Two teams of Iowa State researchers have each earned a 1999 Research and Development 100 Award for their scientific developments, bringing ISU’s total to 21 Research and Development 100 Awards since 1984.

Two technologies were recognized: a method for converting waste-water sludge into useful biosolid materials and a genetic testing technique for pigs to determine which ones will have the largest litters.

According to a press release, the Research and Development 100 Awards are the only existing awards for applied science and scientists and honor the top 100 products of technological significance marketed or licensed during the previous calendar year.

ISU is one of three universities to win two Research and Development 100 Awards this year. The other two are the University of Cincinnati and the University of Tennessee.

Max Rothschild, professor of agriculture, said there are 500-800 applicants for the awards annually.

“Most [applications] are from companies. There are fewer from universities. Iowa State is doing a great job to win two awards,” he said.

Tim Ellis, assistant professor of civil engineering, said the awards acknowledge that the technology is used to a significant degree.

ISU President Martin Jischke said, “Winning two Research and Development 100 Awards shows the relevancy of Iowa State research and the inventiveness of our researchers. These awards confirm our standing as a place where research brings results.”

Ellis identified applied research as a mission of ISU, as a land-grant institution.

“The awards are one indication of success in the mission,” he said.

Ellis and Shih-Wu Sung, assistant professor of civil engineering, won one of the awards for their work on a process that transforms sludge into a useful material.

All of the 100 Award winners will be honored at a banquet in Chicago in September, Rothschild said.

Former ISU civil engineering professor Richard Dague (Dr. Dague died in October 1996) worked his entire life on developing a temperature-phased anaerobic digestion process, Ellis said.

Ellis and Sung continued Dague’s work on the TPAD process. They received a patent in 1997 and went on to win a 100 Award two weeks ago, Ellis said.

According to a press release, most wastewater treatment plants in the U.S. employing sludge digestion, use common aerobic or anaerobic tanks for digestion.

Three serious problems are commonly encountered in conventional digestion processes: low solids reduction, foaming and low pathogen destruction.

The resulting sludge is disposed of in landfills, placed on agricultural land, or incinerated, which raises environmental concerns. The TPAD process provides a solution to long-standing problems of dealing with wastewater sludge.

TPAD has been used in wastewater treatment facilities in Iowa City, Independence, Newton and Waterloo, Iowa; Omaha, Neb.; Duluth, Minn.; and Menasha and Sturgeon, Wis.

The technology has been licensed to Anaerobic Biosystems Corp. in Ames.

“The process continues to be adopted by municipalities all across the country,” Ellis said.

Ellis is working on a couple other processes and hopes to “have similar success,” he said.

Rothschild received the other Research and Development 100 Award for his work in genetically testing the size of pig litters.

He has been working in this area for five or six years and is honored to receive the award considering engineering and mechanical products are typically recognized, Rothschild said.

“Biological awards are rarely given out. It’s quite an honor for Iowa Sate and me to get the award. It is nice to know some science is picked up by the industry and is useful to them,” he said.

Rothschild developed an estrogen receptor gene test for improved pig litter size which is a genetic testing method that helps pork producers increase the size of pig litters by scientifically identifying which females and males will produce larger litters.

He identified a gene which influences litter size. Pigs with both copies of a desirable form of estrogen receptor gene (ESR) have 0.8 to 0.9 more pigs per litter on average than sows without this advantage.

Rothschild said the ability to identify sows for potential for increased litter size would improve the financial bottom line for producers.

Using this test in a 1,000 sow operation could mean a $20,000 increase in income based on average pork prices.

“More copies make females more efficient. It cuts costs,” Rothschild said.

He said researchers have used the ESR genetic marker to identify females capable of producing larger litters and males producing daughters for pork production.

The technology is also being used to genetically improve semen and genetically improve breeding females. Use of the new gene test can improve herd genetics, increase pig production efficiency and possibly reduce animal waste that could harm the environment.

The technology has been licensed to PIC International Group, which sells over 40 percent of the breeding stock in the U.S.

“It’s used quite heavily in the industry,” Rothschild said.