THIS PROPOSAL RESPONDS TO THE USDA AFRI PROGRAM AREA PRIORITY BIOENERGY, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND ENVIRONMENT, WHICH FOCUSES ON PROCESSES TO HARVEST BIOENERGY AND VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS FROM AVAILABLE AGRICULTURAL WASTE. SPECIFICALLY, WE ADDRESS A CRITICAL CHALLENGE IN THE U.S. BY CO-PROCESSING LIGNOCELLULOSIC AGRICULTURAL CROP RESIDUE (BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK) AND PLASTIC MULCHING FILM TO RECOVER VALUE AND ENERGY, A STEP TOWARDS EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE HUMAN POPULATION AND THE CONSEQUENT INCREASE IN GLOBAL FOOD DEMAND HAS RESULTED IN AN IMMEDIATE NEED FOR SUSTAINABLE AND EFFICIENT AGRICULTURE. ONE MAJOR AREA OF SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN IS THE PROPER MANAGEMENT OF WASTE CROP RESIDUES. FINDING WAYS TO VALORIZE AND RECOVER VALUE FROM CROP RESIDUE IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE THE SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF CROP RESIDUE WASTE IS A BURDEN ON LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS AND CAN CONTRIBUTE TO ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AFTER HARVEST SEASON. SPECIFICALLY, LIGNOCELLULOSIC CROP RESIDUE THAT CONTAINS 30-45% CELLULOSE, 10-40% HEMICELLULOSE, AND 5-25% LIGNINCANNOT BE USED FOR ANIMAL FEEDSTOCK AND ARE NOT READILY BIODEGRADABLE. WHILE A PORTION OF THE AGRICULTURAL LIGNOCELLULOSIC RESIDUES ARE USED AS RAW MATERIALS FOR FOOD, FEED, PAPER, AND BIOFUEL PRODUCTION, A LARGE MAJORITY OF THESE RESIDUES REMAIN A SERIOUS BALLAST IN NATURE. FURTHERMORE, MOST OF THE PROCESSES THAT INVOLVE VALUE RECOVERY FROM LIGNOCELLULOSIC RESIDUES INVOLVE PRE-TREATMENT, WHICH IS CHALLENGING AND COST-INHIBITIVE. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PROJECTS THAT CROP RESIDUE SUPPLY WILL BE ABOUT 180 MILLION TONS BY THE YEAR 2030, AND WHILE SOME OF IT WILL BE USED TO IMPROVE THE SOIL AND AGRICULTURAL CONDITIONS AND TO CREATE BIO-ENERGY, A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION WILL HAVE TO BE INCINERATED, WHICH CREATES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, OR DISCARDED AS WASTE. THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES CAN BE USED TO CONVERT THE LIGNOCELLULOSIC RESIDUE INTO BIOFUELS AND VALUABLE HYDROCARBONS. THERMOCHEMICAL CONVERSION TECHNOLOGIES, SUCH AS PYROLYSIS, ON LIGNOCELLULOSIC MATERIALS, HAVE, UNFORTUNATELY, NOT RESULTED IN HIGH-QUALITY END PRODUCTS. THE LIQUID PYROLYSIS PRODUCT (BIO-OIL) OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS GENERALLY CONTAINS A LARGE NUMBER OF OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS, SUCH AS SUGARS, ALDEHYDES, KETONES, ACIDS, AND PHENOLS, WHICH RESULT IN A LOW HEATING VALUE, THERMAL INSTABILITY, AND CORROSIVENESS OF THE BIO-OIL. IN CONTRAST TO LIGNOCELLULOSIC AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES, SYNTHETIC POLYMERS SUCH AS POLYETHYLENE, DELIVER OILS AND WAXES OF HIGHER QUALITY DUE TO THEIR HIGH C CONTENT. MULTIPLE STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THE CO-PYROLYSIS OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS WITH SYNTHETIC POLYMERS ENHANCES THE PROPERTIES OF THE OBTAINED OIL. PLASTICS HAVE LONG BEEN USED IN AGRICULTURE TO INCREASE THE YIELD AND QUALITY OF THE CROP. IN 2012, PLASTIC MULCH FILMS ACCOUNTED FOR OVER 40% OF THE TOTAL PLASTIC FILMS USED IN AGRICULTURE, AND THEIR USE WAS EXPECTED TO GROW 69% FROM 4.4 MILLION TONS IN 2012 TO 7.4 MILLION TONS IN 2019. IN ADDITION, PLASTIC MULCH FILMS WILL PHOTODEGRADE AND LEAVE BEHIND MICROPLASTICS IN THE SOIL. THIS PROPOSAL WILL FOCUS ON RECOVERING ENERGY AND PRODUCTS FROM LIGNOCELLULOSIC AGRICULTURAL RESIDUE AND AGRICULTURAL PLASTIC WASTE VIA CATALYTIC CO-PYROLYSIS. WE WILL OBTAIN THE LIGNOCELLULOSIC WASTE AND PLASTIC WASTE FROM FARMERS IN THE STATE OF IDAHO AND PROCESS THEM AND USE THEM AS FEEDSTOCK IN OUR CUSTOM-MADE PYROLYSIS REACTOR.THE GOALS OF THIS PROPOSAL WILL BE ADDRESSED THROUGH THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:1. LIGNOCELLULOSIC CROP RESIDUE AND AGRICULTURAL PLASTIC WASTE FEEDSTOCK CHARACTERIZATION2. PYROLYSIS AND CATALYTIC PYROLYSIS OF THE FEEDSTOCK3. CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF THE FINAL LIQUID FUEL PRODUCT.