Research Overview The Lira Research Lab provides experiments and modeling for thermodynamic phase behavior and separations.

Current Project Overviews: Visit the Current Projects Link to learn more about these projects.

A current collaborative project concerns development of reactive distillation of organic acids derived from bioprocessing; the Lira lab efforts include measurement of phase equilibria for the constituent systems and property predictions using molecular simulation.

A current collaborative project concerns the processing of biodiesel.

A current collaborative project concerns the importance of sequence in the binding of RNA to PKR.

A current collaborative project concerns the recovery and purification of succinic acid and acetic acid from fermentation broths.

Recent Project Overviews: Visit the Recent Projects Link to learn more about these projects.

As part of the process development for ethyl lactate formation from lactic acid, we have characterized the oligomerization of lactic acid.

A collaborative project concerns a process for extraction and purification of a natural high-value glycolipid (sulfolipid) from alfalfa; a patent is currently being prepared. Sulfolipid has anti-AIDS activity.

A recent project concerns isolation of natural cherry flavor (benzaldehyde) from hydrolyzate and subsequent recovery by stripping from the adsorbent using CO2.

Previous projects have measured and modeled V+L, L+L, L+S, and V+L+S+S, phase behavior from a few mmHg to 3000 psi. The lab has developed and modeled adsorption for recovery of dilute species from natural liquid hydrolyzate.

The lab has capabilities for measuring and modeling high pressure adsorption, and for recovery of adsorbed species using supercritical CO2.

Future opportunities for collaboration include modeling of binding of biological and pharmaceutical molecules, and/or measurement of phase equilibria. The laboratory has interests in working with emulsion and surfactant systems.