Fulbright Scholar Chooses UDRI as One of World's Best Places to Research Environmentally Friendly Incineration Processes
In the United States, municipal and industrial incineration is often met by strict regulation and public protest. But in Europe, where incineration has long been a solution to limited land resources, burning waste is a way of life.
A visiting researcher and Fulbright Scholar from Alicante, Spain, is working at the University of Dayton Research Institute to develop data on how his country can most efficiently incinerate without polluting the food chain.
Andres Fullana, an associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Alicante, is studying "The Catalytic Effect of Ashes in the Formation and Destruction of Pollutants" with Sukh Sidhu, a researcher in environmental sciences and engineering group at UDRI and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. Fullana's two-year appointment began in October.
Fullana said he applied for a Fulbright to conduct research specifically at UDRI. Only about 10 such programs exist internationally, he said, with UDRI being one of the best.
Fullana said that while those currently working on incineration issues in Spain have good intentions, they have little research to back up their methods or claims. "In Spain, we have some people working on it, but this is not a science," he says through a thick accent, eyes shining in anticipation of his work. "We don't have a lot of big industries -- we have small industries, and they don't have a lot of resources." He hopes to become a resource for his government and industry in customizing incineration processes that are highly efficient.
Fullana first came to the University of Dayton for three months in 2000 as part of a foreign exchange through his Ph.D. program. He knew of UDRI's work and contacted Sidhu for an invitation. At the time, Sidhu declined, stating that the demands of his newborn triplets left him with no free time. But Fullana persisted, came to Dayton and formed a relationship that would bring him back two years later.
This prior connection, Fullana says, is "very important. I met Sukh before, and he's like a friend."
Sidhu assisted Fullana with finding a place to live and introduced him to the UD community, which has been a source of added support. Fullana lives in Kettering with his wife, Alejandrina, and daughter, Andrea, 5.
Sidhu also received a National Science Foundation grant for $225,000 over three years. The money will be used to supplement Fullana's income through the Fulbright Scholar program, purchase supplies and hire a doctoral student to help with the research.
In the United States, Sidhu's work assists the U.S. Environmental Protection agency in tracking the sources of combustion pollutants, such as the carcinogen dioxin. Others in UDRI's environmental sciences and engineering group are evaluating how these pollutants interact with the environment and food chain once they are released.
Since 1946, the Fulbright Scholar program has been providing grants for college and university faculty, professionals and independent scholars to lecture and conduct research in a wide variety of academic disciplines in 140 countries. While UD has hosted four visiting Fulbright scholars in the past, Fullana's appointment is the school's first multiple-year assignment.
November 21, 2002
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