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OBIC
The Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center (OBIC) is a research initiative that integrates academia and industry toward the development of renewable specialty chemicals, polymers/plastics and advanced materials.
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Among the primary reasons why Ohio won the third-consecutive Governor's Cup from Site Selection magazine is its skilled workforce and abundant workforce development opportunities. According to the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD), the healthy business climate and 11 Ohio cities ranking in the top 10 for their size class make a convincing argument that workforce opportunities abound. A key factor in supporting workforce development is the effort being made to push workforce development through internships, training programs, and support for graduate students. The Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center (OBIC), headquartered at The Ohio State University, regularly supports such student efforts in various ways. One such student is Sunny Modi, who is a graduate student on a Masters track in Food Science at OSU. Modi focuses on the physico-chemical properties of biodegradable polymers packaging. His research is focuses on food-grade packaging applications of polylactic acid (PLA) and poly 3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV) in a joint venture with the OSU Chemical Engineering Department. Modi’s academic efforts are very multidisciplinary, involving food science, material science, and chemical engineering; some of his research takes place in the laboratories of the OSU Center for Advanced Processing and Packaging Studies (CAPPS). Grants to both CAPPS and the Institute of Material Research (IMR) at OSU help support Modi's studies. Modi uses such techniques as extrusion, micro-compounding, wet solvents casting, and analysis with Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) on the PLA films. OBIC has supported his efforts by purchasing some of the extensive instrumentation available in the CAPPS facility. Says Modi, "The training obtained thus far provides a better understanding of film technology because I am using instruments in in-depth ways that are usually only available for complicated Ph.D. projects." The opportunity to use such sophisticated instrumentation will better position Modi to be hired by brand-name plastics suppliers, quite a number of which are located in Ohio. Modi is compiling thermal, mechanical, and rheological properties of various PHBV, and providing these preliminary results to the CAPPS members. As part of his research, Modi works closely with the manufacturers of PHBV. Through such collaborations related to his research, Modi has learned that, "The biodegradable polymer could be modified in similar manner as conventional thermoplastic such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and etc." He adds, "By modifying the properties, the PHBV co-polymer can be suited to various types of packaging conditions such as extensive freezing, heating, humidity, and altitude changes. In addition to the thermal, rheological, and mechanical characterization of PHBV, similar research is being conducted to determine whether blends of PHBV/PLA might be better suited for food packaging." Modi says that support provided through OBIC has greatly increased his knowledge of using the sophisticated equipment for simultaneous data gathering and processing on multiple material properties. Further, he has learned to run various analysis (such as step-modulation and frequency change scans), which were not possible on the older set of equipment in the lab. Another benefit of the OBIC-provided is equipment is that he can spend more time using the equipment and less time on making samples, a process that could take up to two weeks. "In the long run, the knowledge gained in this research will allow for a better understanding of the biodegradable polymers that are gaining favor and so much attention in food packaging," says Modi. He adds, "When I transition to getting a job, the experience I have had in the CAPPS lab will be of value to the bio-plastic industry because there is so much interest in the materials I am studying for food packaging and many other applications." CAPPS is funded by the National Institutes of Science (NSF), the Ohio BioProducts Iinnovation Center (OBIC), the Center for Multifunctional Polymer Nanomaterials and Devices (CMPND), and several different funds from OSU, including the Institute for Materials Research. Capital investment from OBIC, alone, is $500,000. Capital investments in CAPPS are directed towards biobased polymer composite research, analytical equipment, and rheological system upgrades. The Ohio BioProduct Innovation Center is a Wright Center funded by Ohio Department of Development. OBIC focuses on enhancing Ohio’s leadership position in bioproduct commercialization. A novel market pull model integrates academia in support of comprehensive supply chain collaborations across agriculture, specialty chemical and polymer industry sectors. Links Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center (OBIC) CAPPS
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 | Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center OSU, College of Food, Ag., and Envl. Sciences Room 152 Howlett Hall, 2001 Fyffe Ct., Columbus, OH 43210 Phone- 614-292-2922 Fax- 614-247-4739 |