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 2011 funding for academic research. |
FY10 Research Projects
Due to a significant budget crisis, the Institute was only able to fund two spring semester research projects during the 2010 academic year. Because of the abbreviated nature of the research, one project was limited to proof of concept investigative research, and the other was a continuation of previously funded research.
BPA-Free Epoxies. Dr. Daniel Schmidt, Assistant Professor at UMass Lowell, studied a potential replacement for BPA used in epoxy resin coatings for food and beverage can applications. The resin studied was an analog to a commercially available BPA-free alternative for rigid plastic uses, such as in water bottles, developed by Eastman Chemicals. The results of this initial research were promising and Dr. Schmidt will continue the research in collaboration with industry partners.
Sustainable Processing of Non-Halogenated Flame Retardants. Dr. Ramaswamy Nagarajan and Dr. Jayant Kumar continued their research into naturally derived flame retardants (based on cashew nut oil) and non-halogenated phenol based oligomers for use in textile applications. The researchers plan to continue their investigations in collaboration with industry partners to test and optimize their non-halogenated flame retardants for carpet and other textile applications.
FY09 Research Projects
The following research projects were funded for the 2009 academic year:
Alternative Formaldehyde-Free Particleboard Compositions: Dr. Emmanuelle Reynaud, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UMass Lowell, investigated vegetable oil based binders for particleboard manufacture. The research provided 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 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 built upon the research they initiated in FY08 by focusing on a promising naturally derived flame retardant material - cashew nutshell liquid (CSNL). This research investigated 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 designed and developed a lead-free nanostructured surface finish based on polymeric organic metals to maintain the solderability of printed circuit boards. Dr. Manohar partnered 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 was evaluated.
This page updated Tuesday July 27 2010