John Dorgan
Inaugural David L. and Denise M. Lamp Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering at Michigan State University | Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI, UNITED STATES
Expert in polymeric materials and composites (emphasis on wind turbine composite materials)
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Biography
I believe in balancing experimental work with theoretical and modeling studies. Theoretical models provide the framework for interpreting experimental results available from rheology, ellipsometry, microscopy, and spectroscopy experiments. I am working to advance the science and technology of biobased polymers, polymer membranes, and the computer simulation of polymeric materials.
Ecological concerns are a predominant theme for the 21st century; humanity must develop sustainable systems for materials and fuels. Biologically derived and inspired materials offer hope for achieving this important goal. Also, nanotechnology is rapidly expanding and its convergence with both biology and ecology is now being recognized. Ecobionanocomposites are a new class of green materials that exploit this triple convergence of technologies and are an active area of investigation within my group. In this technical area, we work to maximize the renewable content of these next-generation plastics materials under the guidelines of the principles of green chemistry.
The long-term transition away from fossil fuels towards a sustainable system of providing fuels and materials is the greatest technical challenge facing humanity. Our efforts are aimed at improving the efficiency of present systems while working to develop new technologies that are inherently more environmentally benign and sustainable. A clear example is our work to improve the materials used to make wind turbines as part of IACMI (iacmi.org). Clearly, this is an important and exciting area in which to work and there is much to be done!
Industry Expertise (2)
Mining and Metals
Education/Learning
Areas of Expertise (3)
Fiber Reinforced Plastics
Polymers from Renewable Resources
Soft Materials
Accomplishments (2)
Dow Outstanding New Faculty Award (professional)
1996
NSF CAREER Award (professional)
1995
Education (3)
Max Planck Institut für Polymerforschung: Post-Doctoral Study
University of California, Berkeley: Ph.D. 1991
University of Massachusetts: B.S.
Links (3)
News (3)
Some day we’ll be recycling wind turbine blades into yummy gummy bears
Ars Technica online
2022-08-26
Fortunately, John Dorgan, a chemical engineer at Michigan State University, has come up with a new polymer resin that can not only be recycled into a new generation of turbine blades but also materials for a wide range of commercial applications. These include the manufacture of car taillights, diapers, kitchen sinks—even edible gummy bears. He described his research at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago this week.
Wind Turbine Blades Could Be Recycled Into Gummy Bears Someday
CNET online
2022-08-24
"The beauty of our resin system is that at the end of its use cycle, we can dissolve it, and that releases it from whatever matrix it's in so that it can be used over and over again in an infinite loop," John Dorgan, a chemical engineer from MSU, who will be presenting the team's work at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society, said in a press release. "That's the goal of the circular economy."
Wind turbine blades could be recycled into gummy bears, scientists say
The Guardian online
2022-08-23
“We recovered food-grade potassium lactate and used it to make gummy bear candies, which I ate,” said John Dorgan, one of the authors of the paper.
Journal Articles (3)
Hybrid Chemomechanical Plastics Recycling: Solvent‐free, High‐Speed Reactive Extrusion of Low‐Density Polyethylene
ChemSusChem2021 Low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) is ubiquitous in the packaging industry owing to its flexibility, toughness, and low cost. However, it is typically contaminated with other materials, seriously limiting options for mechanical recycling. Interest in chemical recycling techniques such as pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction is growing, but most of these processes face technoeconomic challenges that have limited commercial deployment. This study concerns a hybrid chemomechanical approach using reactive twin‐screw extrusion (TSE) for tailoring the molecular weight and chain structure of reclaimed LDPE. Two types of zeolite catalysts at several loading levels are evaluated over a range of processing conditions.
Efficacy, economics, and sustainability of bio-based insecticides from thermochemical biorefineries
Green Chemistry2021 The scope of this work rests at the interface between food and energy sustainability. Thermochemical conversion of biomass is an attractive strategy for the production of low-cost biofuels, and bio-based insecticides are a more sustainable and often safer alternative for pest management in agricultural production. This work demonstrates a complimentary strategy to access both biofuels and a bio-based insecticide through a catalytic fast pyrolysis process. Technoeconomic modeling shows the bioinsecticidebio-based insecticide can be produced at a cost ≤1.7$ per kg while fully formulated bioinsecticidebio-based insecticides typically sell for ≥6$ per kg, which can significantly reduce the biofuel selling price.
Infusible acrylic thermoplastic resins: Tailoring of chemorheological properties
Journal of Applied Polymer Science2019 Infusible liquid resins that polymerize into a thermoplastic are desirable for many applications. Similar to unsaturated and vinylester thermosetting systems, they consist of polymers dissolved in reactive monomer. This work presents a method to decrease cycle time by tuning the molecular weight and concentration of the predissolved polymer in the resin. Variation of these properties allows precise control of the viscosity which in turn controls the time at which peak exotherm is reached, the maximum temperature for a given part thickness, and cure time. Predictive models for the viscosity dependence on molecular weight, polymer concentration, shear rate, and temperature are developed.
