Postdoc Seminar Series: Jiajie Huo

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 16:56:17 +0000

Postdoc Seminar Series: Jiajie Huo Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/08/2021 - 09:56 News News Postdocs Seminar

Jiajie Huo, Postdoctoral Associate – Medlin Lab

Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021
2:45 p.m., JSCBB A108

"Catalyst Development for Aqueous-phase Biomass Conversion and Gas-phase Methane Activation"

Seminar Abstract

Catalysis plays a crucial role in the production of energy, fuels and chemicals. In this talk, I will first discuss my previous graduate work on improving hydrothermal stability of carbon supported metal catalysts for aqueous phase biomass conversion. Compared with predominantly gas-phase petroleum processes, aqueous-phase biomass conversion offers a sustainable alternative to produce chemicals and fuels but also a challenge for catalyst stability in the harsh high-temperature water environment. By controlling carbon surface chemistry, better catalyst stability against support structural collapse, metal leaching and sintering was achieved. I will also talk about my research on methane partial oxidation to methanol. Direct methane conversion to liquid products is desired for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, better utilization of distributed methane feedstock, and convenient energy storage and transportation. However, this is also a very challenging reaction where decades of research have still resulted in low catalytic performance. We are exploring this chemistry in a high pressure continuous flow reactor system with oxygen gas on multifunctional 2-D catalyst materials.

Biosketch

Jiajie Huo is a postdoctoral associate in Will Medlin’s group at CU Boulder since November 2020. He is working on catalyst development for methane partial oxidation to methanol and for plastics upcycling reactions. Jiajie got his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Dalian University of Technology in 2013 and PhD from Iowa State University in 2018. He worked with Brent Shanks on improving hydrothermal stability of carbon-supported metal catalysts for biomass conversion during his PhD research. After graduation, he spent 2 years as a postdoctoral researcher developing organic corrosion inhibitors in the Shanks group.

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Postdoc Seminar Series: Kent Warren

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 16:49:43 +0000

Postdoc Seminar Series: Kent Warren Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/08/2021 - 09:49 News News Postdocs Seminar

Kent Warren, Postdoctoral Associate – Weimer Lab

Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021
2:45 p.m., JSCBB A108

"Sunlight, Water, Carbon Dioxide and Rust: Ingredients for the Transition to a Sustainable Energy Future"

Seminar Abstract

The conversion of intermittent solar radiation into storable and transportable chemical fuels can enable access to sustainable feedstocks and dispatchable sources of power, regardless of geographic location. Of particular interest is technologies that facilitate the endothermic dissociation of water and carbon dioxide while utilizing heat that is obtained via concentrating optics and/or renewable sources of electricity. If coupled with established catalytic processes like Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, product hydrogen and carbon monoxide can be converted to various liquid hydrocarbons (e.g., diesel) and organic oxygenates (e.g., methanol) that are free of nitrogen- and sulfur-containing impurities. For industries that rely on chemical fuels produced through conventional means (i.e., coal gasification, methane reforming, etc.), solar-driven gas-to-liquid technologies offer a viable alternative that can reduce dependence on diminishing fossil energy resources and thus mitigate associated greenhouse gas emissions. Among these technologies, solar thermochemical fuel production – a method that relies on the oxygen-exchange capacity of metal oxides to split water and/or carbon dioxide – is one of the most promising. In this talk, I discuss recent efforts in locating and characterizing a class of metal oxides that, as compared to the state-of-the-art, exhibit superior performance under (less favorable) conditions expected in large-scale systems.

Biosketch

Kent Warren is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. He has a background in mechanical engineering, earning his BS in 2015 from Valparaiso University and his PhD in 2019 from the University of Florida. His research focuses on fundamental aspects of solid-state ionics and thermal sciences in relation to sustainable energy conversion and storage. In particular, his undergraduate, graduate, and now postgraduate work has involved examining the use of concentrated solar energy as a source of high-quality heat for the production of value-added commodities. Warren also recently served as an Adjunct Professor in the College of Engineering at Valparaiso University.

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