Minnesota discovery could make fuel and plastics production more energy efficient and cost effective

A University of Minnesota team of researchers has overcome a major problem in the quest to design a specialized type of molecular structure that could make the production of gasoline, plastics and various chemicals more cost effective and energy efficient. The breakthrough research, was led by chemical engineering and materials science professor Michael Tsapatsis in the university's College of Science and Engineering. After more than a decade of research, the team finaly found what they needed to develop freestanding, ultra-thin zeolite nanosheets that as thin films can speed up the filtration process and require less energy. The team has a provisional patent and hopes to commercialize the technology. This will have an imense effect on the enviornment because it will release less harmful gases into the atmosphere.