Carriers, Storage, & Transformation

Catalysis

Catalysts for Emerging Energy Applications

Bruce C. Gates^a1, George W. Huber^a2, Christopher L. Marshall^a3, Phillip N. Ross^a4, Jeffrey Siirola^a5 and Yong Wang^a6

^a1 University of California–Davis, USA

^a2 University of Massachusetts–Amherst, USA

^a3 Argonne National Laboratory, USA

^a4 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA, retired

^a5 Eastman Chemical Company, USA

^a6 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA

Abstract

Catalysis is the essential technology for chemical transformation, including production of fuels from the fossil resources petroleum, natural gas, and coal. Typical catalysts for these conversions are robust porous solids incorporating metals, metal oxides, and/or metal sulfides. As efforts are stepping up to replace fossil fuels with biomass, new catalysts for the conversion of the components of biomass will be needed. Although the catalysts for biomass conversion might be substantially different from those used in the conversion of fossil feedstocks, the latter catalysts are a starting point in today's research. Major challenges lie ahead in the discovery of efficient biomass conversion catalysts, as well as in the discovery of catalysts for conversion of CO₂ and possibly water into liquid fuels.

Bruce C. Gates can be reached at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California at Davis, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616–5294, USA; tel. 530–752–3953, fax 530–752–1031, and e-mail bcgates@ucdavis.edu.

Gates is a distinguished professor in chemical engineering and materials science at the University of California at Davis. He received degrees from the University of California at Berkeley in 1961 and the University of Washington in 1966. Gates worked at Chevron, following time spent as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Munich, where he has returned frequently. Before joining the University of California at Davis, he was a professor and director of the Center for Catalytic Science and Technology at the University of Delaware. Gates' research is focused on catalysis. He has authored Catalytic Chemistry and co-authored Chemistry of Catalytic Processes. In addition, Gates edits Advances in Catalysis.

George W. Huber can be reached at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 159 Goessmann Lab, 686 North Pleasant St., Amherst MA 01003–9303, USA; tel. 413–545–0276, fax 413–545–1647, and e-mail huber@ecs.umass.edu.

Huber is the Armstrong Professional Development Professor of Chemical Engineering at University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He received his PhD degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the guidance of James A. Dumesic. Huber received his MS (directed by Calvin Bartholomew) and BS degrees in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University. After receiving his PhD degree, Huber was a postdoctoral researcher with Avelino Corma at the Universidad de Valencia, Spain. Huber's research focus is on breaking the chemical and engineering barriers to lignocellulosic biofuels. He has authored 25 peer-reviewed publications, including two papers in Science.

Christopher L. Marshall can be reached at Chemical Sciences & Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Bldg. 205, Argonne, IL 60439–95616, USA; tel. 630–252–4310, fax 630–972–4408, and e-mail marshall@anl.gov.

Marshall is group leader for heterogeneous catalysis in the Chemical Sciences & Engineering Division at Argonne National Laboratory. He received a BS degree from the State University of New York at Potsdam in 1975, and MS and PhD degrees in inorganic chemistry from Michigan State University in 1977 and 1980, respectively. Before joining Argonne, he was employed in the Exploratory and Catalysis Department at Amoco Oil Company R&D Department. The focus of his research is the fundamental chemistry of catalytic processes, particularly the use of in situ spectroscopic characterization.

Philip N. Ross, Jr. can be reached at Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Rd., MS 66, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; and e-mail PNRoss@lbl.gov.

Ross recently retired from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of the University of California, where he was a senior scientist in the Materials Sciences Division and program leader of the electrochemical basic science program in the Environmental Energy Technologies Division. He received his BS degree in chemical engineering from Yale University in 1965, his MS degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware in 1969, and his PhD degree in engineering and applied science from Yale in 1973. Ross worked at United Technologies Corporation before moving to Berkeley. His research has focused on fuel cell technologies, lithium batteries, and fundamental electrochemistry. Ross is co-editor of the Frontiers in Electrochemistry series published by Wiley-VCH.

Jeffrey J. Siirola can be reached at Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, TN 37662–5150, USA; and e-mail siirola@eastman.com.

Jeff Siirola is a technology fellow at Eastman Chemical Company. His areas of interest include chemical process synthesis, process systems engineering, technology assessment, resource conservation and recovery, sustainable development and growth, and chemical engineering education. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and was the 2005 president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Yong Wang can be reached at the Chemical and Biological Process Development Group, Pacifc Northwest National Laboratory, MSIN: K8–93, 902 Battelle Blvd., Richland, WA 99354, USA; tel. 509–376–5117, fax 509–376–5106, and e-mail yongwang@pnl.gov.

Wang is a laboratory fellow at Pacifc Northwest National Laboratory. He received his MS and PhD degrees in chemical engineering from Washington State University in 1992 and 1993, respectively. Wang's research interests are in the development of novel catalytic materials and innovative reaction engineering for hydrocarbon and biomass conversions. He is program committee chair of the American Chemical Society Petroleum Division and also serves on the editorial board of Catalysis Today. Wang has approximately 100 publications and 50 U.S. patents. In addition, he won the 2006 Asian American Engineer of the Year award from the Chinese Institute of Engineers.