(3ao) Scalable and Energy Efficient Advanced Separation Devices Through Tunable Materials Chemistry

My research is aimed towards revolutionizing fluid separation processes critical to the global energy infrastructure via application of process chemistry-inspired materials design.  During my PhD at Georgia Tech with Prof. Bill Koros, I introduced the rapid temperature swing adsorption (RTSA) approach for post-combustion CO₂capture, whereby I adapted knowledge developed in membrane science to design unique nanoscale composite adsorbent/heat exchangers.  Through collaboration with faculty at Georgia Tech, I successfully guided this RTSA approach towards a new $3.0M research program at Georgia Tech funded by the Department of Energy, General Electric, Algenol Biofuels, and Southern Company. 

Currently, I am a post-doctoral fellow working for Algenol Biofuels, where I am expanding my expertise in gas and liquid separations by designing new materials and processes for gas and liquid management in enclosed algal bioreactors.  This position has allowed me to interact first-hand with realistic separation challenges and develop workable solutions rooted in materials science.  With an emphasis on materials research and a “top-down,” process-guided materials development strategy, I have created membranes, sorbents and barriers that are tailored specifically for industrially relevant applications.  By using an array of readily tunable microporous materials, functional polymers, tunable copolymers, and a stable of commercially available polymers, I have created composite materials (e.g., mixed matrix membranes, hollow fiber sorbents, micro-capillary heat exchangers, etc.) that can be integrated into demanding industrial systems.

My future research will address critical issues in separation science via an approach that combines innovative materials design with deep expertise in developing practical, scalable processes.  Whereas many research programs offer expertise in materials or process chemistry, my program will uniquely unite these two topics with a strong focus on sustainability and manufacturable materials to allow for revolutionary advances in separations to address modern problems in energy, water supply, and pollution control.   Inspired by the process challenges and opportunities, I will endeavor to develop a fundamental understanding of hybrid material formation mechanisms and subsequent separation-related properties. By transitioning from the “thermal age” of separations towards an era of efficient, low energy membrane- and adsorption-based separations, significant advances in both energy conservation and CO₂ footprint reductions will be achieved.

Select Publications (18 total, 11 first author, 145 total citations):

1. Lively RP, Mysona JA, Chance RR, Koros WJ. Formation of defect-free latex films on porous fiber supports. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 2011;3(9):3568-82. 

2. Lively RP, Dose ME, Thompson JA, McCool BA, Chance RR, Koros WJ. Ethanol and water adsorption in methanol-derived ZIF-71. Chem. Commun. 2011;47:8667-8669. 

3. Lively RP, Chance RR, Kelley BT, Deckman HW, Drese JH, Jones CJ, Koros WJ. Hollow Fiber Adsorbents for CO₂ Removal from Flue Gas. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2009;48(15):7314-7324. 

4. Lively RP, Dose ME, Xu L, Johnson JR, Zhang K, Vaugh JT, Lydon ME, Thompson JA, Lee JS, Liu L, Hu Z, Realff M, Koros WJ. A high-flux polyimide as a contender for CO₂ recovery from flue gas.  J. Memb. Sci. 2012; In submission. 

5. Drese JH, Choi S, Lively RP, Koros WJ, Fauth DJ, Gray ML, Jones CW. Synthesis-Structure-Property Relationships for Hyperbranched Aminosilica CO₂ Adsorbents. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2009;19:3821-3832.