(232b) Catalyst Development for Sustainable Technologies: From Fundamentals to Commercialization

The use of catalysts is imperative in the synthesis of almost all essential chemical compounds. The development of highly active, selective, and stable catalysts is often the key to manufacturing chemicals profitably and sustainably. Ethylene oxide (EO) is one of the most important chemical intermediates and is essential for manufacturing diverse consumer goods such as textiles, detergents, and glycol-based products. The EO production process is highly energy intensive and generates CO₂ as a by-product, which necessitates the development of high – performing catalysts that are selective to EO formation over CO₂ formation. As one of the major producers and users of EO, Dow has a long history of development, manufacturing, and commercialization of EO catalysts. In this presentation, I will talk about the journey of a typical industrial catalyst from discovery to commercialization with examples of some recent catalyst technology developments. Additionally, I will give a brief overview of my graduate research work at The Ohio State University, aimed towards the development of precious metal-free catalysts for applications including hydrogen fuel cells and electrolyzers, electrochemical synthesis of halogens and removal of halide ions from wastewater.