WSU projects win five WTC grants

Nearly half of the technology projects that just received money from the Washington Technology Center involve research work done by faculty at Washington State University.

The five grants are among a dozen recently announced by the WTC, a state-funded economic development agency focused on technology and innovation.

WSU Biological Systems Engineering Professor Shulin Chen received $40,000 in grant money to help Creston, Wash.-based American Premix Technologies find effective ways to convert bio-diesel waste to a new feed supplement.

Chen also received $70,000 to work on a project with Ferndale-based Andgar Corp. to develop a system to convert animal manure to methane, an alternative energy source.

Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, from WSU’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, received a grant of $53,500 to work on a project with B&G Farms, based in Royal City, Wash., along with a second grant of $39,994 for a project with SoilSoup, Inc., of Seattle.

In the B&G Farms project, Carpenter-Boggs will study the commercial potential of mint-based compost. In the SoilSoup study, she’ll focus on increasing the life of liquid compost, according to a press release.

The fifth grant involving WSU went to Carter Clary, also with the school’s biological systems engineering program. He received $10,000 to work with Tree Top, Inc., based in Selah, Wash., to evaluate the market potential for microwave-dried fruits.

Chen said both American Premix and Andgar company officials have said they’ll use his research to introduce products.

“It’s not just for taking an idea and licensing it to someone else,” he said.