(4et) Rational Design of Catalysts to Upgrade Plastic Waste and Sustainable Feedstocks

Research Interests

Throughout my doctoral and postdoctoral research experiences, I have developed an interest in leveraging tunable heterogeneous catalytic systems to enable sustainable chemical transformations including the chemical upcycling of waste plastics, and catalytic upgrading of biomass-derived platform molecules.

Doctoral Research: My doctoral research in Chemical Engineering at UC Berkeley was centered on the heterogeneous catalytic conversion of biomass-derived platform molecules to fuels and specialty chemicals, specifically (1) the acid-catalyzed liquid-phase etherification of biomass-derived alcohols to produce fuels and lubricants, and (2) the gas-phase conversion of bio-derived ethanol and acetone to isobutene over tandem acid/base catalysts. Through this work, I combined targeted catalyst characterization and rigorous microkinetic modeling to elucidate how bifunctional metal oxides (WO_x/ZrO₂ and Zn_xZr_yO_z) can be tuned to improve selectivity and catalytic activity towards the production of sustainable value-added products.

Postdoctoral Research: I am currently an Arnold O. Beckman postdoctoral fellow at MIT, where my work has been focused on the chemical deconstruction and upcycling of waste plastics. Heterogeneous catalysts can be employed to break the strong C-C bonds in polyolefins to produce valuable liquid chemicals and enable a circular plastic economy. We found that ruthenium nanoparticles supported on carbon are highly active catalysts for the depolymerization of polyolefins, obtaining high yields of liquid alkanes under significantly milder conditions than current energy-intensive chemical recycling methods such as pyrolysis and gasification. By leveraging my experience in the synthesis and characterization of tunable metal-oxide supported catalysts, I have identified promising avenues for utilizing earth abundant catalysts for the depolymerization of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene waste.

Research Vision: My vision for my lab is to identify pathways towards the heterogeneous catalytic transformation of sustainably-derived feedstocks including plastic waste and biomass-derived platform molecules. Towards this vision, we will leverage toolkits including: (1) the manipulation of tandem acid/base and noble metal catalysts for tunable activity and selectivity, (2) utilization and activity-enhancement of earth-abundant catalytic materials, (3) advanced in situ and ex situ catalyst characterization, and (4) rigorous kinetic and mechanistic studies with both model and realistic compounds. By developing targeted active catalytic sites to enable new chemical transformations and leveraging advanced characterization techniques, it is my goal to advance the field of renewable and sustainable chemical production, shifting away from fossil fuel consumption and mitigating the detrimental environmental effects of waste plastics.

Teaching Interests

Core Curriculum: I am prepared to teach any core chemical engineering course, with a particular enthusiasm for kinetics and thermodynamics, which are central to my research interests. My contributions as a graduate student instructor for undergraduate thermodynamics, introduction to chemical engineering, and chemical engineering senior lab have been recognized with awards including the outstanding graduate student instructor award and the Mara H. Wasburn Early Engineering Educator award, demonstrating my commitment to providing quality university-level instruction.

Innovative Science Communication: In addition to teaching the core curriculum, I have held numerous service and leadership positions centered on mentorship and innovative science communication. As a fellow of the MIT communication lab, I work to develop and deliver targeted workshops to help members of the department improve their science communication skills, and provide individualized coaching. My passion for creative science communication inspired me to merge my interests in art and science to create the ongoing outreach program, ColorMePhD. This educational resource provides free coloring pages that explain current PhD-level research to a broad audience and inspire the next generation of scientists by highlighting early-career scientists, Black history-making scientists, and women in STEM. Since I created this initiative, over 15,000 free coloring books have been downloaded across the world. As a professor, I would love to utilize my experience as the founder of this initiative to teach an elective class to help students develop creative methods of communicating their research to the public.

CURRENT POSITION

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow; Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Sept. 2019- Present

• Mentor: Professor Yuriy Román-Leshkov
• Research: Fundamentals of C-C bond activation for the catalytic upcycling of waste plastic

Fellow; MIT Chemical Engineering Communication Lab, Mar. 2020- Present

EDUCATION

University of California, Berkeley

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Chemical Engineering; Aug. 2019

• Advisors: Professor Alexis T. Bell and Professor F. Dean Toste
• Thesis: Heterogeneous Catalytic Conversion of Biomass-Derived Platform Molecules to Fuels and Specialty Chemicals

Arizona State University; Barrett, the Honors College

Bachelor of Science (B.S) in Chemical Engineering; Summa Cum Laude, May 2014

• Honors Thesis: Amorphous Photocatalysts for Overall Water Splitting
• Research Advisor: Professor Candace Chan

SELECTED SUCCESSFUL PROPOSALS

• Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, May 2021
• SLAC Proposal #S-XV-ST-5880 (Lead Investigator), Stanford Linear Accelerator Laboratory, April 2021
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Student Research Fellowship (GRFP), June 2016
• Barrett, the Honors College Undergraduate Research Grant, Arizona State University, 2013-2014
• Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative (FURI) Research Grant, Arizona State University, 2012-2013

SELECTED HONORS AND AWARDS

• Early Career Achievement Alumni Award, Arizona State University Barrett Gold Standard Alumni Awards, 2021
• Mara H. Wasburn Early Engineering Educator Award, ASEE Women in Engineering, June 2019
• WISDM Fellowship, Women in Innovation and STEM Database at MIT, 2021
• Women in Chemical Engineering (WIC) Travel Award, AIChE National Conference, Oct. 2019
• Kokes Award, North American Catalysis Society, Feb. 2017
• Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor (OGSI) Award, UC Berkeley, Mar. 2016
• Outstanding Graduate in Chemical Engineering, Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU, May 2014
• Outstanding Student Organization Leader, SEMTE at Arizona State University, May 2014
• President’s Award: Arizona State New American University Scholarship, ASU, 2010

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Rorrer, Julie; Troyano-Valls, Clara; Beckham, Gregg T.; Román-Leshkov, Yuriy; “Hydrogenolysis of Polypropylene and Mixed Polyolefin Plastic Waste over Ru/C to Produce Liquid Alkanes,” Submitted.

Rorrer, Julie; Beckham, Gregg T.; Román-Leshkov, Yuriy; “Conversion of Polyolefin Waste to Liquid Alkanes with Ru-Based Catalysts under Mild Conditions,” JACS Au, 2021 1:1,8-12

[Featured in ACS Central Science First Reactions, ACS Press Pack]

Rorrer, Julie; Bell, A.T.; Toste, F. Dean; “Mechanism and Kinetics of Isobutene Formation from Ethanol and Acetone over Zn_xZr_yO_z.” ACS Catalysis (2019), 9:12, 10588-10604.

Rorrer, Julie; Bell, Alexis; Toste, F. Dean; “Synthesis of Biomass-Derived Ethers for Use as Fuels and Lubricants.” ChemSusChem (2019), 12, 2835-2858.

[Invited Special Issue on Sustainable Organic Synthesis]

Rorrer, Julie; Pindi, S.; Toste, F. Dean; Bell, Alexis; “Effect of Alcohol Structure on the Kinetics of Etherification and Dehydration over Tungstated Zirconia,” ChemSusChem (2018), 11, 3104-3111.

[Selected as Cover Feature]

Rorrer, Julie; He, Ying; Toste, F. Dean; Bell, Alexis; “Kinetics and Mechanism of Dodecanol Etherification over Tungstated Zirconia,” Journal of Catalysis, (2017), 354, 13-23.

LEADERSHIP, MENTORSHIP, AND SERVICE

Founder and Illustrator of ColorMePhD; Oct. 2017 – Present

Created an ongoing outreach initiative and website (colormephd.org) using coloring pages to explain PhD-level research in science and engineering to a general audience.

Featured in news and media outlets including: Chemical and Engineering News, Innovation Showcase with Jay Sugarman (NewTV), Top of Mind with Julie Rose (BYU Radio), Lifeology “Women in Steam Who Inspire,” MIT Daily News, Humans of Chemistry, Community Resources for Science Volunteer Spotlight

Over 15,000 free coloring books downloaded since 2019

Volunteer Science Teacher; Bay Area Scientists Inspiring Students; Sept. 2015 – May 2019;

Planned and taught over 25 hands-on science lessons to elementary classrooms, personally reaching over 625 students throughout the Bay Area.

Chair; Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Parent Workshop Committee; Sept. 2015 – Aug. 2018

Co-President; UC Berkeley Graduate Student Advisory Committee; July 2017 – July 2018

Organized social and professional development events and coordinated efforts with faculty and students to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the department with respect to recruitment, hiring, and culture.

President; American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Student Chapter at Arizona State University; Sept. 2013 - May 2014

Research Mentor; June 2016 - May 2019

Mentored undergraduate (3) and masters (1) students at UC Berkeley through independent research projects centered on sustainable heterogeneous catalysis.

Project Mentor; Summer Experience for Science and Engineering for Youth (SESEY); July 2010, July 2011

Guided high school students who are underrepresented in STEM through a week-long summer research project involving the emulsification of hydrophobic drugs at Oregon State University.

Peer-Reviewer; April 2020 - Present

Invited and Assisted in Reviews for J. Catal., ChemSusChem, I&EC Research; Nat. Chemistry, Nat. Mater., Joule, RSC Sustain. Energy Fuels, Energy Environ. Sci., Green Chem.