John Pendergast Awarded US Patent

In recent news, John Pendergast (et al.) was awarded US Patent No. 10,144,698, which is a process for breaking a methanol/methyl methacrylate azeotrope using pressure swing distillation.

A methanol/MMA azeotrope is broken or avoided by a method comprising the steps of (1) raising the pressure within a first vessel, e.g., a distillation column, that contains a methanol/MMA azeotrope, (2) collecting the azeotrope as a liquid, and then in a second, separate vessel, e.g., another distillation column, (3) raising the pressure sufficiently to allow for the breaking of or avoidance of the azeotrope and the recovery of the methanol.

John joined the faculty in spring 2018 as a part-time instructor. He received his MS from Louisiana Tech University in 1977. John come to us after a 40-year career with Dow. He serves the department as the Engineering Fundamentals Lab instructor. In addition, John is a preeminent expert on distillation columns and is in the process of designing one for our Unit Operations Laboratory.

View more information on US Patent No. 10,144,698.