2024 Funded Projects | MnDRIVE Environment

We are pleased to support six projects in 2024 that align with MnDRIVE Environment funding priorities, advancing sustainability topics including water quality, food systems, and clean energy. This year, grantmaking was facilitated through our host the Institute on the Environment’s Impact Goals grantmaking program.

The following project descriptions are based on information provided by project teams and edited for consistency and brevity. Projects are presented in alphabetical order.

Agrivoltaics to Generate Clean Electricity and Provide Land Access for Emerging and BIPOC farmers

To achieve the State’s renewable energy goals, Minnesota utilities will add several gigawatts of solar photovoltaics, which will require thousands of acres of land and create land use competition between clean energy generation, agriculture, and urban development.

Agrivoltaics, the dual use of land for agriculture and photovoltaics, can alleviate this competition and increase overall land use efficiency. Moreover, developing agrivoltaic solar farms opens up new opportunities for providing land access to emerging, immigrant, and BIPOC farmers from underserved communities. This project will establish best practices for utility-scale agrivoltaic solar farms that provide land access to farmers from underserved communities to enhance equity and food security.

Principal Investigator:

Uwe Kortshagen; Professor, Mechanical Engineering, UMN-Twin Cities

Co-Principal Investigators:

Vivian Ferry; Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, UMN-Twin Cities
Nathan Eylands; Assistant Professor, Horticulture, UMN-Twin Cities

Bacteria-Coated Corncob Bioreactors to Mitigate Nitrate Pollution from Agricultural Drainage and Urban Stormwater

Nutrient pollution caused by agricultural drainage and urban stormwater is of serious concern for human and ecosystem health. End-of-the-pipe bioreactors are a promising approach to improving water quality, although current bioreactor technologies have major limitations.

To overcome these technical barriers, this project will immobilize cold-adapted microbes capable of nitrate and N2O reduction and lignin degradation on the surface of corncobs, a more readily available and sustainable bedding material for bioreactors. Through extensive laboratory experiments, the team aims to establish stable and efficient nitrate-removing and N2O-reducing bioreactors that are applicable for field implementation. The goal of this research is to reduce nutrient pollution in both urban and agricultural settings while minimizing the emission of greenhouse gasses, thereby contributing to healthier water and land ecosystems.

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Satoshi Ishii; Associate Professor, BioTechnology Institute, College of Biological Sciences, UMN-Twin Cities

Biochar-Based Bricks to Reduce Carbon Intensity of the Built Environment

Buildings contribute over a third of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Progress on reducing building emissions have primary focused on heating, cooling, and lighting, and efforts to reduce the impact of building materials themselves are lacking.

The goal of this project is to reduce the embodied carbon of our built environment and upcycle waste biomass by evaluating the mechanical, physical, and environmental performance of innovative biochar-containing bricks used in construction applications. Biochar, a solid material made from thermally-decomposed biomass, can adsorb more than twice its own weight in CO2. Biochar also shows promise for absorbing other GHGs and pollutants. If successful, these new building materials could decrease the carbon intensity of the built environment, help achieve global goals for net-zero emissions from the built environment by 2050, and align with the state of Minnesota’s goal to equitably decarbonize all sectors of the economy by 2050.

Principal Investigator:

Matthew Aro; Research Program Manager; Natural Resources Research Institute, UMN-Duluth

Co-Principal Investigators:

Dr. Malini Srivastava; Associate Professor, Architecture; Associate Dean for Research, Creative Scholarship, and Engagement; College of Design, UMN-Twin Cities
Dr. Emilie Snell-Rood; Professor and Associate Head, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; College of Biological Sciences, UMN-Twin Cities

Magnetic Biochar from Minnesota Invasives: Sequestration of metals and phthalates from contaminated stormwater

Exposure to toxic metals and organic pollutants disproportionately affects low-income and communities of color. Pollutants, such as lead, zinc, and phthalates are commonly found in stormwater and pose significant health risks. The remediation of these metals and other pollutants from stormwater is crucial for protecting surrounding people, water, and ecosystems.

This project will pilot the use of biochar (a charcoal-like material) made from invasive species, impregnated with iron-bearing phases, for the remediation of two categories of pollutants: dissolved metals and organic contaminants. The goal is to develop a fundamental understanding of what biochar properties lead to the greatest pollutant uptake and test a pilot scale system at Pig’s Eye Regional park, in collaboration with St. Paul Parks and the Great River Passage Conservancy. Results will be used to inform future collaborations, strengthen relationships with community partners, and prepare proposals for external funding.

Principal Investigator:

Professor R. Lee Penn; Professor of Chemistry, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Chemistry, College of Science and Engineering, UMN-Twin Cities

Scalability, Sustainability, and Economic Feasibility of a Green Process for Co-Extraction of Protein and Oil from Sustainable Sources

Increasing consumer desire for plant-based food products is driving a surge in the demand for novel protein sources. Plant-based products have human health and animal welfare benefits, and can be produced with less water and lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to animal products.

The goal of this project is to assess the scalability, sustainability, and economic feasibility of a novel green, flammable solvent-free process for co-extracting protein and oil from an oilseed, namely hemp. The project team believes the evaluation of the proposed process will demonstrate its environmental and economic impact within and outside Minnesota while incentivizing the scaling of hemp production on the land. The team will develop strategies for disseminating the knowledge and provide the basis for commercializing this technology with the support of its community partner, ultimately providing stakeholders with sustainable solutions for food ingredient production.

Principal Investigator:

Fernanda F. G. Dias; Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, UMN-Twin Cities

Co-Principal Investigators:

B. Pam Ismail; Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, UMN-Twin Cities

Technology and Education to Address Natural Resource Management Challenges: Phase 2

Minnesota is part of the Great Lakes region, which contains almost 85% of the freshwater resources in North America (Great Lakes Commission, 2024). These water resources supply drinking water for millions and also carry immense environmental, cultural, and economic importance. However, the region faces threats to water quality and ecosystem functioning from contamination and invasive species (NOAA, 2024). Because of the scope and complexity of water quality monitoring and aquatic invasive species surveillance, there is currently an absence of real-time, dependable data which impedes effective management of the state’s water resources.

The use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) present opportunities for advancing and improving water quality management. Building from work in phase one of their project, this team seeks to develop and apply tools to manage impaired water quality and aquatic invasive species. To achieve this goal, the team aims to establish long-lasting working connections with stakeholders and increase managers’ capacity to use data collected from robots when making public water management decisions.

Principal Investigator:

Amy Kinsley DVM, PhD; Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, UMN-Twin Cities

Co-Principal Investigators:

Junaed Sattar, PhD; Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, UMN-Twin Cities
Ingrid Schneider, PhD; Professor, Department of Forest Resources, UMN-Twin Cities