Dr. Dean Webster to present keynote at TRFA's annual meeting.
Press Release Summary:
From 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. on September 30, Dr. Dean Webster will present keynote address titled "Improving the Sustainability of Thermosets Using Renewables." Dr. Webster is Professor and Chair in the Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials at North Dakota State University. He received a B.S. in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering Science from Virginia Tech. Prior to joining NDSU in 2001, he worked for Sherwin-Williams and Eastman Chemical Company.
Original Press Release:
TRFA Announces Keynote
Glen Ellyn, IL—When the Thermoset Resin Formulators Association calls its annual meeting to order on Monday, September 30th at the Hyatt Regency Newport in Newport, Rhode Island, Dr. Dean Webster will present the Keynote Address, "Improving the Sustainability of Thermosets Using Renewables" from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m.
Dr. Dean Webster is Professor and Chair in the Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials at North Dakota State University. He received a B.S. in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering Science from Virginia Tech. Prior to joining NDSU in 2001, he worked for Sherwin-Williams at their Central Research Laboratories in Chicago and at Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, Tennessee. He is the editor-in-chief of Progress in Organic Coatings and recipient of the 2011 Roy W. Tess Award in Coatings Science given by the American Chemical Society and the 2013 Joesph Mattiello Lecture award given by the American Coatings Association.
As an approach to improved sustainability, interest in the use of “green” or renewable chemicals in the synthesis of materials such as polymers and thermosets continues to grow at a rapid pace. One major source of renewable chemicals is agricultural products and significant research efforts are now being expended to identify methods for transforming biomass into useful chemical building blocks. Several monomers derived from cellulose, such as succinic acid, levulinic acid, isosorbide, and furandicarboxylic acid are being commercialized. The reaction of isosorbide with epichlorohydrin leads to an epoxy that can be crosslinked with amines similar to conventional epoxy resins. While seed oils and their functionalized derivatives have been used for decades in a number of applications, new research has resulted in the identification of additional ways to exploit the use of oils in polymers.
The TRFA 2013 Annual Meeting also features 12 Technical Papers focused on the latest products and advanced techniques. A Regulatory Affairs update, Global Market update, and the presentation by the Annual Excellence in Thermoset Polymer Research Award winner will keep you abreast of the latest research and regulations. Attendees may also take advantage of the Additives 101 Short Course for training new employees or as a refresher for experienced personnel. TRFA also offers the opportunity to meet with the most important suppliers in the thermoset industry during the Tabletop Showcase on Monday, September 30th and network with your industry peers.
Complete meeting information including fax-in or online registration, online hotel reservations, technical paper abstracts and a table top exhibitor contract is available at https://www.trfa.org/meeting/2013.
TRFA is comprised of thermoset formulators and fabricators, raw material suppliers, distributors, equipment manufacturers, manufacturer sales representatives of materials or equipment, importers of raw materials or processing or other equipment, consulting firms and academic institutions serving industries which include adhesives, coatings, civil engineering applications, electrical laminates, composites, tooling, castings and moldings.
To learn more about TRFA please visit the website at www.trfa.org or contact the association at (630) 942-6596.
