Chemical Processing - April 2008 - (Page 58)

>> END POINT U.K. rolls out DICE initiative to boost collaboration between engineering, chemistry not much of a gamble “Beyond the molecular frontier: challenges for chemistry and chemical engineering,” published in 2003 by the national academy of Science, Washington, d.c., found that the two disciplines had converged extremely successfully in the u.S. however, it was a different story in the u.K., according to “chemistry at the centre: an international assessment of university research in chemistry in the u.K.” that report, published in 2002, was commissioned by the engineering and Physical Sciences research council (ePSrc), Swindon, u.K., coordinated by the royal Society of chemistry (rSc), london, and chaired by George Whitesides, then mallinckrodt Professor of chemistry at harvard university, cambridge, mass. chemicals, more efficient use of energy, safer chemical products, renewable raw materials, “zero-waste” processes and related research as well as other topics. “our mission is to challenge current thinking and be adventurous — to promote and encourage research of high risk and potentially high returns,” said Professor martyn Poliakoff, a nottingham’s School of chemistry project leader and an expert in clean chemical processing using supercritical fluids. unusual for u.K. research funding, dice’s grant also covers equipment and post-doctoral support so work can begin immediately. the projects must become self-funding within five years. there was no shortage of takers with five chemists and chemical engineers already appointed, an associate professor and four lecturers. four are new to academia. they include former ici polymer chemist derek irvine, with expertise in polymer scale up and rotating disc reactors; ionic liquids specialist Pete licence; and catalyst expert Steve liddle. additionally, there’s an expert in electrochemical microscopy darren Walsh, who studies catalytic reactions particularly in fuel cells, and Wim thielemans, with expertise in converting starch and cellulose from plant material into highly uniform, reactive nanocrystals with many possible applications in composite materials. “dice will provide not only an environment to inspire creative research at nottingham and beyond, but also an overarching context that will add value to individual research projects by combining their outcomes into a sustainable technology platform for the future,” said Poliakoff. Geographical boundaries have already been stretched. the university of nottingham helped establish a green chemistry initiative at the university of addis ababa, ethiopia, making dice home to the only two ethiopian chemistry research students in the u.K. another twist to the dice story occurred at its launch. the guests of honor included dr. ramesh mashelkar, president of the institution of chemical engineers, rugby, u.K., and Professor Jim feast, president of the rSc. “it turns out that dr. mashelkar was on the committee working with Professor Whitesides and it was he who suggested highlighting the interface between chemistry and chemical engineering in the report,” Poliakoff said. CP Seán Ottewell, editor at large sottewell@putman.net www.chemicalprocessing.com The goal is to lay the foundation for a new generation of chemical processing. it suggested that a perceived lack of interaction between chemistry and chemical engineering probably originates more in weaknesses in chemical engineering than chemistry: a comment that did no good at all for the collective blood pressure of the chemical engineering community. Since then, however, u.S.-style interactions between the two communities have been gaining strength. this culminated on January 10, with the launch of a new collaborative initiative at the university of nottingham, u.K. that initiative, driving innovation in chemistry and engineering (dice), has won £4.4 million (about $9 million) in funding from the ePSrc, the higher education funding council for england (hefce) and the university of nottingham. its ambitious aim is to establish the u.K. as a center of excellence and international expertise at the interface between chemistry and chemical engineering. “our aim is to lay the foundations for a new generation of chemical processing, underpinning the needs of the chemistry-using community 40 years hence,” explained Professor nick miles, head of the School of chemical and environmental engineering. With sustainability the key, dice will focus on rapid innovation in environmentally friendly ways of making 58 • April 2008 http://www.chemicalprocessing.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chemical Processing - April 2008

Chemical Processing - April 2008 Contents From the Editor ChemicalProcessing.com Field Notes In Process Energy Saver Compliance Advisor Is It a Tragedy or Comedy for Engineers? Better Understanding Boosts Mixer Scale-up Don't Err With Air Compressors Control Performance Supervision Enhances Revamp Process Puzzler Plant InSites Equipment & Services Product Spotlight/Classifieds Ad Index End Point

Chemical Processing - April 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.