2024 AIChE Annual Meeting

(4w) Unlocking a Circular Carbon Economy Via Heterogeneous Catalysis

Author

Short Biography

I completed my bachelor’s studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, with degrees in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. My ongoing doctoral studies in Chemical Engineering are at the University of Toronto, supervised by Dr. Ya-Huei (Cathy) Chin, where I study heterogeneous metal oxide catalysts for alcohol upgrading. As of June 2024, I am a visiting scholar at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where I study electrocatalytic hydrogenation reactions.

Research Interests

Tackling the climate crisis, and going beyond net-zero emission goals, requires us to implement sustainable chemical engineering into current industrial processes. As chemical reaction engineers, we need to work to bridge the gap between current technologies and an electrified future. To do so requires minimizing emissions—especially of CO2­­—and converting waste streams to chemical feedstocks, thus integrating chemical processes together as a circular carbon economy. My research tackles these challenges from the fundamental angle: by studying atomistic-scale phenomena on a catalyst surface when exposed to new chemical feedstocks and for new green chemistries, I outline how reactions can feasibly progress on larger scales. From these fundamental studies, I design catalytic active sites to tune the product distributions of complex, cascading reaction networks. Via coupled mechanistic and surface studies, collaborating with industrial partners for specific green chemistry challenges, I believe we can construct these circular carbon systems to achieve our sustainability goals.

Throughout my doctoral research, I have focused on how redox and acid functionalities on metal oxide surfaces can direct catalytic events and tune cascade reactions. My PhD work focuses on the catalytic upgrading of alcohols (e.g., methanol and ethanol); for example, to control the product distribution in methanol partial oxidation and produce desired diesel fuel precursors like formaldehyde and dimethoxymethane, while mitigating undesired products like COx, I first decouple the active site requirements and elementary steps for individual pathways to construct microkinetic models, then use this knowledge to design a catalyst that remains reactive and selective on the integral reactor scales. I have applied this methodology to metal oxide-catalyzed alcohol upgrading to aldehydes, esters, acetals, and alkenes, including for producing hydrogen as a side product.

I envision my independent research career will tackle challenges in sustainable catalysis and reactor engineering, including: (1) how can we design catalytic systems to effectively store and release hydrogen?; (2) how can we convert conventional, petrochemical processes to sustainable and electrochemical equivalents?; and (3) how do we design contaminant-tolerant catalysts to effectively use waste streams as feedstocks?

Teaching Interests

Speaking as a student, my mentors shape who I am: great teachers in my undergraduate studies ignited my interest in catalysis, and great mentors in my PhD ignited my vision for an independent research career. Effective teachers and mentors are critical to empower the next generation of chemical engineers and leave a significant impact for core engineering concepts. I aim to fill these roles in my career by teaching core concepts such as reactor engineering, building on top of the fundamental science with recent developments to prepare my students to work in modern chemical industries. In addition, I strive to communicate to broader audiences: achieving sustainable engineering goals requires us, as scientists, to effectively sharing our key principles and findings with the public.

I have previously taught, and am most enthusiastic about teaching, chemical reactor engineering. My experience as a teaching assistant for undergraduate (3rd year reaction kinetics and reactor design) and graduate (advanced reaction engineering) courses leaves me well equipped to teach similar courses in my career. Additional courses include organic chemistry, engineering thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, and electrochemistry, which I am intimately familiar with through my research.

Selected Publications

    • Broomhead, W. T.; Naachtegaal, M; Chin, Y.-H. “Incipient Formation of Active Sites for Oxidation Catalysis from Copper Oxide-to-Metal Phase Transitions.” In preparation.
    • Broomhead, W. T.; Yun, D; Zhang, L; Tian, W.; Herrera, J. E.; Chin, Y.-H. “Catalytic Effects of Vanadium-Oxygen Coordination Environments on Alkanol Oxidative Dehydrogenation.” In preparation.