Minister opens new Petronas Laboratory at Queen's University

17 April 2008

The Minister for Employment and Learning, Sir Reg Empey, today officially opened the new Petronas Laboratory at Queen’s University’s QUILL Research Centre.  

The QUILL Research Centre was the first research centre in the world to focus on the development of ionic liquids.  It is now the leading centre worldwide.

Speaking at the event the Minister said:  “In Government, we consider the work of QUILL to be an exemplar of industry and academic collaboration, not just for Northern Ireland but for the United Kingdom as a whole. The ground-breaking work of QUILL continues to receive worldwide acclaim within its area of research expertise, and I welcome the financial support and commitment that Petronas has given to the project.”  

A total of £5.25 million is to be provided by the company over a 3 year period, funded through UTP, the private university set up and owned by Petronas.

Researchers at QUILL are currently part of an exciting new project which will involve the task of helping put a telescope on the moon in 2018.  Commenting on this cutting edge work, Sir Reg said: “The advanced research involved to find and develop an ionic liquid which will remain liquid at lunar temperatures and which can also be coated with a layer of metal to make a reflector is demonstrably a case of what once would have been regarded as science fiction becoming very much a reality as science fact.

“This work is proof that with over one million possible ionic liquids, the usage possibilities are endless and I am very proud that a Northern Ireland based research centre is at the forefront of understanding this leading edge technology and, critically, how it can be exploited for real economic and environmental benefit across the world.”  

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  1. QUILL (Queen’s University Ionic Liquids Laboratories) was founded in April 1999 as an industrial consortium, with members from all sectors of the chemical industry.  It was the first research centre in the world to focus on the development of ionic liquids and it is now the leading centre worldwide.  It won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 1996.
  2. Ionic liquids act as solvents for a broad spectrum of chemical processes and can dissolve a wide range of materials.  However, unlike conventional solvents, they do not emit vapours.  They have remarkable properties which have remarkable properties which have tremendous applications in the development of green technology for manufacturing processes.
  3. Petronas is a Malaysian-owned oil and gas company founded in 1974.  Wholly owned by the Malaysian Government, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and adding value to these resources.  Since its incorporation it has grown to be an integrated international oil and gas company with business interests in 31 countries.
  4. UTP, the Universiti Teknologi Petronas, is a private university set up and owned by Petronas.  
  5. Among the guests at the opening were representatives from the Petronas organisation, in Malaysia, which has funded the new facility.
  6. Media queries to the Department for Employment and Learning’s Press Office on 028 9025 7872.
  7. Out of office hours, please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager, number 07699715440.