Join us on April 14 at 3:30 p.m. for this Sustainable Energy Seminar presentation by Siddarth Krishna, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at UW-Madison.

Abstract

Catalysts are materials that accelerate chemical reactions, and have played a central role in the development of the energy and chemicals industries that underlie modern society. For example, catalysts help produce the energy-dense liquid fuels and industrial chemicals that support transportation, fertilizer, and plastics production. However, 20th century chemical engineering technologies have had unintended negative consequences for the environment. New catalyst design strategies are needed to enable the production of fuels and chemicals from alternative carbon feedstocks, and to enable the efficient storage of intermittent renewable energy. In this presentation, I will provide an overview of catalytic technologies in the energy and chemicals industries. I will then share two research vignettes: (i) conversion of non-food lignocellulosic biomass to high-value monomers for the chemical industry, and (ii) storage of renewable hydrogen in the chemical bonds of “liquid hydrogen carriers” to support the Hydrogen Economy. These examples show how catalyst and catalytic process design are critical to new sustainable chemical technologies for the 21st century.

Registration

This event is offered online only through Zoom Webinar. Registration is required through Zoom. Click here to register for this and all other webinars as part of the Sustainable Energy Seminar series in Fall 2025.