RII Track-2 FEC: Catalysis for Renewables: Applications, Fundamentals and Technologies (CRAFT)

将植物生物质（木质素）中的碳水化合物转化为乙醇和其他有用产品是一个重要领域，有望实现可再生能源生产。 该研究基础设施改进第二轨道重点EPSCoR* 合作（RII第二轨道FEC）奖专注于开发催化剂和技术，将木质素有效转化为燃料和有用的化学品。 来自堪萨斯大学（KU）和哥伦比亚的南卡罗来纳州大学（USC）的研究小组正在合作进行这一项目。 这种合作协同结合了催化剂合成，先进表征和计算工作的专业知识，以设计新型催化剂并开发用于从木质素中分离有用产品的研究工具。 该项目将为博士后和六名研究生提供多学科培训，并利用现有的本科生和教师研究经验（REU，RET）计划以及南加州大学理性催化剂合成的行业/大学合作研究中心（I/UCRC），吸引本科生，K-12教师和行业专业人士。 技术支持这项旨在改进生物质转化为燃料的催化剂设计和化学分离方法的多学科工作有四个综合研究重点：（1）基于不同基底上负载的纳米颗粒金属的催化剂体系的合成和表征;（2）催化剂表面性质和反应中间体的研究;（3）理解生物质模型分子和木质素的催化转化动力学的实验;以及（4）解释实验结果并为新的高效催化剂的设计提供指导的计算模拟。 该项目结合了南加州大学可再生燃料中心和KU环保催化剂中心的专业知识，用于合成，表征和计算建模非均相催化剂，用于将木质素化合物解聚为环烃。 将进行系统的实验和计算研究，以了解催化机理，反应动力学，并设计和评估有效的催化剂，木质素解构。 该项目采用团队的方法来指导初级教师，博士后和学生，并提供机会讨论时间管理，工作与生活平衡，赠款写作，战略规划，领导力培训等主题，并促进知识产权管理，实验室安全，道德，外展和向公众传播科学的活动。 一名评估员对项目进展情况进行形成性和总结性评估。促进竞争性研究的实验计划

Non-technical descriptionThe conversion of carbohydrates in plant-based biomass (lignin) to ethanol and other useful products is an important area that holds promise for renewable energy production. This Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-2 Focused EPSCoR* Collaboration (RII Track-2 FEC) award focuses on developing catalysts and technologies for the efficient conversion of lignin into fuels and useful chemicals. Research groups from the University of Kansas (KU) and the University of South Carolina at Columbia (USC) are collaborating in this project. This collaboration synergistically combines expertise of in catalyst synthesis, advanced characterization, and computational work to design novel catalysts and develop enabling research tools for the separation of useful products from lignin. The project will provide multidisciplinary training for a postdoc and six graduate students and leverage existing Research Experience for Undergraduates and Teachers (REU, RET) programs as well as Industry/University Collaborative Research Center (I/UCRC) for Rational Catalyst Synthesis at USC to engage undergraduates, K-12 teachers, and industry professionals. Technical descriptionThis multidisciplinary work aimed at improving catalyst designs and chemical separation methods for converting biomass into fuels has four integrated research thrusts: (1) synthesis and characterization of catalyst systems based on nanoparticulate metals supported on different substrates; (2) study of catalyst surface properties and reaction intermediates; (3) experiments to understand the catalytic conversion kinetics of biomass model molecules and lignin; and (4) computational simulations to interpret experimental results and provide guidance for the design of new, efficient catalysts. The project combines expertise at the Center for Renewable Fuels at USC and the Center of Environmentally Beneficial Catalyst at KU for the synthesis, characterization, and computational modeling of heterogeneous catalysts for the depolymerization of lignin compounds into cyclic hydrocarbons. Systematic experimental and computational studies will be performed to understand catalytic mechanisms, reaction kinetics, and to design and evaluate efficient catalysts for lignin deconstruction. The project employs a team approach to mentor junior faculty, postdoc, and students and offers opportunities to discuss topics such as time management, work-life balance, grant writing, strategic planning, leadership training, and facilitate activities on intellectual property management, lab safety, ethics, outreach and communicating science to the public. An evaluator provides formative and summative assessment of the project's progress.*Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research