News
Chen Developing Low-cost Method to Produce Fuel
November 7, 2009
Wilfred Chen, professor of chemical and environmental engineering, is leading a consortium that is developing a one-step consolidated bioprocessing method for direct fermentation of cellulose to ethanol. This would create a cost-effective way to convert an abundant non-food related agricultural residue into vehicle fuel. The result would be reduction of environmental pollution, enhancement of the value of farmers' crops, and less need for imported petroleum.
The new Energy Policy Act is requiring that several billion gallons of renewable fuel must be produced by 2012, with most produced as biofuel using renewable biomass. While the cost of other raw materials can be high, this form of lignocellulosic biomass is especially well-suited for energy applications because of its availability, low cost and environmentally benign production. The raw material can be found in wheat straw, corn stalk and soybean residues, industrial waste from the pulp and paper industry, forestry residues and municipal solid waste.
Chen is the Principal Investigator for the project, which also involves researchers at two other universities. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is providing the funding; Riverside's portion of the award is $600,000. Continuing synthetic yeast cellusome research at UCR is being funded by NSF and the Department of Energy.
BCOE Environmental Projects Capture Two Awards
October 19, 2009
Two teams from the Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department at BCOE were awarded $10,000 each and the opportunity to compete at the highest level in the Environmental Protection Agency's P3 competition. Four California universities were chosen for the awards, but UCR was the only campus with two prize-winning teams.
"P3" stands for People, Prosperity and the Planet. Winners of Phase I receive $10,000 at the start of the academic year and use the grant to develop their design projects. In April, all teams must submit their final reports from Phase I as well as their proposals for Phase II. All P3 grant recipients attend the National Sustainable Design Expo featuring the highest level P3 competition, held in Washington, D.C. Up to $75,000 is given to the best student designs, providing an opportunity to further these designs, implement them in the field, and move them to the marketplace.
One of the BCOE teams developed a solar concentration concept where the sun's rays are focused through a Fresnel lens (originally developed for lighthouses), with the resulting heat used to distill clean water out of dirty water. The team, pictured above with a mock-up of their device, is (l. to r.) Professor Mark Matsumoto (Principal Investigator), John Johnson, Chris Salinas, Parham Javadinajjar, Wesley Chen, Alex Chen, Luke Chen and Professor Kawai Tam (advisor). Wesley, Alex and Luke are recent additions to the team as a former member, Elizha West, graduated and is working on a remediation project for URS Corporation's Washington Division in Washington State. Elizha will rejoin the team in Washington, D.C. for the next level of the competition.
The other award-winning group is working with cellulosic ethanol made from waste wood, an effort that helps clean up the environment at the same time it is creating fuel. They are (pictured below from l. to r.) Anthony Turgman, Vu Nguyen, Jian Shi (post-doctoral student), Ramon Josh Garong and Christine Kwon in front of Ramon. The Principal Investigator for this project is Charles Wyman (not pictured).
This isn't the first time BCOE teams have captured the P3 award; they also won the first phase in 2005 and in 2007. Professor Tam has coordinated the teams since 2004, the year after the EPA and its partners began the award program to promote innovative thinking for moving the world toward sustainability. The competition is designed to help college students gain new skills as they research, design, develop and implement scientific solutions to environmental challenges.
2009 CEE Graduate Student Symposium
October 9, 2009
The CEE Annual Graduate Student Symposium was held on September 22 – 23, 2009. The annual symposium is a culmination of CEE graduate student research for the 2008-2009 academic year. Students gain invaluable experience by honing their presentations for a large audience that consists of their peers and faculty.
First year students participated in a poster session while students years two and above presented via Power Point slide show. All student presentations were graded by a faculty panel and a best presentation winner was chosen for each student year. The winning students this year were:
Best Overall Presentation: Garrett Milliron
Best First Year Poster Presentation: Garrett Milliron
Best Second Year Presentation: Heather McKenzie
Best Third Year Presentation: Shen Long Tsai
Best Fourth/Fifth Year Presentation: Christy Yeh
CEE Alumni Student Accepts Faculty Position at SINANO
September 15, 2009
Ting Zhang, Ph.D. has accepted an Associate Professor position at the International Laboratory (iLab) at Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics (SINANO), a new institute that is joint-founded by the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) and the governments of Jiangsu Province and Suzhou city. His current research will focus on sensor platforms for environmental monitoring.
After obtaining his Ph.D. in Chemical and Environmental Engineering from UCR in 2007, Zhang worked in industry before accepting his new faculty position. Zhang credits his education within the CEE Graduate Program at UCR for giving him an advantage for the position: “The institute was looking for an individual with American advanced education in nano and environmental engineering background, specializing in nanosensor platform development…my education and research [at] UCR [was] a good match with the position.”
Yan Makes Breakthrough in Fuel Cell Technology
September 1, 2009
Yushan Yan, professor and chair of the chemical and environmental engineering department, has made a major discovery in the field of fuel cells. He and his team have developed a high performance, low cost hydroxide conducting polymer membrane that allows for the replacement of precious metal fuel cell catalysts. The work is the cover story for the international edition of the German chemical engineering journal Angewandte Chemie.
The membrane conducts hydroxide ions instead of hydrogen ions, which increases fuel cell efficiency. The new technology also has the potential to be used with a variety of fuels besides hydrogen, including sustainable and biodegradable ones.
As Yan's innovation is commercialized, a massive drop in the cost of goods needed to produce fuel cells is expected, resulting in a lower price point per watt than internal combustion engines and batteries. It has been licensed to Full Cycle Energy for commercialization. The company is already commercializing Yan's platinum nanotube fuel cell catalyst (PtNT) which is expected to cut the cost of conventional platinum fuel cells by at least two-thirds while improving durability tenfold.
Yan says that this new breakthrough will make fuel cells so efficient and inexpensive that it could revolutionize energy conversion and storage on a global scale.
Kisailus Teams with GM in Mollusk Study
July 15, 2009
David Kisailus, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, studies sea creatures to learn how to design and make cost-effective and environmentally friendly high-performance materials. He is collaborating with General Motors on a study of the iridescent lining of seashells, which has been funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
Kisailus is applying lessons learned from the study of biological systems for the synthesis of functional engineering materials that are efficient, durable and safe that could be used to manufacture lightweight, impact-absorbing vehicles. He has observed natural systems with the ability to control nano- and microstructural features that significantly improve mechanical properties of otherwise brittle materials. An example is an organic-inorganic and impact-resistant nanocomposite that makes up the inner layer of some seashells.
By using biologically inspired synthesis strategies, Kisailus aims to develop cost-effective and environmentally friendly three-dimensional composites. The project will use natural systems to bridge multiple fields of biology, materials science and mechanical engineering to create new technological capabilities. Analysis and testing will be performed using facilities at UCR, General Motors and the Air Force Research Laboratory. Two post-doctoral researchers, a graduate student and two undergraduates will assist at Bourns College; for Kisailus, undergraduate involvement is critical to the successful development of the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Chen Collaborating with Squibb Company
July 2, 2009
Wilfred Chen, professor of chemical and environmental engineering, is participating in a cross industry-academic collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS) to investigate a new method for human antibody capture and purification that would be a lower cost, less complex alternative the current industry standard. Antibodies are used by the immune system to identify and neutralize bacteria and viruses. Therapies based on antibodies have been gaining momentum for prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, protection against biological warfare agents, and as therapeutic agents for the treatment of diseases like cancer.
The project is part of the National Science Foundation's Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry, and includes support for two graduate students, one from UCR and one from another university. The students will be able to carry out a portion of their work in-house at BMS, who is also sponsoring visits between the company facility and the labs of the various researchers. The graduate students will gain valuable experience in protein purification and fermentation, and an integrated perspective of the important interfaces and synergies connecting biochemistry, modern genetics and process engineering.
NSF's Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) program promotes university-industry partnerships by making project funds or fellowships/
traineeships available to support an eclectic mix of industry-university linkages. It allows faculty, postdoctoral fellows and students to conduct research and gain experience in an industrial setting, helps industrial scientists and engineers to bring industry's perspective and integrative skills to academe, and supports interdisciplinary university-industry teams in conducting research projects. The program targets high-risk/high-gain research with a focus on fundamental research, development of innovative collaborative industry-university educational programs, and direct transfer of new knowledge between academe and industry.
Walker Awarded Fulbright for Research, Teaching in Israel
June 4, 2009
Sharon Walker, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship that will support nine months of water quality research in Israel, from September 2009 through July 2010. Her research has the potential to transform the way in which infectious agents in underground layers containing water used for drinking are monitored, and their presence assessed. Her work will provide insight into best practices for protection of human and animal health, and help set standards for water management.
Walker will collaborate with faculty from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, bringing together expertise in environmental and chemical engineering, and molecular and micro-biology. She will also present a two-week intensive short course at Ben-Gurion University based on a graduate-level class she developed at UCR, titled "Physical, Chemical and Biological Processes Controlling the Fate of Particles in Aquatic Environments."
Walker has previously delivered lectures abroad; she was invited to speak in China, the Netherlands and England. As she points out, issues of water management and quality are universal. Through her combination of research and lecturing, she intends to enhance international partnerships and interdisciplinary efforts by developing collaboration with Israeli researchers, students and at multi-disciplinary meetings and conferences.
Team Member Named Top Student at WERC Competition
April 15, 2009
Breanne Bornemann won the Terry McManus Memorial Award for Most Outstanding Student at the WERC Consortium competition in New Mexico on April 8. This award honors a student that goes above and beyond the academic curriculum and includes a plaque and a $1,000 cash prize.
Kawai Tam, the team's advisor, nominated Bornemann for her work and passion in starting the UCR student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), and her ongoing efforts in helping the adopted village of Pastores Sacatequez, Guatemala to improve water and sanitation safety.
Bornemann is one of four BCOE team members, all Environmental Engineering seniors, who participated in Task 3, a design process for pretreatment of brackish water. They were sponsored by Western Municipal Water District, a member agency of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
The team created a prototype for cascade aeration and modified activated carbon to treat key contaminants of iron, manganese, and aluminum which foul reverse osmosis and electrodialysis reversal water treatment processes. A highlight was that they incorporated sustainable energy in their process by designing a solar pond that would power all the pumps in their pretreatment process.
By being involved in the competition the team was able to benefit from the judges' expertise in the field, and gain new knowledge and perspectives. It was also an opportunity for them to network. A couple of the judges requested that the students contact them after the competition to discuss their project further. In the photo, the team is fielding questions from judges. The students, in lab coats, are (l. to r.) Mihir Desai, Tyler Colyer, Troy Ezeh, and Breanne Bornemann.
WERC is a consortium for environmental education and technology development that has come to be widely recognized for its commitment to the nation's environment and natural resources. The organization's threefold program aims to achieve environmental excellence through education, public outreach, and technology development and deployment.
Kisailus' Squid Study in Science Journal Nature
February 9, 2009
Chemical and Environmental Engineering Professor David Kisailus' latest work on squid sucker rings has been highlighted by Nature, the international weekly journal of science, and will be the April cover story for the peer-reviewed journal Advanced Materials.
Kisailus (left) and his research associate James Weaver (right) are investigating the sucker rings of the Humboldt squid, which are very strong and effective at immobilizing captured prey. The interdisciplinary team for this project also includes Professor Henrik Birkedal from Aarhus University in Denmark, Dr. Ali Miserez and Todd Schneeberk from UC Santa Barbara and Dr. Roger Hanlon from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Kisailus and Weaver are interested in studying sea creatures in order to develop environmentally benign ways to synthesize multifunctional materials by duplicating nature's strengths. While material science constructs crystals using high temperature processing that allows little control over their size and shape, nature synthesizes them at low temperature and maintains greater control over the size and shape. Processing at lower temperatures would be much more cost-effective for making nanostructures for engineering applications and use in the energy field.
To read more, click here: http://newsroom.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=2013