wheat and some vegetables. Thus 

 farmers can use less fertilizer, save 

 money, reduce runoff of fertilizer 

 nutrients and protect water quality. 



Donlar Corp., which was founded 

 in 1990 as a result of the polyaspartic 

 polymer technology, 

 is marketing the 

 analogue as an 

 agricultural supple- 

 ment and producing 

 commercial quantities 

 of it using the thermal 

 synthesis process 

 developed by 

 Wheeler, Sikes and 

 Donlar founder Larry 

 Koskan. The company 

 has invested several 

 million dollars in this 

 new technology, filed 

 for 20 patents and 

 begun construction of 

 a new plant devoted to 

 polymer production. 



Another new 

 company, Biotech- 

 tronix, was formed by 

 Mount to produce and 

 market the analytical 

 instrumentation 

 developed in the lab 

 during the 15 years 

 of polymer research. 

 In addition to Donlar 

 Corp., other compa- 

 nies — Procter and 

 Gamble, Rohm 

 and Haas, Bayer, 

 Monsanto and 

 Mitsubishi — have 

 been granted more 

 than 50 patents based 

 on the use and 

 synthesis of 

 polyaspartic acid. 



Recently, Wheeler's phone has 

 been ringing as researchers call to 

 discuss the use of the biodegradable 

 protein analogue in a variety of 

 applications. Donlar is exploring these 

 possibilities for personal care products 

 such as shampoo and conditioners. 



In addition to corporate attention, 



Wheeler also received recognition from 

 the U.S. Environmental Protection 

 Agency, winning President Clinton's 

 Green Chemistry Challenge Award for 

 his work with Donlar Corp. EPA 

 officials found Wheeler's work 



Donlar Corp. has developed a soil additive 

 that increases nutrient uptake in crops. 



significant "because this polymer is 

 biodegradable and because water is the 

 only byproduct created during produc- 

 tion." 



"There's no question that the 

 biodegradability of this polymer makes 

 it unique, applicable in a variety of 

 products and worth billions of dollars," 

 says Rick DeVoe, director of the South 



Carolina Sea Grant Consortium. "We 

 recognized from the beginning that 

 Hap's research had potential, we just 

 didn't understand how much." 



No wonder the dry-witted, soft- 

 spoken scientist is garnering attention 

 of corporate execu- 

 tives and the national 

 news media. Wheeler 

 has been interviewed 

 by reporters from 

 CNN, National Public 

 Radio, the Scripps- 

 Howard News Service, 

 USA Today, Science 

 News, Chemical and 

 Engineering News, 

 New Scientist and 

 more. With each 

 interview, he patiently 

 explains his research, 

 its chemistry and its 

 applications, always 

 graciously acknowl- 

 edging Sea Grant's 

 early investment and 

 encouragement for his 

 work. 



Some days 

 Wheeler's phone rings 

 almost nonstop, and 

 his frequent flier 

 mileage is adding up 

 faster than some folks 

 can say polyaspartic 

 acid. He shrugs off the 

 attention, though, 

 lapsing into a story 

 about his latest family 

 tribulation. The family 

 stories, jokes and 

 offhand quips are his 

 way of sidestepping 

 the limelight. He's a 

 scientist without an 

 inflated view of himself. 



But soon he's back to talk of his 

 polymer. 



"Hey, you should see this Bayer 

 logo. It has a polyaspartic polymer 

 emerging from an open oyster shell. 

 Boy, that tells the story with one 

 picture doesn't it? Jeepers, that's 

 neat." □ 



18 MAY/JUNE 1997 



