Wachs named G. Whitney Snyder Professor

Israel Wachs, professor of chemical engineering, was named G. Whitney Snyder Professor at Lehigh’s annual Founder's Day on Friday, October 17, 2003. This chair recognizes outstanding individual merit and accomplishment by a faculty member.

Wachs, who joined the faculty in 1987, is a pioneer in the use of Raman spectroscopy in nanotechnology, the characterization of catalysts, and the creation of new products. He has developed several new techniques for examining the amorphous phases of the surfaces of mixed metal oxides. In 2002 Wachs won the EPA's Clean Air Award for applying green chemistry to paper mill pollutants.

Wachs holds two dozen U.S. patents, including one for a new catalytic process that could help North America's paper mills save up to $300 million a year while eliminating most emissions of pollutants contained in acid rain and greenhouse gases. The process converts methanol, a toxin, into formaldehyde, which is used to make plywood and other products. It eliminates most emissions of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. The process was tested by Georgia-Pacific Corp. in a pilot plant for two years.