The Laboratory of Physical Environmental Sciences (LPES) has been founded at Valdosta State University with a grant graciously funded by the State of Georgia Pulp and Paper Consortium. This is an industry driven consortium. LPES features several state of the art instruments available for use by the pulp and paper industry. The short term goal of the facility is to provide the pulp and paper industry with instrumentation and expertise for a wide range of environmental and process control problems. The long range goal of the facility is to help the state's industry maintain a competitive edge in the national and international market.
We anticipate having a detailed manual available later this year and conducting a workshop in the spring (1998) to give industry representatives a first hand look at the facility.
A summary of equipment available for your use can be found here.
Please note that we are not EPA certified and can not compete with private industry for day-to-day QC work. We can work to solve specific problems, undertake projects, contribute to internal reports, patents or publications.
Two scenarios exist for access to
the equipment:
- The mill sends someone to run equipment with TJM's help. Because this might not be practical in many situations, a second option is presented.
- A student assistant (VSU) is employed by the mill or the mill sends check to VSU and we pay them at a rate of $8 per hour (plus a fee to help cover service contracts). TJM supervises student running samples to obtain data needed.
Over the past three years TJM and student assistants have produced 14 papers in the peer reviewed literature and given over thirty talks at national, regional, state and local scientific meetings. Also, we recently applied for a U.S. patent on an economical ozone production process. Eight of these students have gone on to graduate school (3 at IPST) and 2 others have been accepted into medical school.
We would be willing to sign confidentiality agreements when appropriate.
Valdosta State University is a regional university that seeks to fulfill its role to the state, its economy, and its citizens. We recognize the importance of pulp and paper not only to our 42 county region but also to the state and hope to provide an excellent industry driven facility.
Please do not hesitate to contact Tom Manning if you have any questions:
email: tmanning@valdosta.edu
url: http://www.valdosta.edu/~mmitchel/research/
