Solving global energy problems will require a collaborative effort across disciplines as well as across institutions. As part of an initiative to encourage multidisciplinary collaborations and cross-institutional partnerships, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), the Texas A&M University Dwight Look College of Engineering and Texas A&M University-Kingsville have awarded $150,000 in seed grants to researchers from Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Kingsville.
The grants of $50,000 each represent the first jointly funded projects of this kind between Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Kingsville. To be eligible for the grants, proposals were required to include investigators from both institutions.
The seed grants provide researchers with enough funding to generate preliminary results and foster the collaborations needed to facilitate the pursuit and development of future center level multidisciplinary projects.
The three proposals selected for funding are:
“Graphene Embedded Porous Conducting Polymers as a Binder to Improve Energy Density, Specific Power and Cycle Life of Li-ion Batteries”
Investigators: Dr. Dervis Demirocak, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Texas A&M-Kingsville; and Dr. Micah Green, Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M.
“Nanotechnology Based Selective Heavy Metal and Petroleum Hydrocarbon Removal of Wastewaters Generated in Energy Production Processes”
Investigators: Dr. Jianhong-Jennifer Ren, Department of Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M-Kingsville; Dr. Jingbo Louise Liu, Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M-Kingsville; and Dr. Li Ying, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M.
“Adding Income to the Unconventional Revenue Stream: Recovering Geothermal Energy and Strategic Elements from Hydrocarbon Wells”
Investigators: Dr. Ruud Weijermars, Department of Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M; Dr. Lee Clapp, Department of Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M-Kingsville; Dr. David Burnett, Department of Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M; and Dr. Lucy Camacho, Department of Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M-Kingsville.