The Energy Department has announced that the Manufacturing USA has added the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ manufacturing organization to its network of institutes.
AIChE established the Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment manufacturing institute in partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Savannah River National Laboratory, AIChE said Friday.
AIChE’s RAPID institute has partnered with 75 companies, 34 academic organizations, seven national laboratories, seven non-governmental organizations and two government laboratories through cost-share agreements in order to leverage $70 million in DOE funds over five years to support projects.
The RAPID institute has spent over $140 million on projects that focus on the application of chemical process intensification.
David Friedman, acting assistant secretary of the office of energy efficiency and renewable energy at DOE, announced the expansion of the Manufacturing USA network at the U.S Council on Competitiveness’ 2016 National Competitiveness Forum.
Karen Fletcher, CEO of the RAPID institute and former chief engineer at DuPont, said the institute will work to help DOE meet its goals to reduce feedstock waste and energy consumption.
June Wispelwey, executive director of AIChE, said the RAPID institute will work to leverage AIChE’s experience in the management of technical centers to address the challenge related to modular chemical process intensification.