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NSF Directorate for Engineering | Division ofChemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET)

Chemical, Biochemical, and Biotechnology Systems Cluster

Chemical andBiological SeparationsProgram Director - Rosemarie D. Wesson - rwesson @

nsf.gov

Research Focus and Trends

Novel Materials for Separations

Separation Processes

Molecular Engineering of Chemical, Biochemical, and Materials Systems

Novel Materials for Separations

Emphasis Areas:

Polymers, zeolites, nanostructures

Solid adsorbents, liquid extractants

Membranes for environmental, separations, and fuel-cell applications

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Separation Processes

Emphasis Areas:

Extraction

Ion Exchange

Distillation

Crystallization

Filtration

Field-Induced Effects3

Molecular Engineering of Chemical, Biochemical, and Materials Systems

Emphasis Areas:

Modeling of transport processes (with other Programs) Functionalized materials for membranes and adsorbents

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Budget FY 2009 - Approximately $8 Million

Description

Total Proposals Received

Unsolicited Awards

CAREER (10 Proposals)

EaGER

GOALI

Workshop/Conferences

Supplements (GRS, REU, etc.)

# of

Awards

181

29

2

4

3

7

12

Total Dollars

- - -

$7,287,000

$820,000

$298,000

$150,000

$160,000

$300,000

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Crossing Membrane Boundaries: Investigating How Heat Energy Moves Across Thin Films

Using a computational approach, the team mathematically modeled different types of scattering processes of heat energy in thin films. 

Through the mathematical modeling, the researchers discovered that limiting factor of the thermal conductivity of a zeolite is the scattering of heat energy due to the arrangement of pores in the zeolite material. 

The Transport-Model-Independent Description of Membrane Transport: Optical and Thermo-Optical Spectroscopic Experiments and Analysis Sankar Nair - Georgia Institute of Technology

Credit: Sankar Nair, Georgia Institute of Technology

Permission Granted

CBET-04376216

Improving Environmentally-Friendly Processes Involving Non-volatile Ionic Liquid Solvents (a.k.a. Salts)

Room Temperature Ionic Liquids (RTILs) are being considered as a "green" replacement for less viscous conventional solvents and for carbon dioxide sequestration processes.

A ten-fold decrease in ionic liquid viscosity observed with the addition of water (disrupting IL anion-cation coulombic interactions) and an observed increase in viscosity resulting from the addition of lithium salts (enhancing coulombic interactions).  

Ruth Baltus - Clarkson University

Credit: Ruth Baltus, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Clarkson University

Permission Granted

CBET-05225897

One new approach to disinfection was described last spring by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

They demonstrated a new class of synthetic antimicrobials that disinfect by inducing negative curvature in bacterial membranes, generating pores.

Image Credit: Gerard Wong University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

CBET - 0120978

Mark Shannon - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Researchers Outline Obstacles and Solutions for Providing Water in the 21st Century

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Left: Conventional electrode capture process enables fluorescently labeled DNA detection at anode.

Right: DNA enrichment at the anode drives formation of an ordered phase visible under ordinary white light with no chemical labeling.

Victor Ugaz - Texas A & M University

CBET - 0554108

Collection, Focusing, and Metering of Biomolecules

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