Main Areas of Research
- Explore fundamental thermochemistry and kinetics of seafloor methane hydrates and the effects of chemical promoters and inhibitors on hydrate structure and stability
- Determine the effects of subsea application of dispersants on the formation and evolution of oil droplets and natural gas bubbles to determine the fate of these contaminants in the ocean
- Investigate novel methods to convert polysaccharides to simple sugars, and to ferment these sugars and explore anaerobic digestion and thermochemical processes to utilize marine biomass for energy
Lab Equipment
- Setaram BT2.15 Differential Scanning Calorimeter with high pressure mixing cells modified to accommodate a fiberoptic probe for Raman spectroscopy measurements, and constant pressure and constant temperature liquid injection systems to test various hydrate inhibitors and promoters
- TA Instruments Multi-Cell Differential Scanning Calorimeter
- Parr Model 6200EA oxygen bomb calorimeter
- Multiple Raman spectroscopy systems
- Deep ocean simulators and high pressure water tunnels
- Close-up digital video systems
- Atmospheric pressure liquid-liquid spray facility
- Aerometrics phase doppler particle analyzer
- Malvern Spraytec Fraunhofer diffraction droplet sizer
- Refractometer
- DuNouy dual-direction ring tensiometer
- SVM 3000 Stabinger viscometer
- Hydrate synthesis systems capable of producing samples up to ~0.5 liters in volume
- Multiple GC-MS instruments
- Incubators, PCR, gel electrophoresis, spectrometers, fluorescence microscope for studies of microbial communities in methane hydrate sediments
- HPLC with ELSD detector
- Access to DNA sequencing facility
- Access to the University of Hawaii Biological Electron Microscope Facility (Hitachi S-4800 FESM w/X-Ray microanalysis system; Hitachi HT-7700 TEM; Zeiss Laser Microdissection/Optical Trapping system)
