Shafizadeh, Fred Laboratory

In 1966, the University of Montana chose Fred Shafizadeh to become Professor of Chemistry and Forestry, and the director of its newly created Wood Chemistry Laboratory. 

Despite his international stature in research, it was important to Fred Shafizadeh to be involved in teaching. In fact, he insisted each year on teaching a freshman-chemistry course. It was imperative to him to teach the meaning of inquiry, and to convey the spirit and thrill of discovery. His absolute devotion to academic excellence came as much from Persian as from western culture. At the advanced level, his graduate students and postdoctoral fellows left his laboratory remarkably able to move into respon-... 

Any who worked for Fred in his Wood Chemistry Laboratory will invariably say how fortunate they were to have had the experience. Fred s lab., like the man himself, was one of a kind. Whether it was the inevitable odor of a pyrolyzed carbohydrate, the scenic backdrop of the Rattlesnake Mountains from the lab. window, or just the sight of an exuberant Fred discussing the latest data, the Wood Chemistry Laboratory under Fred Shafizadeh will remain a fond memory for all of us who ever worked there. 

Biomass thermochemical processes have been studied for at least two reasons (1) a better understanding of the combustion process to control biomass flammability and, (2) research into improved processes for converting biomass into useful energy forms. The late Fred Shafizadeh (see, e.g., 4jt5) laid the groundwork for all recent studies in both arenas. The work on combustion mechanisms continues at the Wood Chemistry Laboratory of the University of Montana in Missoula (see, e.g., 6). Antal has recently (7 ) reviewed all aspects of biomass pyrolysis, and the reader is directed to his reviews for detail study of the processes involved. Chatterjeo has produced an excellent summary (9) of biomass pyrolysis... 

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