Jeffery S. Hsieh
Director, Multidisciplinary Pulp and Paper Engineering Program
Contact Information
Building: Bunger-Henry
Office:
321
Phone: 404.894.3556
Fax: 404.894.2866
email
Mailing Address
Georgia Institute of Technology
School of Chemical &
Biomolecular Engineering
311 Ferst Drive, N.W.
Atlanta, GA 30332-0100
Links
Jeffery S. Hsieh
Education
B.S. 1967, National Taiwan University
M.S. 1970, Syracuse University, New York
Ph.D. 1974, Syracuse University, New York
Research Interests
Dr. Hsieh’s research are in the nanoparticle, deinking, biofuels and fiber technology areas.
Nanotechnology presents new opportunities for great improvement on papermaking and coating properties. We focus on the technologies of preparation of microfibrillated cellulose – MFC, examines properties of MFC and its applications in papermaking and coating. The challenge is to reduce the size of cellulose and its fines to nanosize particles because its resilience. The benefits of adding the nanoparticles to paper structure are numerous. To overcome the making of required nanoparticles from existing fiber and fines is the key.
Deinking of recycled pulp is a very specialized technology in removing sub-micron size ink particles to support a green and sustainable manufacturing process to save the landfill. The widely used pigmented inkjet digital printing with less than half a micron size is more troublesome for deinking. Dr. Hsieh’s patented electric field technology (US patent 5,238,538) is used to improve its removal. The difficult hydrophilic flexographic ink with less volatile organic compound (VOC) caused similar problem and we overcome the challenge to treat it.
Biofuel from corn are expected to plateau in the next five years at 15 billion gallons per year (BGY), advanced cellulose based biofuels are filling the voids. By 2022, the goal is to have a supply of 16 BGY of cellulosic ethanol. Our research concentrates on the pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials, conversion of cellulose, lignin, sludge and waste stream into useful biofuels. Electric field technology is also used as an energy saving method to separate the waste skimming sludge into valuable bioproducts. Hydrosonic pump wave technology is used to improve the efficiency of transesterification.
Fiber technology consists of purifying cellulosic and synthetic fiber for web formation for various end use applications. Chemical and thermomechanical pulping, deinking on recycled fibers, mass transfer and kinetics in oxygen, peroxide and ozone delignification are studied. Bonding technology of synthetic fibers to form high performance web structure for high temperature, ultra tear resistance and super strength applications are investigated.
Dr. Hsieh has spent more than ten years research and development with Du Pont, Kimberly-Clark and the Empire State Paper Research Institute before serving as Director of Georgia Tech’s Pulp and Paper Engineering for the Georgia Tech Pulp and Paper Foundation.