(6gr) Modeling Biomass and Its Conversion to Fuels and Specialty Chemicals

My research uses modeling and simulation to develop a significantly deeper understanding of the nature of lignocellulosic biomass and the processes by which it is converted into target fuels and chemicals. There are still a number of major challenges affecting the profitability of second and third generation biorefineries and each project will work to address one of these different challenges. The use of modeling and simulation is uniquely suited to these problems, with length scales at the molecular-level. Developing uniqe insights at these scales will enable us to make informed decisions in the implementation of these processes for converting biomass into desired products and hopefully lead to breakthroughs in the full valorization of lignocellulose that would help bring this greener and more sustainable future to fruition.