Orlando, Florida – The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Professor Sudipta Seal of University of Central Florida (UCF) a $67,000 grant that will help the professor turn waste material, commonly referred to as fly-ash, into a cleaning agent. Seal will modify the fly-ash so that it absorbs oil and can be delivered to a coal-burning facility and re-used.
The fly-ash will be safe, preserve the oil’s energy-generating capabilities, and be re-usable once the oil is burned off.
“It’s a completely green process, very cost-effective, and easy to scale-up,” said Seal, who has been studying the characteristics of fly-ash for more than a decade as part of his research on rare earth nanoparticles.
Seal is Director of UCF’s Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis and NanoScience Technology Centers and a professor of mechanical, materials and aerospace engineering.
Larry Hench, a renowned ceramic materials professor who conducts special projects for UCF, will work with Seal to develop the fly-ash and prepare a process for deployment that can then be licensed to a commercial partner.
They envision that the fly-ash will be retrieved from the water in a low-cost mesh packaging material and then transported to a coal-burning power plant or other facility where the oil will fuel production processes.
The fly-ash has also shown the ability to clump oil that has already washed up on shore, enabling it to be easily collected and, again, re-used.
Since the Deepwater Horizon spill began in April, the National Science Foundation has funded 65 of the rapid response grants to researchers across the country addressing all aspects of the clean-up.
The grants are deployed in times of natural or accidental disasters to quickly engage the world’s best scientists and engineers to help search for solutions.
About University of Central Florida (UCF)
The University of Central Florida is a metropolitan research university that ranks as the 3rd largest in the nation with more than 53,500 students. UCF’s first classes were offered in 1968. The university offers impressive academic and research environments that power the region’s economic development. UCF’s culture of opportunity is driven by our diversity, Orlando environment, history of entrepreneurship and our youth, relevance and energy. For more information visit www.ucf.edu.
Source: UCF News Release dated August 5, 2010.
