Researchers earn “RARE” honor
June 13, 2008
STARKVILLE, Miss.– With the hope of easing the strain on consumers’ wallets, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes the potential of research underway at Mississippi State.
During a ceremony on Mississippi State’s campus, assistant professors Rafael Hernandez and Todd French, and associate professor Mark Bricka were presented a grant, by the EPA’s Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) Program. The grant will help support their biofuels research dealing with the conversion of wastewater into transportation fuel.
“We are very grateful that the EPA is providing our faculty with the opportunity to focus their attention on finding new ways to create alternative fuel sources,” explained Dr. Sarah Rajala, dean of the Bagley College of Engineering.
Administered through the EPA’s office of development and research, competitive RARE grants are awarded to address high-priority issues facing a region. This grant, for RARE’s region four area, will support the Starkville based researchers’ work to chemically transform sludge and wastewater collected from a Tuscaloosa, Ala., treatment facility into a feedstock for producing biodiesel.
“If you want to know why this research is significant, pull up to your local gas station. This nation must find alternative fuels to combat the rising gas prices and help ease our dependency on foreign oil,” said Jimmie Palmer, regional director of the EPA.
Palmer explained that region four, which encompasses eight states, rates higher than any of the 10 regions in driven miles. Independence, lack of public transportation and distance make people in the area particularly susceptible to the rising costs of filling up their gas tanks. Hernandez, French and Bricka, hope this grant can help take their research to the next level where they can introduce a renewable fuel source into the marketplace.
“This award shows a willingness to invest in a technology that has tremendous potential and can impact the environment and the economy,” French explained. “It is a big leap for EPA to jump into the biofuels arena and to support what can potentially be a very, low-cost renewable fuel. It is a wonderful marriage between MSU and the EPA.”
RARE grants are designed to promote collaboration between researchers and the EPA. Past RARE research topics have ranged from human health issues to ecological effects of various pollutants.