Semester:Week 3The speaker of the seminar this week was Dr. Jason C. Hicks. He is from University of Notre Dame and he is an assistant professor in Department of Chemical and Bio-molecular Engineering. The title of the seminar was 'Catalysts for the Selective Conversion of Biomass to Fuels and Chemicals.' He reminded us that the demand for energy is increasing because of the increased population in the world. Thus, we somehow need to figure out to find more resources to fulfill such demand. However, there are limited amount of resources that are available and thus we have to find renewable energy that can be recycled to be used as fuels or energy. Biomass upgrading is an alternative source of carbon-based fuels and chemicals and it was introduced to us as a new way to provide energy. I learned that Biomass upgrading is renewable and uses non-food based plants. His presentation was focused on zeolites and bimetallic catalysts for biomass upgrading. I learned that zeolites are crystalline aluminosilicates, microporous, composed of TO4 building blocks and has high surface areas. Through research, the speaker and his coworkers and students have found that bimetallic FeMoP catalysts are recyclable and highly selective to deoxygenation of aryl ethers. Overall, the presentation was interesting. However, I wish I asked a question about the effect that this source would have on pollution. I am curious if this source could reduce the amount of pollution.
