FUEL 5 |
| New solvents bring opportunities for sustainable chemical processes that will both minimize energy use and find application in the exploitation of renewable resources. Our group is a synergistic combination of chemistry and engineering, and we use novel solvent systems to develop more benign processes with economic advantages. We report the application of two classes of nontraditional solvents – tunable solvents and smart solvents. Tunable solvents include supercritical CO2, nearcritical water, and gas-expanded liquids, and for these the properties change very rapidly with small changes in the thermodynamic parameters, such as pressure and temperature. These permit both contact of dissimilar species for reaction and the recovery and recycle of homogeneous catalysts, including enzymes. These new solvents can be used to couple reactions and separations, and have great potential for various energy applications. Thus, we show a series of novel solvents to create a paradigm for sustainable development – benign solvents and improved performance. |
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Green Chemistry for Sustainable Energy Supply and Conversion
8:25 AM-12:10 PM, Sunday, April 6, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Rm. 242, Oral
Division of Fuel Chemistry |