G. Graham Allan
Professor, Management & Engineering Div., Forest Resources,
and Professor of Chemical Engineering
Contact Information
| 304 Bloedel Box 352100 Seattle, WA 98195-2100 |
Phone: 206-543-1491 Fax: 206-685-3091 E-mail: create@u.washington.edu |
Education
B.Sc., University of Glasgow, 1952.
B.Sc., University of Strathclyde, 1952.
Ph.D., University of Glasgow, 1955.
D.Sc., University of Strathclyde, 1970.
For more information, please see Dr. Allan's Personal Web Page
Or see Dr. Allan's Research Group Website
Research Interests
Fiber and Polymer Science
Most chemical engineers will find themselves involved during their careers with some aspect of either fibers or polymers. These materials touch almost every facet of both our personal and professional lives. The research carried out by the Fiber and Polymer group has as its focus, the study of phenomena that directly relate to problems associated with the creative and innovative use of fibers and polymers in chemical engineering.
The particular approaches taken depend upon the graduate students' interests which have ranged all the way from computer simulation of fluid flow within nonwoven fiber networks to controlled release delivery systems for chemicals to suppress tse-tse fly attacks on cattle in Africa.
Between these extremes, is an ongoing program in fiber surface modification. This fundamental study seeks to understand the scientific obstacles that prevent the efficient recycling of waste paper. One of these difficulties is the poor bonding that can be generated between once-dried fibers. To overcome this drawback, new types of interfiber adhesion are being explored. These are based upon the thermodynamics of discrete ionic, zwitterionic, coordinate, or covalent chemical bonds.
Another detriment to good bonding in paper is the adverse effect of the white pigment or filler therein. The small particles scatter light, give paper its opacity and are located between the fibers. This location, of course, diminishes close interfiber contact. In a new approach invented here, this pigment has been created inside the fiber by a simple precipitation reaction. This placement reduces the interference of the filler with fiber-to-fiber bonding so that the physical properties of the paper are thereby enhanced. Alternatively, at the same level of paper properties, additional quantities of low-cost pigment can be placed in the sheet so that the overall cost of the paper can be significantly lowered. Possible designs of an effluent-free plant to put the filler inside the fibers are being developed.
Novel methods for the enhanced mass transfer of oxygen into water to achieve non-polluting bleaching systems are also under study.
Selected Recent Publications
Controlled release of imidacloprid from lignin matrix formulations (with S.S. Park, A.P. Stoyanov, and A. Yahiaoui), Proceed. Intern. Symp. Control. Rel. Bioact. Mater., 1998, 659.
Effect of low molecular inclusions on the release of dicamba from lignin matrix formulations (with O.K. Kwon, A.P. Stoyanov, and A. Yahiaoui), Proceed. Intern. Symp. Control. Rel. Bioact. Mater., 1998, 661.
Depolymerization of chitosan by means of nitrous acid (with M. Peyron), in Chitin Handbook, R.A.A. Muzzarelli and M.G. Peter, eds., European Chitin Society, Casella Postale 67, IT 60020, Torrette, AN, Italy.
Enhancement of the optical properties of a bagasse newsprint furnish by fiber wall filler (with J.P. Carroll, G. Jimenez, and A.R. Negri), Cell. Chem. Tech., 1998, 32, 339.
Sugar-cellulose composites. I. The incorporation of simple saccharides into paper as cellulose substitutes (with A.P. Stoyanov, M. Ueda, and A. Yahiaoui), Tappi J., 1999, 82(3), 167.
Sugar-cellulose composites. II. The properties of paper containing monosaccharides (with A.P. Stoyanov, M. Ueda, and A. Yahiaoui), Tappi J., 1999, 82(4), 196.
Sugar-cellulose composites. III. The incorporation of sucrose into paper as a cellulose substitute (with A.P. Stoyanov, M. Ueda, and A. Yahiaoui), Tappi J., 1999, 82(5), 165.
Selective adsorption: a new approach to cellulose protection during bleaching with chlorine, chlorine dioxide, hypochlorite, oxygen or hydrogen peroxide (with R.G. Aravamuthan, S. Austin, D. Bui., C. Christien, D. Church, C. Hsu, A.J. Marshall, A. Mitchell, B.A. Petersen, and J. Roux) Proceedings of the 2000 International Pulp Bleaching Conference, June 27-30, 2000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada, Montreal, QC, Canada, pp. 81-193.
2000 Annual review and forecast of the nonwovens industry, Nonwovens Industry, 2000, 31(12), 24.
Recent M.S. Theses
Recent Ph.D. Dissertations
