Events
Industry Colloquia & LIFE Program
Invited speakers from leading chemical companies exchange ideas and real-world insights with CEBC students and researchers. Following each talk, presenters interact with students and postdocs through "Learning about Industry From Experts" (LIFE).
April 30, 9:00-10:00 a.m. talk; 10:00-10:30 a.m. LIFE
Dr. Eduardo Santillan-Jiminez, University of Kentucky
"Conversion of oleaginous biomass to fuel-like hydrocarbons (and of students into STEM professionals)"
Abstract: The hydrotreatment of oleaginous biomass represents a technologically mature route to renewable and carbon-neutral fuel-like hydrocarbons. Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), decarbonylation (DCN) and decarboxylation (DCX) are three main pathways to deoxygenate fats, oils, and greases (FOG) to hydrocarbons, the pathway(s) followed being greatly dependent on the catalyst employed. Commercial processes based on HDO typically employ sulfided catalysts that risk contaminating the products. Similarly, most DCN and DCX work has focused on costly Pt-group metals (PGMs). Inexpensive Ni catalysts with the potential of rivaling the DCN/DCX performance of PGMs have increasingly drawn attention; moreover, recent work has shown that their performance can be greatly enhanced by means of promotion with other metals and/or the use of different supports. This seminar will present an overview of Ni-based catalysts used to convert FOG to renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. Emphasis will be placed on the structure-activity relationships behind the performance of these formulations, as well as on continuous experiments lasting multiple days and involving a regeneration step, through which changes in conversion and selectivity as a function of time on stream can be ascertained along with the stability and recyclability of the catalysts tested. This seminar will also provide a brief overview of the work performed by the University of Kentucky (UK) Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) in the areas of undergraduate and graduate student training. Specifically, the involvement of UK CAER in projects funded by the National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) and Broadening Participation in Engineering (BPE) programs will be discussed.
Bio: Dr. Eduardo Santillan-Jimenez, who is originally from Mexico, joined the University of Kentucky (UK) first as an undergraduate research intern and then as a graduate student performing his doctoral research at the UK CAER and at the University of Alicante (Spain). After obtaining his Ph.D. in 2008, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Utrecht University (The Netherlands) prior to returning to UK, where he now holds the positions of Associate Director at CAER and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry. His current research focuses on the application of heterogeneous catalysis to the production of renewable fuels and chemicals, with emphasis on the upgrading of algae and waste oils to drop-in hydrocarbon fuels. His synergistic activities include leading and participating in several K-20 educational initiatives designed to increase and broaden participation as well as to innovate in STEM education and training. Currently funded projects include a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) collaborative agreement targeting the development of “Robust Engineered Catalysts for the Conversion of Waste Oleaginous Biomass Feedstocks to Fuel-like Hydrocarbons via Decarboxylation/Decarbonylation” as well as a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award focused on “Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy & Water Systems (INFEWS)”.
Upcoming Monthly Safety Meetings
May 8, 9:00 - 10:00 am
Location: Dock Area behind Building B (outdoors)
meet 5 minutes before 9 a.m. start
Topic: Fire Extinguisher Training
Presenter: Sean Hadley, KU-EHS
Note: New students must complete online Fire Safety & Extinguisher course on Canvas before attending
June 12, 9:00 - 10:00 am
Location: Seminar Room (room 104) Building B
Topic: Hazard Review
Presenter: TBA