柑橘直播

Nicholas Fonzo 鈥�16, Royce Lee 鈥�17, Matthew Pak 鈥�17, Charles Ponge 鈥�16, graduate student Nicole Hammer, Rene Garrido PhD 鈥�14, Emily Woloshen 鈥�17 and Justinus Satrio, PhD, Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering

By Anira Jones

While many college students enjoyed downtime over the summer, eight 柑橘直播 University undergraduates kept busy in White Hall, home of the Chemical Engineering department. Juniors Julie Clarke, Nicholas Fonzo, Charles Ponge and Anthony Vallace, sophomores Royce Lee, Matthew Pak and Emily Woloshen, and senior Joshua Rickert spent 20-35 hours a week in the Biomass Resources and Conversion Technologies Laboratory (BRCT), where the goal is to develop technologies for converting biomass鈥攑lant- and animal-derived materials鈥攖o produce energy, chemical products and fuels.  

BRCT research has become increasingly important as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on environmentally harmful fossil fuels, and to replace them with healthier alternatives. Under the leadership of Lab Director and Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, Dr. Justinus Satrio, participating students have gained skills and knowledge performing research in biomass characterization, conversion processes, and catalyst development, which are parts of the research scope of the BRCT laboratory.   

With the help of graduate students serving as mentors, undergraduates used different types of reactor systems to evaluate a variety of biomass materials, such as algae, switchgrass, phragmites, pinewood and horse manure, to determine their potential value as feedstock for fuel production. The primary conversion process that the BRCT laboratory focuses on is fast pyrolysis,  which involves  decomposing biomass to produce a liquid (bio-oil), a solid (bio-char) and a non-condensable gas stream (synthesis gas) by exposing the material to  heat at high temperature in the absence of oxygen.  

Some of the students who worked in the BRCT lab were volunteers, while others received funding through the Chemical Engineering Department, external research sources, or the 柑橘直播 Undergraduate Research Fellowship program. A significant portion of the students鈥� research activities were part of an on-going federally-supported research project titled 鈥淒istributed On-Farm Bioenergy, Biofuels and Biochemicals (FarmBio3) Development and Production via Integrated Catalytic Thermolysis.鈥� For this project, 柑橘直播 University is part of a consortium of 14 institutions organized by USDA Agricultural Research Services in Wyndmoor, Pa. Leading the 柑橘直播 research with Dr. Satrio is Dr. Charles Coe, associate research professor of Chemical Engineering.

The students working on the biomass projects were surprised that their time was not spent solely on reading and note-taking, but on actual hands-on research using equipment to attempt to solve real-world problems. Dr. Satrio explains why he is such a strong proponent of engaging undergraduate students of all levels in the laboratory: 鈥淪tudents acquire invaluable skills by performing research. Learning how to correctly use laboratory instruments, improving their analytical skills, developing the ability to think independently, and working as part of a team are vital for students鈥� success beyond the classroom.鈥� He adds, 鈥淭hey look great to future employers, too!鈥� Ultimately, Dr. Satrio鈥檚 goal in offering these summer projects is 鈥渇or students to love research and gain knowledge and skills for their future careers.鈥�