Laron Burrows, a Ph.D. student in chemical engineering in UConn’s College of Engineering (CoE), has been selected as an Activate Fellow, the first UConn student chosen for this prestigious scholarship. The fellowship will support Burrows’ work advancing technology he developed during his doctoral research at UConn under the direction of Professor and Associate Dean of Research George Bollas. Burrows’ startup, Andros Innovations, aims to revolutionize ammonia production with a new reactor that reduces both costs and energy consumption.
Founded in 2015, Activate empowers scientists and engineers to reinvent the world by launching startups to combat climate change and other environmental challenges. The Activate Fellowship, which offers $300,000, is a two-year immersive experience that gives science entrepreneurs the skills, networks, infrastructure and funding they need to quickly and effectively commercialize their groundbreaking research.
“This recognition reflects the work I have done to address the inefficiencies of a process that has remained largely unchanged for over a century,” says Burrows. “Traditional ammonia production is highly inefficient and produces an exorbitant amount of CO2 emissions, which contribute significantly to global warming. The low-cost, energy-efficient reactors that Andros is developing can enable a shift to low-carbon fertilizers, ammonia as a hydrogen carrier, and a sustainable marine fuel.
Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. It is a colorless, highly irritating gas with a suffocating odor and readily dissolves in water to form an ammonium hydroxide solution. It is an essential ingredient for fertilizers and is also used as a refrigerant gas, for the purification of water supplies and in the manufacture of plastics, explosives, textiles, pesticides, dyes and other chemicals . Ammonia is also produced from the natural breakdown of organic matter.
Burrows has been actively involved in UConn’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, winning the 2023 Innovation Quest and being named a 2023 Summer Fellow at the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI). It is also part of UConn’s Technology Incubation Program (TIP). His startup, Andros Innovations, has won awards at the MIT Climate and Energy Prize and the Yale Innovation Summit, and is a member of high-profile startup programs such as Third Derivative and MassChallenge.
Over the past year, Burrows has carried out his research and laboratory work on site in Storrs, where he is currently testing a prototype benchtop reactor. He hopes to have a commercial version of his reactor, which will be about the size of a standard refrigerator, completed within the next three years. His unit, he explains, operates at atmospheric pressure (14 psi), a stark contrast to existing high-pressure processes used today (3,000 psi).
His learning at UConn, he says, working with his mentor and project principal investigator, Bollas, was instrumental. Balancing the rigors and demands of building a startup, he says, along with the much slower research processes, has been challenging and rewarding. And he cites his advancements and recognition as a testament to the opportunities and support he received at UConn’s CoE.
“My progress and success reflect UConn’s ability to support and encourage high-level research, and allow me to be on this prestigious global stage where I can attract the attention of multi-billion dollar global companies in the agricultural and manufacturers. ” says Burrows. “Approximately 80% of ammonia produced by industry is used in agriculture as fertilizer, so continued production is essential. However, in light of the dangers of global warming, safer methods and more energy efficient are more essential than ever. I am grateful for this opportunity and for this recognition.