The
NSF STCERSP is dedicated to sharing knowledge and experiences acquired through
training professionals in CO2 research. A number of outreach and educational activities were hosted
during this reporting year. The CERSP
has invested in students, educators, industry, government, and society, and
this section of the report will highlight those investments.
The
Center has provided 36 tours of laboratory facilities (primarily at North
Carolina State University (NCSU) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill (UNC-CH)). Table IV.1 provides a summary of tours including
visitors from academia, industry, and government. Most of the tours given to academic professionals from
international institutions ¾ from China, Japan, Canada,
Brazil, and Italy ¾ were in response to requests for knowledge
about high-pressure equipment and instrumentation necessary to conduct
experiments in CO2. For industrial visitors interest has generally
been in specific research areas within the Center ¾
extraction, polymerization, phase transfer catalysis. These tours have been
more elaborate, incorporating short presentations from students active in the
area of interest.
Table IV.2. lists several emerging partnerships
that are being developed between the Center and outside organizations. Dr. Marizio Selva (from the Dipartimento di
Scienze Ambientale, Universitį Cą Fascari in Venice, Italy) visited the Center
for one month in February. The purpose
of this visit was to evaluate the potential of using CO2 as a solvent for
phase-transfer catalysis reactions previously investigated in traditional
solvents in his laboratory.
Collaboration was formed between the Italian university and the Center,
and one joint manuscript has been submitted for publication. In addition, Dr. Patrick Lacroix-Desmazes
from the UMR-CNRS 5076 Laboratory in France contacted the Center for a tour and
an informal collaboration to characterize block copolymers for CO2
applications. Preliminary results
obtained during the visit are being submitted for publication. Furthermore, the CNRS Laboratory and the
Center have submitted proposals to the Division of International Programs
(supported by NSF and CNRS) to aid in international travel expenses over a
three-year period. Representatives from
the Rohm and Haas Company spent several weeks at the UNC-CH facility doing
dispersion polymerization in CO2. The table lists collaborations in
several stages of development. Objectives for these collaborations include exploration of synthesis of novel
polymeric materials; polymer processing in carbon dioxide; production of dry,
particulate, "nano-engineered" materials for incorporation into
dry-formed composites derived form wood fiber; extraction of natural products
and recycling of cardboard, among others.
In
addition to academic institutions, a number of industrial companies are listed
in Table IV.1. Tours to the industrial sector
have been initiated primarily to determine if mutual benefits exist for
membership in the Kenan Center for Utilization of CO2 in
Manufacturing ¾ a consortium of companies that supports
research at NCSU and UNC-CH. Tours
include presentations from students.
Four new members have made a commitment to the Kenan Center since the
advent of the CERSP: Mitsubishi Rayon, Sandia National Laboratories, Ashland
Chemical Specialties, and Thar Designs.
Recently, both IBM and PPG have expressed interest in joining the Kenan
Center.
Interactions
with the industrial sector are common for students in the NSF STCERSP. For example, through the Kenan Center,
students typically display their research and actively communicate with
industrial members of the consortium.
At the April 15th Semiannual Kenan Center Review Meeting, students,
post-doctorates, and faculty presented a total of 32 posters primarily from
NCSU and UNC-CH. A total of 17 oral
presentations on CO2 research were also given at this meeting. Twenty representatives from 12 industrial
firms were present. Plans are underway
for the next review meeting to be convened in mid-September. A similar industrial outreach component
exists for UT-Austin students through the Separations Research Program.