Frederick G. Cottrell life and biography

American chemist Frederick G. Cottrell was one of the first scientists to work on resolving the pollution problems wrought by the industrial revolution. He developed the "Cottrellizing" process in 1905, to eliminate the unwanted production of arsenic as a pollutant in the manufacture of sulfuric acid. The following year, after the Selby Smelting and Refining Company lost a lawsuit over plumes of airborne sulfur rising from its smelting facilities, he invented the electrostatic precipitator, a device which collects particles from their factory's exhaust fumes. Tests showed that his device removed more than 90 percent of toxins and pollutants from escaping smoke and gases.

In addition to his scientific work, Cottrell is also remembered for his philanthropy. In 1912, while the frustration of finding funding for his work remained fresh in his mind, he donated the rights to proceeds from his patents toward establishment of Research Corporation, one of the first foundations established to underwrites scientific research. Among other endeavors, Research Corp provided principle funding for Robert Goddard's pioneering experiments with rocketry and the research that led to Ernest Lawrence's invention of the cyclotron.

Cottrell later served as director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines and was instrumental in helium production during World War I. In 1921 he began work with the National Research Council, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Laboratory. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1939.

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