AIR: First stage commercialization of Oil Anti-Deposition Dispersant technology for spilled oil

项目主任建议提案#1127846本项目旨在开发一类生物衍生的、可生物降解的分散剂，这种分散剂可以抵抗湿润和在固体基质（如植物和动物）上扩散。该项目的理论价值在于，需要更安全、更有效的分散剂来帮助减轻诸如“深水地平线”事件等石油泄漏灾难的影响。这些项目有效地利用了美国国家科学基金会RAPID项目的资金，确定了一类分散剂，它们是天然纤维素聚合物和大豆卵磷脂的大分子聚集体。很明显，这些化合物不会使石油污染鸟类的羽毛，而且可以推测，由于它们是天然的，它们将是一种比目前的石化衍生分散剂更安全的替代品。pi在这一领域拥有丰富的专业知识，并且非常适合这项工作。他们清楚地列出了一份详细的科学和商业相关问题清单，这些问题必须得到回答，才能将这种产品推向市场。发现更有效、无毒的石油分散剂的广泛影响是显而易见的。pi在将他人纳入其工作方面有着良好的记录，例如当地的大专学生和教师，其中一些人被列为公开技术的发明人。有一个学生和劳动力培训计划，将跨越学术实验室和相关的工业合作伙伴运营。

Program Director's Recommendation Proposal #1127846 This project seeks to develop a class of bio-derived, biodegradable, oil dispersants which resist wetting and spreading on solid substrates such as plants and animals. The intellectual merit of this project is that more safe and effective dispersants are needed to help mitigate the impacts of oil spill disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon incident. The PIs have effectively used funds from the NSF RAPID program to identify a class of dispersants that are macromolecular aggregates of natural cellulose polymers and soy bean lecithin. A clear case is made that these compounds do not allow oil to foul bird feathers, and it is presumed that since they are natural in origin, they would be a safer alternative to the current petrochemically derived dispersants. The PIs have a strong record of expertise in this area, and are uniquely suited to this work. They clearly outline a detailed list of scientific and business-related questions that must be answered to push this product to the marketplace. The broader impact of discovering more effective and non-toxic oil dispersants is clear. The PIs have a strong record of incorporating others into their work, such as the local junior college students and instructors, some of whom are included as inventors of the disclosed technologies. There is a plan for student and workforce training that will span both the academic laboratory and associated industrial partner operations.