New Membrane Could Reinvent Crude Oil Refining

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Crude oil is a complex mixture of tens of thousands of organic hydrocarbon molecules, Separating them requires energy-intensive thermal distillation processes that consume about 1% of global energy. Researchers now report the first polymer membrane capable of splitting crude oil into separate parts, a much more energy-efficient approach. Check out the rest of the article here.

Associate Professor Ryan Lively Wins AIChE’s 2020 Colburn Prize

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Ryan P. Lively, an associate professor and the John H. Woody Faculty Fellow in Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE), is the 2020 winner of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ (AIChE) Allan P. Colburn Award for Excellence in Publications by a Young Member of the Institute.

First presented in 1945, the Allan P. Colburn Award for Excellence in Publications by a Young Member of the Institute is awarded to an AIChE member in their early career. The award is sponsored by E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, Inc.  Each year, the award recognizes outstanding progress in the field of chemical engineering by one researcher in any area of chemical engineering research who is within 12 years of completing their PhD at the end of the calendar year in which the award is presented. One of the most prestigious awards an early career chemical engineer can be receive, the Colburn award recognizes significant advances and contributions to the field of chemical engineering. Read more about it here.

Georgia Tech Researchers Advise DIY Mask Makers with Advanced Aerosol Instrumentation

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Since late March, a team of Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) researchers have been providing recommendations for readily available materials to use as filters in homemade face masks. The “Rapid Response” team, which includes Georgia Tech faculty, research staff and students, is providing advice that includes its understanding of the chemical and mechanical properties of filter materials as well as results of tests conducted on advanced aerosol chemistry equipment from a climate change lab. 

Check out the rest of the story here.

Metal Oxide-infused Membranes Could Offer Low-Energy Alternative For Chemical Separations

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Chemical manufacturers consume a massive amount of energy each year separating and refining feedstocks to make a wide variety of products including gasoline, plastics and food. In a bid to reduce the amount of energy used in chemical separations, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are working on membranes that could separate chemicals without using energy-intensive distillation processes.

Check out the story here.

Darren Woods, the CEO of ExxonMobil, recently discussed Dr. Lively and Dr. Koh's work

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Darren Woods, the new CEO of ExxonMobil, discussed academic-industrial partnerships, and highlighted the work ongoing in Dr. Lively's focusing on organic solvent reverse osmosis.  The remarks occurred at the 2017 CERAWeek meeting, which is a high-level annual energy conference where world leaders discuss emerging trends in energy technology, among other issues. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CERAWeek). Read the news article here

Ryan Lively Wins Prestigious NSF CAREER Award

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Ryan Lively, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, has won a 2017 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation. 

The CAREER Award is the NSF’s most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. Read the full article here

Georgia Tech Research Horizons discusses Dr. Sholl and Dr. Lively's new commentary in Nature regarding chemical separations

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In a comment article published April 26 in the journal Nature, two researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology suggest seven energy-intensive separation processes they believe should be the top targets for research into low-energy purification technologies. Beyond cutting energy use, improved techniques for separating chemicals from mixtures would also reduce pollution, cut carbon dioxide emissions – and open up new ways to obtain critical resources the world needs. Read the full news article here and the Nature article here

ACS Central Science interviews Dr. Lively & Dr. Jones regarding CO2 capture and sequestration

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At Saskatchewan’s Boundary Dam power plant, not far from the U.S. border with North Dakota, one of its generating units burns some 800,000 tons of coal each year to provide about 139 MW of electricity to businesses and homes in the region. But since late 2014, the carbon dioxide produced by that burning has had a new fate: Instead of flitting up... Read the full article here