In Memoriam
David Liddell Brink
Professor Emeritus of Forestry and Forest Products Chemistry
UC Berkeley
1917-2017
David L. Brink, pioneer in wood chemistry and technology, passed away at his Berkeley home on November 19, 2017. Those who know him were not surprised that he made it to the century mark. At age 90 he voiced that goal and with characteristic determination he celebrated his good fortune with friends and family at age 100.
Brink was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on July 7, 1917. Formative experiences of his boyhood – camping, skiing, canoeing and hiking in Minnesota’s wilder places – influenced his educational and career choices, and his lifelong commitment to environmental concerns. He gave credit, in particular, to his parents and R.J. Hagman, founding leader of the Pine Bend Scout Club, for stoking his early enthusiasm for the outdoors, and shaping his code of ethics and sense of stewardship in the world at large.
Brink earned two degrees from the University of Minnesota, a B.S. (with high distinction) in Forest Sciences in 1939 and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Biochemistry in 1954. His best class, as he liked to recall, was a calculus course where he met Annie Mary Gould, a math major who became his ardent supporter, and lifelong partner when they married in 1943. Brink’s doctoral studies were interrupted by the Second World War. His expertise as a chemist was first utilized in support of the war effort at the Twin Cities Ordnance Plant in New Brighton, Minnesota, a major research and production facility for small arms ammunition. Following that, he conducted research at the Salvo Chemical Corporation in Rothschild, Wisconsin, where, as an expert in the chemistry of lignin (a complex organic polymer in the cell walls of woody plants that gives them their rigidity), he pioneered methods for utilizing lignin to produce vanillin – the chemical compound primarily responsible for the aroma and taste in vanilla flavoring. That process was patented and is still in use for the commercial production of vanillin.
After his research at Salvo, Brink served in the U.S. Naval Reserve before going on to work in the forest products industry for the Mead Corporation in Ohio, and Weyerhaeuser Timber Company in Washington. At the invitation of UC Forest Products Laboratory director, Fred Dickinson, he joined the Berkeley faculty in 1957 as a Professor of Forestry in the School of Forestry and Conservation and as a Forest Products Chemist in the California Agricultural Experiment Station.
His research, both in industry and at UC Berkeley, focused on developing new or improved techniques for chemical processing of woody (i.e. ‘lignocellulosic’) plant materials. Besides traditional feedstocks like wood chips for pulp and paper production, Brink investigated the potential of processing a variety of other lignocellulosic materials, including agricultural wastes like rice straw. In all of his work, Brink emphasized maximum utilization of materials used as feedstocks while minimizing consumption of the chemicals required for their processing. In parallel with these economic considerations was another essential goal: to develop chemical processes with the minimum negative environmental impact.
One of Brink’s patented innovations in pulp and paper production involved sequential treatment of the woody feedstock with nitric oxide and oxygen to break down the lignin ‘glue’ that holds the cellulose fibers together. This method avoids the use of sulfur-based chemicals traditionally employed in pulping processes. In addition, the nitrate-containing waste stream has potential for use as fertilizer.
His most notable projects involved construction and operation of two pilot-plant scale experimental units at UC Forest Products Laboratory. The first was a Pyrolysis-Gasification-Combustion unit for treating the lignin-rich liquors from traditional paper pulping processes. The goal was to cleanly and efficiently recover energy and pulping chemicals from these liquors without producing the malodorous emissions typical in existing recovery processes. He also built a continuous half-ton per day wood hydrolysis unit to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of using dilute acid hydrolysis-fermentation for the production of fuel ethanol and other products from lignocellulosic biomass. This project received significant extramural support over two decades, and after Brink’s retirement the experimental unit continued to be used in further research as more Berkeley faculty became involved in biofuels development.
At the undergraduate level, Brink taught upper division courses in the chemical processing of wood, and at the graduate level, in the chemistry of polysaccharides, lignin, and extractives. He mentored both M.S. and Ph.D. students in Berkeley’s programs in Wood Science and Technology, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry. He is an author on over 100 publications including 22 patents. He also served on a variety of Academic Senate Committees, including Chair of Berkeley Campus Hazardous Waste Management, and member of Arts and Lectures, where he was responsible for the Sunday Adventure film series.
Building on contacts established during Brink’s long experience in industry before coming to Berkeley, he remained active throughout his professorial career with a number of professional and industrial organizations, particularly TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry), the American Chemical Society, the Forest Products Research Society, and the Society of Wood Science and Technology. He was also active throughout his career in providing expert testimony and consulting in his areas of expertise.
In 1988, facing the University’s policy of mandatory retirement for faculty at age 70, Brink requested that he not be compelled to retire, characterizing his request as “constructive, proper, moral, probably legal, and undoubtedly a matter of individual rights.” While his request was not granted, the evolution of age-discrimination laws in the ensuing decades, as well as Brink’s continuing active research after his forced retirement, would seem to serve as strong validation of his position.
Brink loved life. He was a wonderful husband and father, and he and Annie made a gracious team, supporting each other and creating a harmonious and welcoming home. In family as well as academic life, Brink encouraged growth and learning with whole-hearted enthusiasm, inspiring curiosity and excellence, with a lively dose of fun and good humor. His concern for the health and well-being of our world informed every aspect of his life. Not one to shy from debate, he prompted many passionate discussions as he continued to write, educate and advocate for a sustainable future throughout his retirement. In that sense, he never did retire.
Outdoor adventures were among Brink’s favorite activities and he delighted in introducing others to backpacking, skiing, fishing and canoeing. Closer to home he shared his beekeeping skills with colleagues and neighbors, subsequently becoming responsible for every wild swarm in the neighborhood as word of his beehives got around. In his eighties, after surviving a couple of wilder-than-planned wilderness excursions, backpacking in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, and canoeing in the Boundary Waters of Canada, Brink joined a gym class at the UC Recreational Sports Facility where he continued to lift weights twice a week until after his 100th birthday. His gym pals ranged in age from freshman on up, and a common refrain was “if Dr. Brink can show up I guess I have no excuse!” With much gratitude for his good fortune and all of the many people who enriched his life, Brink enjoyed all of his days to the fullest.
Brink was predeceased by his wife, Annie Mary Brink in 2007. His son, David L. Brink Jr. died in 2019. He is survived by his daughter Patricia Brink of Berkeley.
J. Keith Gilless
2021
Brink was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on July 7, 1917. Formative experiences of his boyhood – camping, skiing, canoeing and hiking in Minnesota’s wilder places – influenced his educational and career choices, and his lifelong commitment to environmental concerns. He gave credit, in particular, to his parents and R.J. Hagman, founding leader of the Pine Bend Scout Club, for stoking his early enthusiasm for the outdoors, and shaping his code of ethics and sense of stewardship in the world at large.
Brink earned two degrees from the University of Minnesota, a B.S. (with high distinction) in Forest Sciences in 1939 and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Biochemistry in 1954. His best class, as he liked to recall, was a calculus course where he met Annie Mary Gould, a math major who became his ardent supporter, and lifelong partner when they married in 1943. Brink’s doctoral studies were interrupted by the Second World War. His expertise as a chemist was first utilized in support of the war effort at the Twin Cities Ordnance Plant in New Brighton, Minnesota, a major research and production facility for small arms ammunition. Following that, he conducted research at the Salvo Chemical Corporation in Rothschild, Wisconsin, where, as an expert in the chemistry of lignin (a complex organic polymer in the cell walls of woody plants that gives them their rigidity), he pioneered methods for utilizing lignin to produce vanillin – the chemical compound primarily responsible for the aroma and taste in vanilla flavoring. That process was patented and is still in use for the commercial production of vanillin.
After his research at Salvo, Brink served in the U.S. Naval Reserve before going on to work in the forest products industry for the Mead Corporation in Ohio, and Weyerhaeuser Timber Company in Washington. At the invitation of UC Forest Products Laboratory director, Fred Dickinson, he joined the Berkeley faculty in 1957 as a Professor of Forestry in the School of Forestry and Conservation and as a Forest Products Chemist in the California Agricultural Experiment Station.
His research, both in industry and at UC Berkeley, focused on developing new or improved techniques for chemical processing of woody (i.e. ‘lignocellulosic’) plant materials. Besides traditional feedstocks like wood chips for pulp and paper production, Brink investigated the potential of processing a variety of other lignocellulosic materials, including agricultural wastes like rice straw. In all of his work, Brink emphasized maximum utilization of materials used as feedstocks while minimizing consumption of the chemicals required for their processing. In parallel with these economic considerations was another essential goal: to develop chemical processes with the minimum negative environmental impact.
One of Brink’s patented innovations in pulp and paper production involved sequential treatment of the woody feedstock with nitric oxide and oxygen to break down the lignin ‘glue’ that holds the cellulose fibers together. This method avoids the use of sulfur-based chemicals traditionally employed in pulping processes. In addition, the nitrate-containing waste stream has potential for use as fertilizer.
His most notable projects involved construction and operation of two pilot-plant scale experimental units at UC Forest Products Laboratory. The first was a Pyrolysis-Gasification-Combustion unit for treating the lignin-rich liquors from traditional paper pulping processes. The goal was to cleanly and efficiently recover energy and pulping chemicals from these liquors without producing the malodorous emissions typical in existing recovery processes. He also built a continuous half-ton per day wood hydrolysis unit to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of using dilute acid hydrolysis-fermentation for the production of fuel ethanol and other products from lignocellulosic biomass. This project received significant extramural support over two decades, and after Brink’s retirement the experimental unit continued to be used in further research as more Berkeley faculty became involved in biofuels development.
At the undergraduate level, Brink taught upper division courses in the chemical processing of wood, and at the graduate level, in the chemistry of polysaccharides, lignin, and extractives. He mentored both M.S. and Ph.D. students in Berkeley’s programs in Wood Science and Technology, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry. He is an author on over 100 publications including 22 patents. He also served on a variety of Academic Senate Committees, including Chair of Berkeley Campus Hazardous Waste Management, and member of Arts and Lectures, where he was responsible for the Sunday Adventure film series.
Building on contacts established during Brink’s long experience in industry before coming to Berkeley, he remained active throughout his professorial career with a number of professional and industrial organizations, particularly TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry), the American Chemical Society, the Forest Products Research Society, and the Society of Wood Science and Technology. He was also active throughout his career in providing expert testimony and consulting in his areas of expertise.
In 1988, facing the University’s policy of mandatory retirement for faculty at age 70, Brink requested that he not be compelled to retire, characterizing his request as “constructive, proper, moral, probably legal, and undoubtedly a matter of individual rights.” While his request was not granted, the evolution of age-discrimination laws in the ensuing decades, as well as Brink’s continuing active research after his forced retirement, would seem to serve as strong validation of his position.
Brink loved life. He was a wonderful husband and father, and he and Annie made a gracious team, supporting each other and creating a harmonious and welcoming home. In family as well as academic life, Brink encouraged growth and learning with whole-hearted enthusiasm, inspiring curiosity and excellence, with a lively dose of fun and good humor. His concern for the health and well-being of our world informed every aspect of his life. Not one to shy from debate, he prompted many passionate discussions as he continued to write, educate and advocate for a sustainable future throughout his retirement. In that sense, he never did retire.
Outdoor adventures were among Brink’s favorite activities and he delighted in introducing others to backpacking, skiing, fishing and canoeing. Closer to home he shared his beekeeping skills with colleagues and neighbors, subsequently becoming responsible for every wild swarm in the neighborhood as word of his beehives got around. In his eighties, after surviving a couple of wilder-than-planned wilderness excursions, backpacking in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, and canoeing in the Boundary Waters of Canada, Brink joined a gym class at the UC Recreational Sports Facility where he continued to lift weights twice a week until after his 100th birthday. His gym pals ranged in age from freshman on up, and a common refrain was “if Dr. Brink can show up I guess I have no excuse!” With much gratitude for his good fortune and all of the many people who enriched his life, Brink enjoyed all of his days to the fullest.
Brink was predeceased by his wife, Annie Mary Brink in 2007. His son, David L. Brink Jr. died in 2019. He is survived by his daughter Patricia Brink of Berkeley.
J. Keith Gilless
2021
