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by Gordon Ellis -
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AIChE’s Energy and Sustainability Award is given to individuals or teams from industry who have accomplished significant energy savings, improved the sustainability of chemical processes, or developed innovative technologies for energy generation or delivery. The award is sponsored by Air Products.
The recipient of the 2022 Energy and Sustainability Award is Timothy J. Hebrink, Senior Staff Scientist at the 3M Corporate Research Lab. Hebrink’s nominators cite his innovative research on passive radiant cooling film and his technical leadership, which have resulted in the scaleup of energy-saving products for multiple businesses.
Hebrink and the other Institute and Board of Directors’ Award honorees will receive their prizes at the 2022 AIChE Annual Meeting, November 13–18 in Phoenix, Arizona.
“I always wanted to apply chemical engineering toward improving people’s lives and protecting our environment. A strong science and engineering base provided by a chemical engineering education provided me with many opportunities.”
About Hebrink’s Career
A chemical engineering alumnus of the University of Minnesota, Tim Hebrink has 38 years of polymer product development experience at 3M. Over his career, he gained experience working in positions ranging from polymer processing and polymer synthesis to environmental engineering and polymer film application development. He has developed new polymer compositions and polymer combinations enabling polymer films that improve the energy efficiency of buildings, vehicles, electronic displays, and cooling systems.
Hebrink’s ability to make connections between the synthetic polymer properties and physical processing aspects of film material technologies has created film technologies that have enhanced 3M’s product portfolio. He is co-inventor on 216 invention submissions, which have resulting in 73 issued patents and 82 pending patent applications. He has also published extensively and has taught courses on polymer film energy efficiency at conferences and universities. Polymer films produced by his inventions at 3M have garnered numerous awards for sales achievements and technical excellence. They have also contributed to the reduction of more than 30 Mt of CO2 emissions.
Hebrink’s passion for clean energy technologies extends to his home, where he generates electricity with photovoltaics and a small wind turbine, and stores that renewable energy in batteries. He also heats domestic water with solar thermal panels, has fueled a commuter car with recycled cooking oil for 15 years, and now commutes to work with an electric vehicle.
Timothy attests to the value of an education in chemical engineering —including, but not limited to, the prospect of improving people’s lives. “There are good reasons why 3M hires many chemical engineers to apply science to life,” he says.
He notes that his fascination with science “began at a young age with a curiosity of how and why things work, especially in the natural world. Science provided many explanations that made sense to me.” He says that being good at math, physics, and chemistry steered him toward a degree in chemical engineering, “but I always wanted to apply chemical engineering toward improving people’s lives and protecting our environment. Fortunately, 3M provided me with the opportunity to work on technologies, products, and projects that have done just that.”
He explains that 3M offers the breadth and depth of technologies that enables scientists and engineers to make uncommon connections to solve great problems. For example, optical polymers that he developed required the complex optimization of 12 material properties.
“It’s difficult to predict where our passions and opportunities will lead us,” adds Hebrink. “A strong science and engineering base provided by a chemical engineering education provided me with many opportunities.”
This fall, ChEnected is presenting profiles of all the 2022 Institute and Board of Directors’ Award recipients. Visit ChEnected regularly to meet this year’s honorees.