US-Kenya Cooperative Research: Bioreactors for Synthesis and Pollutant Decomposition in Microemulsions

0096456 Rusling该奖项支持康涅狄格大学化学系的James Rusling教授和奈罗比大学化学系的Geoffrey Kamau教授之间为期两年的合作研究项目。PI将进行一项关于使用生物反应器合成微乳液和分解污染物的研究。微乳液是由油、水和表面活性剂制成的透明、稳定的液体。与替代有机溶剂相比，它们毒性更小，价格更低，在控制和提高催化电化学反应的速度方面显示出巨大的前景。专门为微乳液设计的新型催化蛋白质膜与流体组成的动力学控制相结合，可能为未来合成有机化学品提供具有成本效益和环境友好的过程的基础。合作者希望阐明蛋白质膜和微乳液之间的相互作用可以用来控制反应动力学的基本原理。内罗毕大学将进行电解、产品分析和伏安法，以监测薄膜的性能和催化效率。卡毛和一名研究生将拜访鲁斯林和他的学生，利用康涅狄格大学的仪器进行专门的表征实验。这项资助的结果应该为未来的电化学合成过程的设计提供基本指导，这些过程包括在相对便宜、低毒、水基流体介质中使用蛋白质膜催化。要开发的方法涉及生物技术的新方法，而不是求助于高度复杂或复杂的技术。国际方案司、化学运输系统司和化学司共同支持这一项目。

0096456RuslingThis award supports a two-year collaborative research project between Professor James Rusling, in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Connecticut, and Professor Geoffrey Kamau, of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Nairobi.The PI will conduct a study on the use of bioreactors for synthesis and pollutant decomposition in microemulsions. Microemulsions are clear, stable fluids made from oil, water, and surfactant. They are less toxic and less expensive than alternative organic solvents, and have shown great promise for controlling and enhancing rates of catalytic electrochemical reactions. New catalytic protein films designed specifically for microemulsions combined with kinetic control by fluid composition may provide a basis for future cost-effective and environmentally benign processes for synthesis of organic chemicals. The collaborators expect to elucidate fundamental principles by which interactions between the protein films and the microemulsions may be used to control reaction kinetics. Electrolysis, product analysis, and voltammetry to monitor film properties and catalytic efficiencies will be done at the University of Nairobi. Kamau and a graduate student will visit Rusling and his students to conduct specialized characterization experiments using instrumentation at the University of Connecticut. The results of this grant should provide fundamental guidance for the future design of electrochemical synthetic processes involving protein film catalysis in relatively inexpensive, low toxicity, water-based fluid media. The methods to be developed involve novel approaches to biotechnology, without resorting to the use of highly sophisticated or complicated technologies. The Division of International Programs, the Division of Chemical Transport System, and the Division of Chemistry are jointly supporting this project.