{"id":205344,"date":"2023-10-03T07:24:07","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T11:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=205344"},"modified":"2023-10-01T14:37:23","modified_gmt":"2023-10-01T18:37:23","slug":"uconn-ph-d-student-is-working-to-clean-up-one-of-the-worlds-dirtiest-chemical-processes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/10\/uconn-ph-d-student-is-working-to-clean-up-one-of-the-worlds-dirtiest-chemical-processes\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Ph.D. Student Is Working to Clean Up One of the World\u2019s Dirtiest Chemical Processes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before he became a UConn Ph.D. student, Laron Burrows worked as an engineer in the renewable energy industry.<\/p>\n

His interest in making chemical processes more “planet friendly” isn\u2019t just a passing interest, he says. It is his life\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

\"A
Laron Burrows (contributed photo).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His passion has led to the creation of a new company, called Andros, that is trying to disrupt one of the dirtiest chemical processes in the world: ammonia production.<\/p>\n

Ammonia is vital for nitrogen-based fertilizers. Ammonia synthesis reactors really haven\u2019t evolved much over the last 100 years. They use high pressure and high temperatures to ignite the chemical process. Fed by natural gas, they produce an alarming 2 percent of the Earth\u2019s CO2 emissions.<\/p>\n

Although ammonia is mainly being used for fertilizer today, it has more far-reaching implications, Burrows says. It could eventually be used to fuel intercontinental transport ships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an important challenge that keeps me up at night,\u2019\u2019 Burrows says. \u201cThere isn\u2019t a real solution to decarbonize these industries yet. It is a really difficult problem, and a solution would be very valuable for the world.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

UConn Has Shaped Startup\u2019s Trajectory<\/strong><\/p>\n

With his startup, Burrows is turning heads. He has developed a new reactor, based on the principle of chemical looping, that is smaller, more efficient, and less expensive than traditional methods. Perhaps most importantly, it produces no CO2 emissions.<\/p>\n

Later this month, Andros will compete in two major entrepreneurship challenges. The first is an MIT-sponsored entrepreneurship competition called The Engine: Blueprint Program, for companies seeking to commercialize scientific breakthroughs.<\/p>\n

Three days later, on Oct. 17, he will compete in UConn\u2019s Wolff New Venture Competition, which awards more than $50,000 in prizes, to UConn-affiliated entrepreneurs. The competition, hosted by the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, is the pinnacle entrepreneurship challenge at the School of Business. All are welcome to attend.<\/p>\n

Burrows says UConn has prepared him well for the growth of his company.<\/p>\n

Andros was the top finalist in UConn\u2019s 2023 Innovation Quest (iQ) entrepreneurship competition this spring. Last summer Burrows continued to develop his business goals through the CCEI Summer Fellowship accelerator, which helps UConn-affiliated startups to advance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great experience and very intensive. You basically dissect your business and test your assumptions every day,<\/em>\u2019\u2019 he says. \u201cAll the mentors were very helpful. Professor Wayne Bragg helped me with the financial aspects, developing my economic models and looking at financing for the next five to 10 years. Professor Rory McGloin helped me with my presentations and storytelling.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSince April I\u2019ve been simultaneously planning the business side of it and developing my reactor technology and speaking with licensing experts. I\u2019ve done a great deal of planning for the launch.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m definitely in a better place than I was even a few months ago,\u2019\u2019 Burrows says. \u201cAndros is moving in the right direction both with the technology and the business plans. The future looks good.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Entrepreneurship Started in Childhood<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even as a young child, Burrows knew he\u2019d become an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the third grade I sold baseball cards and trinkets,\u2019\u2019 he says. \u201cAt age 12, I was developing a way to remove oil from seawater. I always thought science and engineering innovations provided great opportunities for entrepreneurship.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Burrows credits his chemical engineering Ph.D. adviser, professor George Bollas, who offered him the opportunity to develop this technology when Burrows came to UConn. Together they have developed the reactor and filed a provisional patent application.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been three years, and it is much harder than I thought to solve a world problem in three years,\u2019\u2019 Burrows says, laughing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Wolff New Venture Competition will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 17 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the School of Business\u2019 GBLC, Second Floor, 100 Constitution Plaza, Hartford. All are welcome. Please pre-register at https:\/\/ccei.uconn.edu\/wolff-new-venture-competition<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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