Rajai H. Atalla Adjunct Professor Address/E-mail Program Affiliations Education Publications Awards & Honors Summary

Contact Information

33/314 Forest Products Laboratory 1 Gifford Pinchot Drive Madison, WI 53705

Tel: 608/231-9443 E-mail: rhatalla@facstaff.wisc.edu

Departments

• Chemical and Biological Engineering

Program Affiliations

• Forest Products Laboratory

Education

• BChE, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• MChE, PhD, University of Delaware

Selected Publications

• "Celluloses," in Comprehensive Natural Products Chemistry, D. Barton and K. Nakanishi, Eds., pp.529-598, Volume 3, Carbohydrates, B. M. Pinto, Ed., Elsevier, Oxford, 1999.

Selected Awards, Honors and Societies

• Fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science
• Fellow of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI)
• USDA Forest Service Chief's Distinguished Scientist Award
• Anseleme Payen Award, Cellulose Division of the American Chemical Society

Summary

Our programs are directed at more effective utilization of cellulose, the most abundant naturally occurring homopolymer and one that has been used throughout recorded history in one form or another. The programs are in two areas. The first is development of a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of action of a new, environmentally benign pulping and bleaching technology developed in our laboratory. The second is a search for the factors that regulate the secondary and tertiary structures of cellulose as it is formed in its native state in most sources of biomass.

The new pulping and bleaching technology is based on using inorganic analogs of naturally occurring enzymes that are selective in removing lignin from wood without damaging the cellulose. A measure of our progress in this area and the success of the technology is that construction of a pilot facility is now scheduled to begin in late 2000 or early 2001. Yet much fundamental research remains to be carried out to establish the solid foundation of science necessary for large scale commercialization.

The studies of biogenesis are directed at understanding the balance between genetic and environmental factors in establishing the patterns of molecular aggregation in native celluloses. These states of aggregation determine the mechanical properties of products manufactured directly from cellulosic fibers. They also influence the reactivity of cellulosic feedstocks used in the manufacture of a wide range of cellulose derivatives. A better understanding of biogenesis is also the key to developing genetically improved strains of most of the plant species that are common sources of cellulosic feedstocks.