What started as a simple errand to deposit a check at a bank drive-through became the kind of “aha” moment found mostly in books and movies.

Georgia Tech researchers had been working on an idea to simplify traditional direct air capture (DAC) systems. Their approach used ambient wind flow to draw air across a new kind of coated carbon fiber to grab CO2. That would eliminate the loud fans used in many systems. And the carbon fiber strands could be quickly heated to release the captured carbon dioxide with minimal heat loss, boosting efficiency.

But they were struggling with how to deploy these new sorbent-coated carbon fibers for maximum effect.

“I had to go deposit a check at the bank, and I went through the drive-through. They had the old pneumatic tubes that come down to transport documents,” said Ryan Lively, Thomas C. DeLoach Professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE). “There are not many times you have a light bulb moment in your career, but I saw the tubes and I realized, we could put the fibers in something like a bank teller tube canister.

“That’s pretty much what we did, and it worked.”

Read the full story on the College of Engineering website.

The Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research (VPIR) and the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) are excited to announce an institutionalization plan for Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS) that will advance two of Georgia Tech’s Institute Strategic Plan (ISP) initiatives - Sustainability Next and Transformative Teaching and Learning (TTL) - and strengthen our service learning, community engagement, and sustainability ecosystems at Georgia Tech. Established as Georgia Tech’s last Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), SLS launched in 2016 as a unit in OUE and concluded its official QEP work in 2021. Its work on the QEP earned Georgia Tech a commendation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and established a strong foundation to build on moving forward.

Effective July 1, 2023, the current SLS team will establish a new center, the Center for Sustainable Communities Research and Education (CSCRE), under the VPIR. The Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS), which is serving as a hub for coordinating Georgia Tech’s Sustainability Next Strategic Plan initiative, will serve as the administrative home for the new center.

CSCRE will collaborate with the sustainability cluster of the Interdisciplinary Research Institutes (IRIs), including BBISS, the Strategic Energy Institute (SEI), and the Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI), as well as Infrastructure and Sustainability, another key Sustainability Next hub, to enhance Georgia Tech’s competitiveness in applying for grants that require meaningful community partnerships as a key component of their research and education plans. It will also continue to support sustainable communities education, in close collaboration with the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), OUE, and Education and Learning, to assure the continuity of SLS’s signature programs.

Established as Georgia Tech’s last QEP, Serve-Learn-Sustain launched in 2016 as a unit in OUE and concluded its official QEP work in 2021. Georgia Tech earned a commendation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in 2021 for the “exceptional execution” of the 2016 QEP, citing, among other things, that the program “inspired a closer dialogue among faculty regarding research and instructional practices, and thus serves as a model of how a QEP can transform an academic culture.”

To continue advancing and scaling undergraduate service learning and community engagement as a high-impact practice, OUE will establish a new service learning team, as a priority that supports the Transformative Teaching and Learning ISP initiative. Institutionalizing the service-learning functions of SLS within OUE and aligning it with other high impact practices - such as undergraduate research, student innovation programs, first-year seminars, co-op and internships, and learning communities - will position these programs to work collectively in support of the development of Georgia Tech’s next QEP, which will begin in 2025.

Thank you to the SLS staff and to everyone who has collaborated with and supported the work that SLS has spearheaded to make Georgia Tech a better place for our students, our faculty and staff, and our surrounding communities. We look forward to continuing to advance this work, together.

On Thursday, May 11, the Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI) of Georgia Tech hosted a workshop on “Packaging Innovation and the Circular Economy” at the Bill Moore Student Success Center on the Georgia Tech campus. More than 90 attendees from academia, national labs, and industry convened and discussed the cutting-edge research and industry developments happening across the world and got an opportunity to network with leading researchers and peers. This unique workshop featured speakers from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, WestRock, Stora Enso, Georgia Tech, University of Maine, and many others.

The workshop started off with an introduction by Carson Meredith, executive director of RBI, who gave a perspective on the institute’s goals in promoting bioeconomy technology and innovation. Dr. Meredith emphasized RBI’s role in “catalyzing a community of researchers who focus on solving challenges in packaging by investing in team building across interdisciplinary boundaries.”

Research talks began with a presentation from Tequila Harris, professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. Harris shared her team’s research on a continuous coating process of cellulose- and chitin-derived materials to create enhanced packaging barrier films. Meisha Shofner, associate professor and Faculty Fellow in the School of Material Science and Engineering shared her work on mechanical and thermal properties of single use packaging materials and paths to improving circularity.

Meredith, who also serves as a professor in the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering informed on renewable barriers from carbohydrates as viable alternatives to plastics and the research methods involved to get more promising results for circular functional barrier packaging materials. Joe Bozeman, assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech presented the Systemic Equity framework as it relates to circularity.

Mehdi Tajvidi, professor from the University of Maine, discussed his team’s research to produce particle board and other packaging materials using nanocellulose and the audience got an opportunity to look and get a feel for his research team’s samples.

Discussions from industry experts included material innovations to replace plastics, packaging requirements in the European Union and the United States and how brands drive innovation more than regulations, methods to optimize package size and packing speed for sustainability, paper-based packaging equipment and systems to replace plastics including plastic water bottles, dye choices and the influence of defect detection in waterborne barrier coated papers, and innovations in fiber-based cold chain packaging.

Ken Zwick from the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory discussed managing forests using methods like forest thinning such that the biomass prevents wildfires and what success looks like for his team – less plastic in packaging and less burning of wood. Their Madison building also houses the largest wood library in Wisconsin.

Participants had a chance to interact with Georgia Tech students and get to know their research at the student poster presentation. The dinner keynote was presented by researchers Bo Arduengo and Stefan France from the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Tech. The keynote provided an overview of RBI’s newly created ReWOOD research center. Abbreviated from “Renewables-based Economy from WOOD,” research at the center focuses on using sustainable plant-based raw materials to develop industrial products ranging from jet fuel to solvents to generic pharmaceutical additives and more. The presentation provided a glimpse on the expansion of ReWOOD since its launch through research affiliations from universities across the world. ReWOOD’s partnership list continues to grow as the center focuses on targeted research areas and funding proposals to develop technology and commercial opportunities.

“The workshop turned out to be a huge success with a highly engaged audience of faculty, students, national lab, and industry experts,“ said Meredith. “RBI will continue to host such events as we are committed to providing thought leadership and be a catalyst of cutting-edge research in the areas of circular materials; bioindustrial manufacturing; and paper, packaging, and tissue.”

In early April, the Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI) along with the Student Polymer Network (SPN) hosted the ninth annual research symposium titled “The Visions for Sustainable Polymers.” The symposium also included SPN's annual poster session at the Molecular Science and Engineering Atrium.

Sustainable polymers are an important component of RBI's Circular Materials research theme. The workshop was planned by Blair Brettmann, assistant professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Natalie Stingelin, professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Will Gutekunst, associate professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Carson Meredith, executive director of Renewable Bioproducts Institute and professor and James Harris Faculty Fellow in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and was funded through a Moving Teams Forward seed grant from the EVPR office. The purpose of this seed grant is to develop a community of researchers on campus who focus on the development of new, more sustainable types of plastics and new ways to recycle or upcycle them at the end of life.

The workshop was the culminating event in the Moving Teams Forward seed grant program and involved invited speakers from inside and outside Georgia Tech. Industrial speakers and attendees (Dow, BASF), National Labs (NIST), and faculty from universities across the country participated in the symposium. The speakers represented key thought leaders to connect with and build stronger teams for advancing this field. 

The Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI) at the Georgia Institute of Technology has launched a new science and technology research center called ReWOOD. The ReWOOD launch included a 2-day workshop involving faculty research partners from universities across the Southeast, as well as former Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black.

ReWOOD, abbreviated from “Renewables-based Economy from WOOD” will focus on a burgeoning field of science called Xylochemistry. Xylochemistry makes use of sustainable plant-based raw materials to develop industrial products ranging from jet fuel to industrial solvents to generic pharmaceutical additives and more. Right now, most of the world production of such materials comes from non-renewable fossil resources or petroleum products. Moving to a renewable source will not only aid in reducing the dependence on fossil fuels but will also help with reducing the overall carbon footprint. ReWOOD is sponsored by RBI through its endowment-funded fellowships and is developing a corporate affiliate program.

“The formation of this internal research center will drive regional momentum for producing carbon neutral chemicals and fuels from wood wastes deriving from the abundant and fast-growing wood in the Southeast,” said Carson Meredith, executive director of RBI. “In fact, the Southeast has a larger percentage of sustainably grown working forests than any other area in the U.S., and Georgia is the number one exporter of forest products in the nation.”

Research on chemical renewables via Xylochemistry has been ongoing at Georgia Tech under a consortium called GT-STANCE (Science & Technology for a Neutral Chemical Economy). GT-STANCE’s researchers have developed seed technologies that aid in the production of wood-based chemical intermediates with potential uses in consumer commodities like pharmaceuticals and plastics. In addition, RBI has made a significant investment of nearly $3 million in building research teams in the related area of lignin conversion in the last five years. The formation of a research center that will coalesce regional thought leadership is the logical next step, as a renewables-based economy has become a national priority with the bioeconomy, climate, and clean energy goals set by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  

Raw materials for Xylochemistry could also be sourced from any kind of non-treated wood. For example, wood from demolished construction sites like old homes and wooden buildings provide an excellent opportunity for a circular economy, since this wooden construction waste ends up in landfills now.

Currently ReWOOD has 11 university affiliates that are joining Georgia Tech. In January 2023, faculty from Georgia Tech, the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, and Alabama A&M University convened to discuss the plans for a research center on a renewables-based economy from wood to develop renewable biofuels, industrial solvents, pharmaceutical additives, and many other products that culminated in the formation of ReWOOD. Since then, the center has gained the interest of multiple other researchers from the University of Florida, Kennesaw State University, and Clark Atlanta University. In addition, the Mississippi State and Forestry Office and Sandia National Laboratory have become key collaborators within ReWOOD. This collection of expertise includes chemists, engineers, economists, and forest experts, covering a broad range of activities that will include technology, economic, and workforce development, as well as lifecycle and socio-economic analysis. This partnership list will continue to evolve and grow as ReWOOD focuses on specific target research areas and proposals for funding to develop technology and processes in the business sector.

About the Renewable Bioproducts Institute at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech’s Renewable Bioproducts Institute is one of ten campus interdisciplinary research institutes. RBI champions innovation in converting biomass into value-added products, developing advanced chemical and bio-based refining technologies, and advancing excellence in manufacturing processes. Our three strategic thrusts are circular materials, bio industrial manufacturing, and paper, packaging, and tissue.

RBI serves as a campus conduit for industry-university partnerships and provides a portal to Georgia Tech core laboratories, faculty and students whose work and expertise is focused on biomass and bioproducts.

At Georgia Tech, the research enterprise covers activities from basic research to commercialization and societal use. Each year, the Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR) presents awards to recognize the achievements of faculty and staff as partners, mentors, and outstanding researchers across the many facets of the enterprise. 

“Congratulations to all the exceptional nominees and to the individuals who were selected to receive this year's Institute Research Awards,” said Chaouki Abdallah, executive vice president for Research at Georgia Tech. “These outstanding researchers were nominated by their peers for their diligent research efforts, and we are proud to acknowledge them for their commitment to advance science and technology and to improve the human condition.”

Awardees were selected in nine areas, from achievements in innovation to engagement and outreach. Two of the awards were given to groups of researchers who are making an impact collectively. This year, more than 150 researchers were nominated for these prestigious awards.

• Outstanding Achievement in Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Iris Tien, CEE, SEI
• Outstanding Achievement in Early Career Research: Marta Hatzell, ME, IMat, SEI  
• Outstanding Achievement in Research Enterprise Enhancement: Robert Knotts, Federal Relations 
• Outstanding Achievement in Research Innovation: Younan Xia, SoCB, IEN, Imat, IBB
• Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Advisor: John Reynolds, SoCB, IMat, RBI
• Outstanding Faculty Research Author: Wilbur Lam, BME, IEN, IBB 
• Outstanding Achievement in Research Engagement and Outreach: Pascal Van Hentenryck, ISyE, IDEaS, SEI
• Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Development: The Spaceflight Project Group at GT: Glen Lightsey, AE, IRIM; Jud Ready, GTRI, IEN, IMat, SEI; Christopher Valenta, GTRI; Christopher Carr, AE; Brian Gunter, AE, BBISS, IRIM; Sterling Peet, AE; Ian Harrison, GTRI
• Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Impact: Partnership for Inclusive Innovation: Debra Lam, IDEaS, IPaT, SEI; Clarence Anthony Jr., Kayla Burns, Cody Cocchi, Jamal Lewis, Polly Sattler, all from EI2

Awardees will be recognized at the Faculty and Staff Honors Luncheon on Friday, April 21. 

At Georgia Tech, the research enterprise covers activities from basic research to commercialization and societal use. Each year, the Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR) presents awards to recognize the achievements of faculty and staff as partners, mentors, and outstanding researchers across the many facets of the enterprise. 

“Congratulations to all the exceptional nominees and to the individuals who were selected to receive this year's Institute Research Awards,” said Chaouki Abdallah, executive vice president for Research at Georgia Tech. “These outstanding researchers were nominated by their peers for their diligent research efforts, and we are proud to acknowledge them for their commitment to advance science and technology and to improve the human condition.”

Awardees were selected in nine areas, from achievements in innovation to engagement and outreach. Two of the awards were given to groups of researchers who are making an impact collectively. This year, more than 150 researchers were nominated for these prestigious awards.

• Outstanding Achievement in Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:Iris Tien, CEE, SEI

• Outstanding Achievement in Early Career Research:Marta Hatzell, ME, IMat, SEI  

• Outstanding Achievement in Research Enterprise Enhancement:Robert Knotts, Federal Relations 

• Outstanding Achievement in Research Innovation:Younan Xia, SoCB, IEN, Imat, IBB

• Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Advisor:John Reynolds, SoCB, IMat, RBI

• Outstanding Faculty Research Author:Wilbur Lam, BME, IEN, IBB 

• Outstanding Achievement in Research Engagement and Outreach:Pascal Van Hentenryck, ISyE, IDEaS, SEI

• Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Development: The Spaceflight Project Group at GT: Glen Lightsey, AE, IRIM; Jud Ready, GTRI, IEN, IMat, SEI; Christopher Valenta, GTRI; Christopher Carr, AE; Brian Gunter, AE, BBISS, IRIM; Sterling Peet, AE; Ian Harrison, GTRI

• Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Impact:Partnership for Inclusive Innovation: Debra Lam, IDEaS, IPaT, SEI; Clarence Anthony Jr., Kayla Burns, Cody Cocchi, Jamal Lewis, Polly Sattler, all from EI2

Awardees will be recognized at the Faculty and Staff Honors Luncheon on Friday, April 21. 

Previous Winners