Abigail Engelberth, Assistant Professor in ABE, was selected to receive research funding from the Ralph W. and Grace M. Showalter Trust Fund.  The award will fund her research project entitled: “Biologically Mediated Concentration and Recovery of Metals.” The objective of this project is to investigate the mechanisms by which purified lignin binds with metal ions and then demonstrate microbial degradation of the lignin from the system to enable recovery of the metals. The ultimate goal devise a systematic approach to determine the lignin/metal chelation based on lignin modification and to demonstrate the ability to form a concentrated stock of metals through microbial degradation which will result in the ability to tailor the lignin to target the metal to be removed and to then recover the metals for use in more valuable applications.  She will conduct the research with co-PI, Eduardo Ximenes, a research scientist in the Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering.

The Ralph W. and Grace M. Showalter Trust was established in 1975 to support research in the areas of:  environmental research, biochemistry and molecular biology, disease diagnosis and treatment, technologies for food development, and medical instrumentation.