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The synthesis of cost-effective materials for harvesting the sun’s energy has been a major manufacturing challenge for decades.
Professor Mansoor Barati and his Sustainable Materials Processing Research Group are developing a method to produce high-purity silicon for photovoltaic applications out of rice husk.
When silicon and other minerals are brought from the ground up the rice plant stem via active transport, a significant amount of impurities are filtered out, and a concentrated quantity of silicon is stored in the rice husk. Professor Barati’s quest is to convert this source of high-grade silicon into photovoltaic materials, producing low-cost, renewable energy from an environmentally-friendly and natural source.
Examples of related undergraduate courses
- MSE 355 | Materials Processing & Sustainable Development
- MSE 408 | Energy Management in Materials Processing
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