Improving Roads with Ethanol Co-products (IMAGE) Iowa State University Caption An Iowa State University research team is studying how lignin, the glue that holds plant fibers together and a co-product of cellulosic ethanol production, could improve soil strength under roads. The team -- left to right, Sunghwan Kim, a post-doctoral research associate; Halil Ceylan, an assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering; and Kasthurirangan Gopalakrishnan, a research scientist -- will test lignin's ability to strengthen soils in Iowa State's soils engineering laboratory. Credit Bob Elbert/Iowa State University Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.