TAGS: Marine and Protective Coatings
NSF has granted USD 20 million to SD Mines to develop thin coatings of 2D materials can be used to control biofilms that cause microbial corrosion. Biofilms are present in marine systems that cause degradation to ships and other structures.
The research effort of the newly announced $20 million NSF grant titled “Building on the 2020 Vision: Expanding Research, Education and Innovation in South Dakota” will be led by researchers at SD Mines, SDSU and USD.
2D Material Coating Technology
Robb Winter, Ph.D., department head and professor of chemical and biological engineering at SD Mines, will lead the team of researchers from Mines and partnering institutions to develop nationally recognized two-dimensional (2D) materials for the South Dakota Biofilm Science and Engineering Center being created in the state.
“
Biofilms are everywhere,” says Winter. “
You look at a stream and that’s a biofilm on the rocks. Soybeans want a certain type of microbe around the root for taking in nutrients–this is a favorable biofilm. There are biofilms in our water systems, and we don’t want them there.”
Inhibiting Microbial Corrosion
Co-principal investigator, Venkata Gadhamshetty, Ph.D., P.E, along with Rajesh Sani, Ph.D., Bharat Jasthi, Ph.D., and Saurabh Dhiman, Ph.D., will lead a research team at SDSMT to study the interaction between biofilms and the 2D coatings. “
These thin coatings of 2D materials can be used to control biofilms that cause microbial corrosion,” said Gadhamshetty. “
The research also explores 2D material coating technology to grow beneficial biofilms that boost the growth of plants with less chemical fertilizers.”
High-tech Workforce and Research Infrastructure
This NSF grant also adds to South Dakota’s high-tech workforce and research infrastructure. The grant allows for the hiring of additional scientists at Mines and partner institutions. It also pays for critical scientific equipment that can be used for years to come. This research opens the door for increased collaboration with industry. Furthermore, this project makes Mines and partner universities more competitive when applying for future federal research funding. “
This level of funding is unheard of at SD Mines. This level of funding would be significant at any institution, even top tier research universities,” says Winter.
The funding was awarded through the South Dakota Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (SD EPSCoR) and the South Dakota Board of Regents. The state of South Dakota is providing $4 million in matching funds for the grant. The Governor’s office of Economic Development and Board of Regents are providing $3 million and there is a $1 million match from the state universities involved in the grant including SD Mines, University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University.
The broad range of studies on microbes and biofilms, funded by these grants, has a wide potential for applications across many sectors of industry and society including energy generation, new medicines, wastewater purification, agriculture, corrosion resistance, new materials and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Huge Benefits for the State and Regional Economy
Mines’ President, Jim Rankin, Ph.D. adds, “
SD Mines is proud to lead this cutting-edge research which has huge potential benefits for the state and regional economy. This is an investment with the potential to pay itself back many times over in the creation of new start-ups and high-tech jobs that spin-off from the discoveries that are made.”
Data Driven Material Discovery Center
A second grant for a total of $6 million titled “Data Driven Material Discovery Center for Bioengineering Innovation” enables researchers at SD Mines, Montana State University, the University of Nebraska - Omaha and the University of South Dakota to catalogue and organize the large amounts of the data generated in the study of biofilms. This new center will bring together diverse infrastructure in bioscience, computer science and material science to analyze and draw conclusions from the large amounts of data gathered in this research.
A third $6 million NSF grant announced in 2017, known as the BuG ReMeDEE initiative led by Dr. Sani is making headway in research into the life cycle and makeup of microbes found in the depths of the Sanford Underground Research Facility and other extreme environments. The project’s full title is Building Genome-to-Phenome Infrastructure for Regulating Methane in Deep and Extreme Environments or BuG ReMeDEE.
These grants also include education components in partnership with Black Hills State University and other schools that boost K-12 science education in the state and increase opportunities for undergraduate and graduate research. The grants also include funding of training programs for K-12 teachers to implement new STEM based hands-on curriculum for their students.
Source: South Dakota School of Mines & Technology