Newswise — Richard E. Riman, distinguished professor of materials science and engineering at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, will be inducted into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame Oct. 16 at the organization’s annual awards dinner.
A resident of Belle Mead and native of Teaneck, Riman is being honored with the Hall of Fame’s “Inventor of the Year” award for his “distinguished patented work related to systems and methods for carbon capture and sequestration utilizing novel concrete products.” He holds 10 U.S. patents and patents pending for the “low-temperature solidification” process, many of which are shared with his co-inventor Vahit Atakan, who did his doctoral studies with Riman.
The patents are being commercially developed by a company Riman founded, Solidia Technologies Inc. of Piscataway. The company, which aims to provide green manufacturing methods and construction materials for building and infrastructure applications, has licensed numerous patents from Rutgers and has advanced the technology with more than 100 additional patents. Atakan is Solidia’s director of R&D.
Riman recently launched another spinoff company to commercialize low-temperature solidification for production of materials and ceramic components with applications in biomedical devices and other areas, including the automotive and aerospace industries.
“Professor Riman is one of Rutgers’ many creative and productive scientists, and it’s admirable that he’s become a successful entrepreneur,” said Christopher J. Molloy, senior vice president for research and economic development at Rutgers. “We’re proud of Rik and very pleased that he has joined others from Rutgers in the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame.”
Low-temperature solidification (LTS) is a fundamentally different process than those used for centuries to produce ceramics and concrete components. High-temperature kilns are not needed to cure the materials produced, so far less energy is required and far less carbon dioxide is generated. And LTS actually uses significant amounts of carbon dioxide to cure concrete or ceramics, making it a carbon-negative process.
One of the first business leaders to recognize the commercial promise and environmental benefits of low-temperature solidification was Bill Joy, the founder of Sun Microsystems. He is a partner emeritus of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, an influential Silicon Valley venture capital firm that provided the funds to launch Riman’s startup.
Solidia has signed agreements with Lafarge, a world leader in building materials, and The Linde Group, a world-leading gases and engineering company, to industrialize and market the technology. Solidia was honored last week with inclusion in the prestigious 2014 Global Cleantech 100 and in 2013 was selected for the R&D Top 100 Award. The company’s investors include Bright Capital, BASF and BP.
Riman earned his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in materials and engineering and his bachelor’s in ceramic engineering from Rutgers.
About Rutgers – Established in 1766, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is America’s eighth oldest institution of higher learning and one of the nation’s premier public research universities, educating more than 65,000 students. Rutgers’ flagship, based in New Brunswick, is the only public institution in New Jersey represented in the prestigious Association of American Universities. Rutgers is a member of the Big Ten Conference and its academic counterpart, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation – a consortium of 15 world-class research universities. Rutgers ranks #1 among U.S. universities for chemistry R&D funding. The Office of Research and Economic Development provides a central point for industry to access Rutgers, including a new website, businessportal.rutgers.edu.
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