Smithfield Foods ties up with Tyton BioEnergy on energy tobacco development

In Virginia, Smithfield Foods’ Hog Production Division, Murphy-Brown, LLC, and Tyton BioEnergy Systems announced today a research partnership to develop new applications for Tyton’s dedicated, non-smoking tobacco crop and the resulting soil amendment, filtration, and feed products within Smithfield’s hog production processes.

The two companies are establishing field trials with non-smoking tobacco using hog manure as fertilizer. High absorption rates of hog-fertilizer by non-smoking tobacco would enhance environmental outcomes and assist Tyton in obtaining lower-cost fertilizer for its industrial crop. In addition, the companies are pursuing the development of ethanol products using tobacco as raw material rather than corn.

Smithfield and Tyton also will develop applications for Tyton’s tobacco-based biochar and activated carbon products, which can be used for a wide-range of filtration, land remediation, and soil amendment purposes. Other research activities with Tyton co-products will occur in parallel.