Academic Research Program
Above: Examples of Vegetable-Based Resins being Studied as Alternatives to Formaldehyde-Based Building Material Resins
The Academic Research program taps the research strengths of UMass to advance the investigation, development and evaluation of technologies that are environmentally, occupationally and economically sound. Since its inception in 1992 this program (under various program names) has provided over $1,250,000 in funding to UMass researchers, supporting more than 80 graduate and doctoral level students. The research has contributed to industry adoption of toxics use reduction, has allowed researchers to obtain patents, and has contributed to TURI's goal of reducing the use of toxic chemicals to promote safer worker and environmental health.
For more information about any of these projects or TURI's Academic Research Program, contact Pam Eliason at pam@turi.org, 978-934-3142.
Request for Proposals Now Available |
Click on the link to the right to download the RFP for fiscal year 2010 funding for academic research. |
FY09 Research Projects
We are pleased to announce that the following research projects are being funded for the 2009 fiscal/academic year:
Alternative Formaldehyde-Free Particleboard Compositions: Dr. Emmanuelle Reynaud, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UMass Lowell, will investigate vegetable oil based binders for particleboard manufacture. The research will provide valuable insight into the performance of these alternatives to the traditional formaldehyde-based binders used in construction materials. Eliminating formaldehyde is an important goal to improving the indoor air quality of structures, thereby eliminating potential exposure to carcinogenic compounds. This is particularly relevant as California has just passed a requirement that all particleboard sold after January 2009 produce less than 0.18 ppm of formaldehyde.
Halogen-free Flame Retardants and Antioxidants Derived from Naturally Occurring Materials: Drs. Ramaswamy Nagarajan and Jayant Kumar of UMass Lowell will build on the research they initiated in FY08 by focusing on a promising naturally derived flame retardant material - cashew nutshell liquid (CSNL). This research will investigate the flame retardancy and antioxidation properties of CNSL-derived polymers specifically for use in textiles. Providing technically-viable alternatives to traditional petroleum based flame retardants such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is important as the use of these compounds are being restricted or banned by some states and national governments.
Nanostructured Surface Finishes for Lead-Free Soldering: Dr. Sanjeev Manohar, Associate Professor and Director of the Green Technology Laboratory at UMass Lowell will design and develop a lead-free nanostructured surface finish based on polymeric organic metals to maintain the solderability of printed circuit boards. Dr. Manohar is partnering with regional industry partners to evaluate the performance of these coatings. In addition, the use of these coatings as a potential mitigation for tin whisker formation will be evaluated.
This page updated Tuesday January 26 2010