University of Georgia
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Category: News

Locklin, Jambeck help lead effort to shape circular economy research

Kat Gilmore on September 18, 2020

The University of Georgia New Materials Institute’s Jason Locklin and Jenna Jambeck are collaborating on a virtual workshop series aimed at shaping the future of circular economy research. Locklin, a professor of chemical engineering and founding director of the New Materials Institute, and Jambeck, a professor of environmental engineering and associate director of the Institute, will join experts from academia, industry, government and nonprofits in panel discussions aimed at developing ideas and goals for circular economy research. The workshop series is funded by the National Science Foundation and is led by Melissa Bilec, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering; Bilec is deputy director of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MSCI). Other co-investigators on the grant include Eric Beckman, a professor of chemical engineering and co-director of the MCSI, and, Gregg Beckham, senior research fellow at the National Renewable Energy Lab.

Read more

Students and Industry Partnering for the Planet: When Waste Leads to Good Business (from VentureWell’s blog)

Kat Gilmore on July 22, 2020

Examples of innovative collaborations took center stage at a recent VentureWell virtualOPEN conference session on supporting sustainable design and addressing environmental issues. Attendees heard from Crystal Leach, director of Industry Collaboration at the University of Georgia’s New Materials Institute (NMI); Faculty Grants recipient, Chad Kennedy, a lecturer in the technology, entrepreneurship, and management program at The Polytechnic School at Arizona State University (ASU); and Faculty Grants recipient, Volker Sick, director of the Global CO2 initiative and an engineering professor at the University of Michigan (UM) Ann Arbor. 

READ THE STORY

New Materials Institute pioneering replacements for plastic

Kat Gilmore on June 25, 2020

Dr. Evan White working in the UGA New Materials Institute's Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory.
Evan White, assistant research scientist at the UGA New Materials Institute, uses respirometry to characterize how plastics are biologically converted into innocuous compounds. White and his colleagues at the UGA NMI are working to develop materials and plastic replacements that completely break down and return to nature when discarded. (Photo by Beth Chang)

For Evan White, growing up outside Atlanta meant witnessing significant changes in his landscape. His hometown of Lilburn, Georgia, tripled its population between 1980 and 2000, and White watched as nearby woods became neighborhoods and parking lots. He saw trash, much of it plastic, accumulate in the streams and tributaries where he played.

“You don’t have to go very far into nature to see the evidence of human expansion,” said White, now an assistant research scientist at UGA. “Different particles of plastic will wind up at a final resting place according to their chemical reactivity and their density. Most of these plastics like to float on water, and they go where the water goes.”

These formative experiences greatly influenced his career path, leading him to the university’s New Materials Institute, directed by Jason Locklin, and its Center for Advanced Polymers, Fibers & Coatings. White is part of a team focused on a single goal: to develop materials and plastic replacements that completely break down and return to nature when discarded.

READ THE STORY

UGA-led projects for NSF-funded CB2 ‘on track’ for 2020

Kat Gilmore on May 18, 2020

Logo for CB2

Two research projects that are being led by University of Georgia New Materials Institute received positive feedback at the spring meeting of the Industry Advisory Board for the Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (CB2), a National Science Foundation Industry—University Cooperative Research Center.

The projects, “Unlocking the Potential for Xylan-based Polymer Materials” and “Investigation of the Enzymatic Degradability of Glycolic Urethane Linkages Using Chromophore Probes,” are among nine that were selected by CB2’s IAB for research and funding in 2020. The other projects are being conducted at three other research sites, that, together with UGA, comprise CB2: North Dakota State University has three projects underway; Iowa State University and  Washington State University each have two. Updates on all projects were presented by researchers at CB2’s spring meeting, held virtually in mid-May.

Pushing toward greater sustainability

“UGA is very happy with the feedback we got from the Industry Advisory Board, which indicates the member companies are satisfied with our work thus far and that we are on-track,” said Jason Locklin, director of the New Materials Institute and the UGA site director for CB2.

Project updates and pitches for new projects are the two main agenda items for CB2’s spring meetings. The pitched seed projects are then shaped to benefit the greatest number of CB2’s member companies, representing many different industries: Ford, Hyundai, 3M, Boehringer Ingelheim, Kimberly-Clark, Shaw, Sherwin Williams, as well as bioplastic resin manufacturers and packaging manufacturers. Through annual fees, they help share the cost of developing the technologies produced by CB2’s research teams, with the goal of adapting the technologies. Each member company is striving for greater sustainability in its product line.

“I am excited about the seed proposals pitched by the industry members for 2021,” said Locklin. “The ideas represent technologies that are desired by many companies involved in CB2, and the ideas present both a good fit and an intriguing challenge for the variety of research expertise we have among the four university sites. These projects also represent tremendous learning opportunities for our students.” Project selections for 2021 will be finalized when the board meets again this fall.

Insight from industry

The two projects being led by UGA are good examples of research that could take years to exit a laboratory if industry was not invested—financially and hands-on— and awaiting a timely outcome. Having industry involved helps the researchers better understand its needs, including recognizing what’s readily available and cost effective. The xylan project, for example, is focused on identifying plant properties which may be useful in creating bio-based polymers for materials and products. (The glycolic urethane project is focused on developing faster methods for screening enzymes that will deconstruct polyurethanes, which will aid in the development of completely compostable high-barrier, multilayer packaging.)

Breeanna Urbanowicz, who leads the xylan project, has investigated plant properties, with a focus on xylan, for years. In her spring update to the IAB, Urbanowicz noted that in consultations with her industry mentors to discuss test results, the mentors helped her see potential in another abundant polysaccharide from plants, because it’s commonly seen in their industrial waste streams. Based on this insight, her team is now exploring two naturally existing biopolymers that possess potential for replacing petroleum-based polymers currently used to manufacture single-use plastic packaging. Urbanowicz is an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences; she is based at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center.

The xylan project, like all CB2 projects, is focused on non-food sourced materials for bioplastics. CB2 emphasizes use of agricultural byproducts, so that agricultural land is not utilized to grow crops for bioplastics and biocomposites.

Meeting held virtually due to COVID-19

The semi-annual meeting of researchers and CB2’s industry members was held virtually due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Faculty from CB2’s four research sites noted their work has been slowed by the virus, but forecasted their projects would quickly be on-track again once on-campus research ramps back up.

The UGA New Materials Institute’s participation as a research site for CB2 is supported by NSF Award #1841319.

Designing products for a better outcome following a useful life

Kat Gilmore on April 20, 2020

Representatives from Shaw recently interviewed Jason Locklin, director of the UGA New Materials Institute, about the Institute’s research partnerships with industry and why the Institute focuses on single-use packaging as a means to reduce the mismanaged plastic waste that is accumulating in our environment. The UGA New Materials Institute is among 10 organizations being highlighted this year by Shaw Industries Group Inc., as part of the company’s new sustain[HUMAN]abilityTM recognition program.

Shaw Industries has partnered with the New Materials Institute to bring greater sustainability to their product line. The company also explores sustainability solutions with the Institute and its collaborators by being a member of the Industry Advisory Board for the National Science Foundation Industry & University Cooperative Research Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites, known as CB2. The New Materials Institute serves as a research site for CB2, along with Iowa State University, Washington State University, and North Dakota State University.

Read the interview from sustainablebrands.com

Jambeck named Distinguished Professor in Environmental Engineering

Kat Gilmore on February 25, 2020

Jenna Jambeck
Jenna Jambeck, the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Environmental Engineering, leads the UGA New Materials Institute’s Center for Circular Materials Management.

Jenna Jambeck, who directs the Center for Circular Materials Management within the UGA New Materials Institute, has been named the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Environmental Engineering.

Jambeck is internationally recognized for her work to raise awareness about plastic pollution and to reduce mismanaged plastic waste from entering the world’s oceans.

Click here to read the full story.

Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory director discusses research on biologically-degradable materials

Kat Gilmore on February 21, 2020

Evan M. White, an assistant research scientist at the UGA New Materials Institute and director of the Institute’s Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory, recently talked to WUGA-FM about researching and developing compostable materials designed for single-use packaging. White and his colleagues are developing plastic materials and products that may be broken down and metabolized by microorganisms in a variety of environments, from managed industrial compost to soil or sea water. Their emphasis is on replacing materials and products currently used to make single-use plastics, which comprise roughly 42% of all plastics produced globally, annually.

White explains the difference in materials described as “biodegradable” compared to materials being developed at UGA which are biologically degradable. His interview aired on WUGA’s Athens News Matters on Feb. 7, 2020.

Click here to listen to the story reported by Megan Wahn.

UGA New Materials Institute to lead 2 projects for NSF-funded CB2

Kat Gilmore on February 21, 2020

Logo for CB2

The UGA New Materials Institute will lead two projects selected for funding and research in 2020, as part of the Institute’s participation in the Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (CB2), a National Science Foundation Industry—University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC).

The projects are among nine selected by CB2’s Industry Advisory Board (IAB) for exploration in 2020. They are:

  • “Unlocking the Potential of Xylan-based Polymer Materials,” and,
  • “Investigation of the Enzymatic Degradability of Glycolic Urethane Linkages Using Chromophore Probes.”

The xylan project is a continuation of one selected and launched in 2019, during the Institute’s first year as a research site for CB2. The project is led by Breeanna Urbanowicz, an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences. Urbanowicz’s work focuses on the structure and function of plant carbohydrate active enzymes; she is based at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center. Xylan exists in plants and is the third-most abundant biopolymer on Earth. Urbanowicz’s goal is to identify and catalogue properties in xylan which may be useful in creating bio-based polymers for materials and products.

The glycolic urethane project is led by Evan M. White, an assistant research scientist who directs the Institute’s Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory. Polyurethanes represent a diverse class of polymers that may be formulated into durable coatings, composites, adhesives, and foams which are found across many sectors, including packaging. This project focuses on developing faster screening assays to discover enzymatically degradable urethane chemistries which may be relevant to materials made with such chemical bonds, as well as other chemical bonds used in polyurethanes. Understanding the enzymatic deconstruction of polyurethanes may help in the development of completely compostable high-barrier, multilayer packaging.

A total of nine projects were selected by the IAB for funding in 2020. Three projects will be conducted by researchers at North Dakota State University, two at Iowa State University, and two at Washington State University. Together, the four universities comprise the research sites for CB2.

The UGA New Materials Institute’s participation as a research site for CB2 is supported by NSF Award #1841319.

Renewable solutions for future materials featured at symposium held at UGA

Kat Gilmore on December 3, 2019

Advances in renewable materials science featured at UGA
Advances in materials science were recently featured at a two-day meeting held at UGA. Photo by Cal Powell.

The 4th International Symposium on Materials from Renewables drew scientists from throughout the U.S. and Europe to UGA, to share successes and challenges from their explorations into creating materials from renewable sources. The two-day meeting, co-hosted by the UGA Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors and New Materials Institute, featured advances in renewable materials science that may eventually benefit a broad swath of industry, from single-use plastics, to the transportation and building sectors, to biomedical and textiles, to energy.

“An increased interest, by industry and academia, in research and commercialization of renewable and compostable plastics demonstrates the need for professionals in this field to freely exchange and discuss ideas,” said Sergiy Minko, the Georgia Power Professor of Fiber and Polymer Science at the University of Georgia, who co-founded ISMR with faculty from North Dakota State University. The annual event aims to spur collaborative research and engineering efforts toward solving problems with materials currently in use.

Focus is close to home

Much of the research presented focused on utilizing renewable sources that are plentiful in a researcher’s home state or region. For example, many projects featured polymers extracted from or developed from agricultural byproducts, like rice straw, corn stover, plant-based oils or other materials—including utilizing keratin from chicken feathers.

There are numerous sources available for renewable polymers, said Minko. Utilizing byproducts from industry can add value to local resources and thus to local economies.

“This is important for Georgia, for example, with its long history of paper and textile industries and also intensive agriculture,” said Minko. “Byproducts from these industries could be transferred into valuable sources for environmentally-friendly materials.”

Plants and their byproducts offer three of the most abundant natural resources on Earth: cellulose, lignin and xylan. All three were discussed by scientists at the meeting. Cellulose has been used by industry for a long time and multiple researchers shared their explorations into new ways to utilize cellulose in the creation of materials. Xylan is another abundant polysaccharide that is present in many agricultural side and forest products, and is being researched as a potential polymer and chemicals source. Lignin, a byproduct of the paper industry and agriculture, is a naturally existing polymer that is being explored.

Adding value at the design stage

Presenters also discussed ongoing research to upcycle existing polymers—by creating them intentionally to have additional value following their initial life cycle, which encourages recycling—and also to improve upon existing polymers. For example, polylactic acid, or PLA, is a starch-based polymer that has been in use for about 15 years. It is completely degradable in an industrial compost setting, but not in cold ocean water. Some scientists are trying to alter PLA-based materials so that they break down in ocean water.

Graduate students, representing multiple universities, presented research posters and three winners were recognized. Scott Tull, from the Locklin Group in the New Materials Institute, took first place for “Waterborne Polyhydroxyalkanoate Colloidal Dispersions: A Sustainable Replacement for Single Use Plastic Coatings.” Jamie P. Wooding, from Georgia Institute of Technology, placed second for “Modifying Interfacial Chemistry of Cellulose-Reinforced Epoxy Composites Using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD).” And, Mastooreh Seyedi, of Clemson University, placed third for “Coloring Fabrics Using Dye-Embedded Cellulose Nanofibrils.”

The October conference was co-organized by faculty from UGA, North Dakota State University, and Institut Charles Gerhardt, in France, and held at the UGA Special Collections Libraries. Support was provided by the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences, its Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors; the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Engineering; the New Material Institute, and the Office Of Research.