(6jz) Sustainable Production of Renewable Specialty Chemicals and Fuels from the Catalytic Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass

Lignocellulosic biomass is one of the most abundant carbon sources in the world and has the potential of becoming the main source for the renewable production of valuable chemicals such as pharmaceuticals, fuels and specialty chemicals. Biomass can be obtained from agricultural residues, wood processing, and food industry wastes, among others. The use of these continuously produced wastes is a good approach for the reduction in the production costs of high valuable chemicals. In order to obtain a selective and efficient production of valuable chemicals, it is crucial to select and understand the reaction conditions, solvent and catalyst. Hence, it is important the development and understanding of the physicochemical properties of the catalysts used for the conversion of biomass and its derivatives, such as, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, among others. Studying the effect of the reaction media (solvent and mixture of solvents) on the catalysts, reactants and products during the reaction helps to elucidate the catalytic performance of the materials. This in combination with existing knowledge can be used to optimize the current and new thermo catalytic processes for the production of high valuable chemicals from biomass.

Research Interests:

During my academic career, I had the opportunity to work on different projects related to heterogeneous catalysis. My research experience in this field started during my master degree with the synthesis and study of catalysts for the conversion CO₂ to fuels. We used multifunctional catalysts to improve the production of dimethyl ether from the hydrogenation of CO₂. During my PhD, we studied the catalytic fractionation of agricultural biomass residues to glucose, xylose and lignin using sulfuric acid in polar aprotic solvents. At the same time, we were also studying the catalytic conversion of cellulose and levoglucosan to levoglucosenone using acid functionalized mesoporous silica. While working in these projects, I gained experience in materials synthesis and characterization, and acquired expertise in the evaluation and analysis of catalytic reactions. Using the skills acquired during my academic research career, I want to expand my research work in the catalytic production of renewable specialty chemicals, fuels and pharmaceuticals from lignocellulosic biomass wastes and greenhouse gases. At the same time, I want to develop novel solid catalysts for the production of commodity chemicals and investigate the solvent effects on the chemical properties of the catalyst during the reaction. In addition, I would like to perform kinetic studies for the determination of complex reaction routes in combination with in-situ spectroscopy techniques to monitor reactions and support kinetics studies. I am also interested in the production of bio-oil and its catalytic cracking for the production of organic liquid products.

Teaching Interests:

During my graduate academic experience, I had the opportunity to be teacher assistant of the Chemical Engineering Unit Operations Laboratory at University of Puerto Rico, which includes topics related to mass transfer operation, reaction and kinetics analysis. Also, I had the opportunity to guide approximately 12 undergraduate and graduate students in their research projects. Moreover, during this year I started to co-advise a graduate student from the Chemical Engineering Department at University of Puerto Rico, which was my undergraduate student. My teaching philosophy is based in my experience as a student and a researcher, not only in the academia but also from the industry point view. From the academia, I learned how fundamental is the theoretical background in order to understand and find a solution to a problem. From the industry, I learned techniques on how to apply in a practical way what I learned in the academia. Having experienced both the academia and the industry, has helped me to have a wide vision on what engineering and science students need and how to help them to prepare themselves in any of the professional routes they decide to take: industry or academia. I believe that education has to be student-centered and that students need to be involved in active learning, thereby practicing what they learn in real situations and gaining hands-on experience. Furthermore, I want to include young high school students in my research projects to impact, shape and give them the essentials skills to become successful college students and researchers.

Keywords: Catalysis, carbon dioxide, synthesis, characterization, reactions, kinetics, biomass, cellulose, and lignin.