Webinars
ChemCatBio hosts free webinars throughout the year. Advanced registration is required to receive a URL to view the webinars online. Find information about future and previous webinars below.
Upcoming Webinars
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Data Benchmarking and Accessibility for Faster Research With the Catalyst Property Database
Oct. 13, 2021
In this webinar, Kurt Van Allsburg from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will share the motivations for ChemCatBio’s Catalyst Property Database (CPD), how to search and upload data, applications, and future plans to grow types and quantity of data. The CPD is a free and public resource designed in response to the observation that when data—such as computed reaction energetics—is used in catalyst design, it is almost always generated by the researchers seeking to use it, even if similar data has been published previously. The CPD seeks to overcome this challenge by creating a centralized, searchable database of quality catalyst property data.
Register now or learn more about this CPD webinar.
Past Webinars
Advancing Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis through Integrated Experimentation and Multiscale Computational Modeling
Jan. 13, 2021
In this webinar, three ChemCatBio researchers—Mike Griffin and Brennan Pecha from
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Bruce Adkins from Oak Ridge National
Laboratory—highlighted recent results from a multidisciplinary research effort in
which integrated reaction testing was coupled with particle- and reactor-scale computational
modeling to advance catalytic fast pyrolysis for the production of renewable hydrocarbon
fuels. The speakers emphasized synergistic outcomes derived from the collaborative
approach and highlighted ongoing research efforts to accelerate technology maturation.
View the recording and download the presentation slides.
Addressing Unique Catalyst Deactivation Challenges for Converting Biomass-Derived Feedstocks
Feb. 19, 2020
In this webinar, Huamin Wang of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory presented an
overview of our current knowledge about the unique properties of biomass-derived intermediates
that could cause catalyst deactivation issues and possible mitigation approaches,
as well as two to three examples of previous and current ChemCatBio work showing how
we are addressing it in our R&D efforts. View the recording and download the presentation slides.
Single-Step Catalytic Conversion of Ethanol to n-Butene-Rich Olefins and 1,3-Butadiene Chemical Coproduct
July 31, 2019
In this webinar, Robert Dagle and Vanessa Dagle from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
and Zhenglong Li from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, discussed collaborative efforts
to develop a flexible catalytic process for the single-step conversion of ethanol
to either n-butene-rich olefins, as fuel precursors, or to 1,3-butadiene as a chemical
product precursor over mixed oxide or zeolite-based catalysts. View the recording
and download the presentation slides.
Technology Options for Catalytically Upgrading Biochemically Derived 2,3-Butanediol from Lignocellulosic Biomass Feedstocks to Advanced Biofuels and Chemical Coproducts
April 24, 2019
In this webinar, Derek Vardon from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Vanessa
Dagle from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Zhenglong Li from Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, presented recent progress in collaborative efforts to develop
economically viable 2,3-butanediol (BDO) catalytic upgrading technology options in
a robust manner using commercially relevant process streams. Recent advances in the
fermentative production of BDO from mixed sugars generated via pretreatment and enzymatic
saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass has positioned BDO as an attractive biochemically
derived intermediate for advanced biofuels and chemicals production. View the recording
and download the presentation slides.
Simulation and Modeling of Bioenergy Conversion from the Atomic to Process Scales
Nov. 14, 2018
In this webinar, Peter Ciesielski and Seonah Kim from the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, and Jim Parks from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, highlighted modeling
activities in the Consortium for Computational Physics and Chemistry (CCPC), a research
project in ChemCatBio focused on accelerating catalyst discovery and enabling scale-up
of new catalyst innovations in bioenergy. At the atomic scale, density functional
theory calculations are used to guide experimental researchers and provide fundamental
knowledge on binding energies and active catalyst sites. The meso scale models capture
catalyst particle effects including mass transfer, heat transfer, and coking. Finally,
process scale models are employed to understand conversion in reactors of various
designs to enable scale up and prediction of optimal control conditions. View the
recording and download the presentation slides.
CatCost: An Estimation Tool to Aid Commercialization and R&D Decisions for Catalytic Materials
Sept. 26, 2018
In this webinar, Kurt Van Allsburg and Frederick Baddour from the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory discussed CatCost, a catalyst cost estimation tool that has been
developed to aid accurate estimation of catalyst costs early in catalyst development.
CatCost incorporates industry standard estimation methods into a user-friendly spreadsheet
and web tool to be distributed online free-of-charge. The presentation detailed the
methods used by CatCost, validation using commercially available materials, and pre-commercial
estimate examples. The webinar provided a tutorial walkthrough of CatCost to present
decision-making use cases in catalyst R&D and commercialization. View the recording
and download the presentation slides.
Accelerating the Catalyst Development Cycle: Integrating Predictive Computational Modeling, Tailored Materials Synthesis, and in situ Characterization Capabilities through the ChemCatBio Consortium
June 27, 2018
In this webinar, ChemCatBio principal investigators Susan Habas, Kinga Unocic, and
Theodore Krause shared a video to highlight transition metal carbides as a class of
materials that has the potential to meet the advanced catalyst goals of low cost and
superior performance under severe conditions. The video demonstrated how the integration
of predictive computational modeling, tailored materials synthesis, and in situ characterization
capabilities within the ChemCatBio Consortium is accelerating the development of these
complex but promising catalysts. View the recording.
Linking Catalyst and Process Development with Techno-Economic Analysis in the Conversion of Biomass to High-Octane Gasoline
March 7, 2018
In this webinar, Dan Ruddy of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory discussed
how techno-economic analysis of the conversion of biomass-derived synthesis gas into
hydrocarbons can be used to direct catalyst development research to target specific
performance advancements, and similarly, how performance improvements affect the resulting
economic viability of the process. View the recording and download the presentation slides.
Overview of the Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium: Enabling Production of Biofuels and Bioproducts through Catalysis
Dec. 6, 2017
In this webinar, Josh Schaidle of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory provided
an overview of the ChemCatBio consortium, highlighted recent advancements in production
of biofuels and bioproducts enabled by the consortium, and discussed opportunities
for engaging with ChemCatBio. View the recording and download the presentation slides.