We are delighted to announce that Former Macro Director and MSE Professor Richard Laine has been honored with the 2023 Green Chemistry Challenge Award! Prof. Laine’s outstanding work in the Academic Category has been recognized for its innovative approach to upcycling/valorizing abundant agricultural waste.
Prof. Laine and his team have pioneered groundbreaking techniques to refine rice hull ash (RHA), a material often discarded in landfills. Through a process involving hydrochloric acid washing and hexylene glycol reaction, they have successfully transformed RHA into spirosiloxane, a precursor for lithium-ion conducting polymers. This silicon-depleted RHA shows immense promise as a material for lithium-ion capacitors and battery anodes, surpassing current graphite/Li anodes and making significant strides towards sustainable industrial practices.
Please join us in congratulating Professor Laine and his team on this remarkable achievement!