The RBI Research Portfolio · The RBI Endowment Endowment Value $41 mm Objectives: >Leadership...
Transcript of The RBI Research Portfolio · The RBI Endowment Endowment Value $41 mm Objectives: >Leadership...
The RBI Research Portfolio
Portfolio Overview
Dr. Norman Marsolan
The RBI Endowment
Endowment Value
$41 mm
Objectives:
>Leadership
>Knowledge
Earnings Support 4-yr Fellowships
Average Annual Fellowship Spend
of $1.4 mm
Graduates and Career Choices:70% join industry; 35% impact forest products
Recent five-year totals
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
National Labs, Academia
Other Industries
Other Forest Bioproducts
Pulp & Paper; Suppliers
Source: Academic Program Review Report, Jan. 20162008-09 through 2014-15
Academics
5 Co-Advised
18 ChBE
8 ME
18 MSE
3 CHEM
• 52 students are currently supported
• Degrees are conferred by Home Schools:• Chemical and Biomolecular
Engineering• Materials Science and
Engineering• Mechanical Engineering• Chemistry and Biochemistry
• 4 PSE courses required—2 core; 2 elective
Upgrades In Progress:• Upgrade the minor• Discontinue major• Add additional electives
Input
RFP
Proposals
Fellowship Awards
Student Recruitment
Research
Results
MemberInfluence
MemberInfluence
MemberInfluence
MemberInfluence
MemberInfluence
MemberInfluence
The PSE Member
Engagement Process
Our Members Influence the Endowment Portfolio
Process Changes This YearEnhanced member opportunities
Greater program visibility
Improved faculty and student information on the RBI website
Standardized application format
A Balanced Offering:2017-18
Applications
Interdisciplinary ResearchModeled after NSF’s IGER / NRT Interdisciplinary Programs by
Engaging Professor Advisors from at Least Three Schools
IGER ChBE, MSE, ECE—first ECE engagement
MSE, ME, ChBE—The first Inter-IRI proposal with IEN
(FYI) “Reverse IGER”—one student; three segments in three schools
Current Consortium ResearchBlack Liquor
• Nair, et al.
• Final Report stage
• GP, IP, Kapstone, SAPPI, WestRock
Water Use Reduction
• Singh
• Final year
• IP; Domtar
Next-Gen
Pulping
• Bommarius, et al.
• Kickoff stage
• GP, Solenis, Domtar
• Others welcome
RBI’s Strategic Thrusts
Biochemicals and Fuels
Matthew RealffProfessor
ChBE
Biocomposites & NanocelluloseMeisha ShofnerAssoc. Professor
MSE
Pulp, Paper, Packaging
Chris Luettgen Prof. of the Practice
ChBE
Operational ExcellencePulp, Paper & Packaging
Chris Luettgen
Professor of the Practice
ChBE
Solid Bonds to Agenda 2020 Technology Strategy
Source: Agenda 2020 Presentations and URL: http://www.agenda2020.org/vision.html
Agenda 2020 Focus Areas, Plus Others:
Next-Generation Pulping
Black Liquor Concentration
Reduce Drying Energy Multi-phase forming
Reuse of Process Effluents
• Dr. Sankar Nair, ChBE, PI
• Goal: Develop a more energy-efficient method to remove water from Kraft pulp mill black liquor
– Intensify black liquor concentration by reducing the energy requirements through new membrane technology
– Graphene oxide (GO) membranes developed to tolerate both the pH and temperature requirements
– Current focus is on scale-up
Project Highlights: Black Liquor Concentration
Team: Fereshteh Rashidi, Zhongzhen Wang, Meisha Shofner, Scott Sinquefield
Black Liquor CharacterizationBench-Scale Membrane Testing
with Characterization of StreamsDr. Scott Sinquefield, RBI, PI
• Develop capability and test promising commercial membranes and the Georgia Tech Graphene Oxide membranes for selectivity, flux and fouling
• Develop reference black liquors• Determine the osmotic pressure of
black liquor at the temperature levels of weak BL at the mill, time and funding permitting
• Project in development—additional sponsors welcome
Project Team Members: Fereshteh Rashidi, Meisha Shofner, Sankar Nair
Project Highlights: Next-Generation Pulping
• PSE and consortium projects supervised by Dr. Andy Bommarius, ChBE
• Goal: Preserve fiber strength and pulp performance while improving yield; lignin extraction prior to digester has debottlenecking potential for many mills
• Significant results to date– Project awarded and the focus of PhD
candidate Thomas Kwok
Other OpEx AreasReuse of process effluents – focus on corrosion science and metallurgy in closed water systems, Dr. Preet Singh
Drier Web – 3D modeling of dewatering, Dr. David Rosen; new application of membrane proposal in response to Agenda 2020 RFP, Dr. Fereshti RashidiMulti-phase forming – fluid dynamic modeling of foam/water/fiber in oriented headbox flows, Dr. Cyrus Aidun
Packaging Advancements• Barrier and surface properties
• Controlling barrier and mechanical properties using cellulose nanomaterials
• Tunable surface hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity for paper product application
• Stronger, smarter packaging• Strain-field mining for fracture toughness• Using nanocellulose-based conductivity layers • Electrofunctional paper for highly conductive and
switchable displays• Paper surface characterization and improvements
for printed electronics• Internet of Things
• Embedding intelligence in everyday materials (paper) for ubiquitous computing
• 3D-printed biomaterials on paper• 3D printing polymer patterns for tunable surface properties• Creating active surfaces with stimuli-reactive properties
Chemicals from Forest BiomassOverview of GT RBI Portfolio
Dr Matthew J Realff
Professor, ChBE
Emerging Strategy
Pulp
Advanced Cellulose Materials
C5 Sugars
C6 Sugars
Lignin based Materials
Value-added chemicals
Lignin Monomers
Materials for chemicals
Tree Fractionation
Traditional Materials & Advanced Substrates
Focus on:Innovative pathwaysTechnological innovation to improve these pathways
Cellulose Nanocrystals as Alternative Supports for Cooperative Organocatalysis (Jones)
CNC: 0.9 wt% S
Typical support:
Mesoporous silica
(e.g. SBA-15)
Acid-base
catalyzed reactions
Cellulose nanocrystals as catalyst
supports:
Unmodified CNC Chemically modified CNC
Emerging Strategy
Pulp
Advanced Cellulose Materials
C5 Sugars
C6 Sugars
Lignin based Materials
Value-added chemicals
Lignin Monomers
Materials for chemicals
Tree Fractionation
Traditional Materials & Advanced Substrates
Focus on:Innovative pathwaysTechnological innovation to improve these pathways
Mechanocatalytic Depolymerization (Sievers)Objectives:Development of a process for
depolymerization of biomass – in particular lignin – with solid catalysts under solvent-free conditions.
Removal of oxygen containing functional groups during the depolymerization process.
Design of inexpensive catalysts for mechanocatalytic reactions
Approaches:Reactivity studies, modified ball millCharacterization of active sites in
mechanocatalytic reactionsSynthesis of catalysts based on
natural mineralsAssessment of energy consumption
and economic viability
milling balls
lignincatalyst
Mechanocatalytic reaction in a milling vessel
Depolymerization of lignin
Email: [email protected]
Advanced Porous Materials and Processes for Biorefinery Separations (Lively/Nair)This project aims demonstrate separations in biorefineries/solvent (e.g., 2,5-
dimethylfuran/n-butanol) mixtures by using carefully selected nanoporous materials
(e.g., UiO-66). Our results show that UiO-66 has much higher affinity for n-butanol
over DMF with an estimated binary n-butanol/DMF selectivity > 9. To achieve higher
diffusion selectivity, we recently focus on tuning the window size via the use of otherdicarboxylate linkers.
6 Å11 Å
8 Å
DMF(k.d.: >5.3 Å)
n-BuOH(k.d.: 4.3 Å)
Simplified UiO-66 window-cage pore structure
O
OH
O
HO
O
OH
O
HO
OO
H
OH
O
O
OH
O
HO
OO
H
OH
O
Triangularwindow
Tuning window size
6 Å<6 Å
Microbial Production of Adipic Acid from Catechol (Bommarius/Yalta)
• Goal: Engineer E. coli strain to produce adipic acid using lignin-derived catechol
• Strategy:1. Engineer E. coli for
muconic acid production2. Engineer yeast biosensor
for adipic acid detection3. Engineer muconic acid
reductase for conversion of muconic acid to adipicacid
Faculty Across the Research Spectrum
Fundamentals of thermochemical,
catalytic, and biocatalyticprocesses
Biomass component
separation & conversion
Process systems design
Biocomposites and Nanocellulose
Dr. Meisha Shofner, MSE
Presented by Dr. Norman Marsolan
Thematic Research Areas
3D-printed nanocellulose compositeImage: Vincent Li, Georgia Tech
Additive Manufacturing
High strength and high modulus carbon fiber
Image: Gary Meek, Georgia Tech
Fiber Production
Sheet molding compound pilot lineImage: Kyriaki Kalaitzidou, Georgia Tech
Polymer Matrix Composites
Nanocellulose/polyhydroxybutyrate compositeImage: Stephanie Lin, Georgia Tech
Organic Electronics
Recyclable Solar CellsImage from: Zhou, Fuentes-
Hernandez, Khan, Liu, Hsu, Shim, Dindar, Youngblood, Moon, Kippelen, Scientific Reports
(2013)
Current Projects Related to Biocomposites And Nanocellulose
Approximately 43% of currently funded projects relate to biocomposites and nanocellulose
Advisors from all four of the traditionally supported Schools
– Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE)
– Chemistry and Biochemistry (CHEM)
– Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)
– Mechanical Engineering (ME)
1st Year22%
2nd Year22%
3rd Year30%
4th
Year +26%
Project Highlights: Additive Manufacturing
• PSE projects supervised by Yulin Deng, ChBE, and Jerry Qi, ME
• Goal: Utilize additive manufacturing technologies for fabricating next-generation bioproducts with complex functionalities
• Significant results to date– Enhanced mechanical stiffness and
strength
– Nearly 100% pure cellulose nanocrystal structures via Direct Ink Write (DIW) 3D printing
– Demonstration of various complex CNC 3D structures printed via DIW
Printed hydrogels After freeze drying
Image: Li, Dunn, Zhang, Qi, and Deng, Advanced Material Technologies (under review)
Project Highlights: Fiber Production
• PSE projects supervised by Satish Kumar, MSE
• Goal: Use bio-based materials to produce carbon fibers with improved properties, reduced cost
• Significant results to date• Carbon fibers produced from lignin/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) blends
• met or exceeded DOE property goals for automotive applications• may require less energy (and money) to produce due to lignin
addition
• CNC/PAN nanocomposites with high CNC loadings, useful for the production of functional nanocomposites (i.e., piezoelectric)
Image: Rob Felt, Georgia Tech
CN@GT
• Student community of interest led by Dr. Robert Moon, USDA-US Forest Service
• Monthly student meetings with presentations to disseminate results/build collaborations
• 27 students involved
Other Projects and Efforts to Be Featured in the Program
• Expanding the processibility and applications of cellulose and chitin nanomaterials – J. Carson Meredith, ChBE, part of IGER project
• Opportunities in bio/mineral cement composites – Kim Kurtis, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Cellulose nanomaterials towards lightweighting of polymer composites -Kyriaki Kalaitzidou, ME/MSE
Opportunities for Industry
• Engage with metrology projects– Rheological Characterization of Nanocellulose for
Metrology and Quality Control Research – Rapid, Reliable Optical Analysis of Cellulose Nanocrystal
Morphology/Size
• Collaborate to strengthen future external proposal submissions– National Science Foundation: Grant Opportunities for
Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI)– U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities: P3Nano
• Host PSE project teams (students and faculty) at your facility to disseminate and provide real-world perspective to their research
Conclusion:
A Dynamic and Growing Portfolio
Summary—The RBI Portfolio
Faculty Engagement
• A point of entry to the industry—and vice-versa
Collaboration
• Partnerships
Close Industry Ties
• Agenda 2020; P3Nano; TAPPI; others
People, Technologies, Ideas
The Building Blocks of our Industry’s Future!
Enjoy the Endowed Research Posters!
• 6 Teams of 3-4 judges each will review an assigned set of up to six posters
– Research Merit
– Potential for Commercialization
– Poster Clarity
– Quality of Presentation
• Judges received packages at sign-up
• FOCUS FIRST on lunch-only presenters! Highlighted on score sheet; flagged on displays