Professor Sunggyu Lee's Research Program
We herein introduce you to Sunggyu Lee, PhD., Professor of Chemical Engineering, at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Some excerpts from his research site:
Combined Coal and Biomass Gasification. As a follow-up to his earlier research in coal char gasification, Dr. Lee's life-long interest in green processing of coal and clean utilization of natural resources, the group has been involved in gasification of coal and biomass for synthesis gas generation. While coal has a higher fixed carbon contents than biomass, biomass contains valuable hydrogen and higher moisture contents than coal with very low sulfur contents. Further, serious handicaps using biomass as process raw materials stemming mostly from associated logistical burdens, such as collection, gathering, transportation, and sustainable low-cost supply to the processing plants, can be offset by using biomass together with coal. The mixed gasification has more realistic merits of synergistic feed material compositions and co-beneficiation potentials, besides ultimately increasing the use of renewable resources. Dr. Lee's group has special interests in the areas of steam gasification, advanced oxidation, plasma gasification, molten salt gasification, and beneficial use of CO2-rich syngas.
Reactive Utilization of Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Dioxide Rich Synthesis Gas. Dr.Lee and his graduate researchers have long been studying the roles of carbon dioxide in many reactive chemical processes involving synthesis gas. These processes include, but not limited to: (1) methanol synthesis, (2) single-stage dimethylether synthesis, (3) formic acid synthesis, and (4) hydrocarbon synthesis from synthesis gas. For example, his research elucidated the roles of carbon dioxide and water in methanol synthesis and also found that, to some extent, the two have interchangeable roles in the synthesis. Further, this research firmly established the beneficial roles of carbon dioxide in both stabilization of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst and potential beneficial transition of the catalyst ingredient of ZnO to ZnCO3 in a CO2-rich environment. Also, it was found that the liquid-phase synthesis of methanol demands a substantially higher concentration of carbon dioxide as an optimal syngas composition than the vapor-phase synthesis of methanol. The latter fact serves as a good starting point for further exploitation of carbon dioxide reaction chemistry. If properly managed, carbon dioxide can be very effectively and beneficially utilized in the reaction chemistry, thus claiming that carbon dioxide is not hopeless in its reactive conversion, rather is full of promise.
Conversion of Carbon Dioxide into Hydrocarbons . As briefly mentioned above, Dr. Lee's group and collaborators are investigating various chemical routes and associated catalysis that will lead to a major breakthrough of utilizing carbon dioxide as a reacting raw material for production of target hydrocarbons, thus establishing or helping establish the renewablility of carbon dioxide. Major collaborative efforts in this global research agenda are currently under way.
Mike, we introduce you to Dr. Lee to emphasize, if it does need more emphasis from us, that coal (and biomass) conversion to liquid fuels and chemical industry raw materials, and the practical utilization of the valuable by-products of coal use, such as Carbon Dioxide, are well-known, widely-understood technologies that are undergoing continued refinement and improvement in many commercial, academic and government venues.
And, it's odd to think of something like "the renewability of carbon dioxide" as being desireable, isn't it?