise (DAS-ITE) was asked to further analyze the potential costs and savings if the current practice of charging credit card and overhead fees (“value-added fees”) were to be eliminated. Value-added fees reflect the costs an agency incurs while providing online services, and those costs will always exist.. DAS-ITE researched these costs and identified ways of making the associated fees less burdensome to the citizens of Iowa. The three alternatives provide different ways in which agencies can recover those costs; they could be borne by either an annual appropriation or adjustment of the online service “price” to include the fees within the cost of the online transaction. An additional alternative is presented to leave the current value-added fee practices in place. Recognition must also be made of the fact that traditional forms of conducting business with the State of Iowa, face-to-face and paper-based transactions, are inherently more costly. These delivery channels are effectively subsidized by the agency as a “cost of doing business” and the associated expense of the transactions is not passed on to the customer.

Oils and Tars from Iowa Shales, HR-32, 1962

The inadequate supply of suitable road surfacing material in the southern part of Iowa raises the question of the possibility of utilizing certain shales abundant in this area. These carbonaceous shales commonly overlie the coal beds and may also be found as impurities in the coal seams. They constitute the "slate" which with minor amounts of coal makes up the "gob" piles at the mines. These shales frequently contain enough carbonaceous material to burn. Those which do not usually require only a relatively small amount of coal mixed with them to support combustion. As a result, the "gob" piles frequently burn. The residual shale material is frequently used locally as a road surfacing material. However, since there is no control over the burning, there is no assurance that the product is the most suitable which might be produced or that it is even uniform in its properties. To determine if a controlled burning would produce a suitable road building product economically a research project "Use of Shales as Highway Materials" (ISHC Project HR-21, IEES Project 299-S) was set up in the Iowa Engineering Experiment Station with funds provided by the Iowa State Highway Commission, This project was supervised by Charles Frush, formerly Assistant Professor of Mining Engineering at Iowa State University. The various shales were subjected to controlled burning, and the solid residues were tested for their suitability for highway use.

Correlation of Locally-based Performance of Asphalts with Their Physicochemical Parameters, HR-298, 1990

This project was undertaken to study the relationships between the performance of locally available asphalts and their physicochemical properties under Iowa conditions with the ultimate objective of development of a locally and performance-based asphalt specification for durable pavements. Physical and physicochemical tests were performed on three sets of asphalt samples including: (a) twelve samples from local asphalt suppliers and their TFOT residues, (b) six core samples of known service records, and (c) a total of 79 asphalts from 10 pavement projects including original, lab aged and recovered asphalts from field mixes, as well as from lab aged mixes. Tests included standard rheological tests, HP-GPC and TMA. Some specific viscoelastic tests (at 5 deg C) were run on b samples and on some a samples. DSC and X-ray diffraction studies were performed on a and b samples. Furthermore, NMR techniques were applied to some a, b and c samples. Efforts were made to identify physicochemical properties which are correlated to physical properties known to affect field performance. The significant physicochemical parameters were used as a basis for an improved performance-based trial specification for Iowa to ensure more durable pavements.

Correlation of Locally-Based Performance of Asphalts with Their Physicochemical Parameters, Progress Report 2, HR-298, 1989

This project was undertaken to study the relationships between the performance of locally available asphalts and their physicochemical properties under Iowa conditions with the ultimate objective of development of a locally and performance-based asphalt specification for durable pavements. Physical and physicochemical tests were performed on three sets of asphalt samples including: (a) twelve samples from local asphalt suppliers and their TFOT residues, (b) six core samples of known service records, and (c) a total of 79 asphalts from 10 pavement projects including original, lab aged and recovered asphalts from field mixes, as well as from lab aged mixes. Tests included standard rheological tests, HP-GPC and TMA. Some specific viscoelastic tests (at 5 deg C) were run on b samples and on some a samples. DSC and X-ray diffraction studies were performed on a and b samples. Furthermore, NMR techniques were applied to some a, b and c samples. Efforts were made to identify physicochemical properties which are correlated to physical properties known to affect field performance. The significant physicochemical parameters were used as a basis for an improved performance-based trial specification for Iowa to ensure more durable pavements.