PNNL puts chemistry to work for manufacturing, energy applications

In the middle ages, alchemists tried to transform everyday materials into precious metals. For example, turning lead into gold. Although those ambitions still elude us, today’s chemists do amazing things, including creating commercially valuable compounds and designer materials.

As one of the nation’s premier chemistry labs, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws upon chemistry expertise that was first developed to address the early challenges of the Hanford site to deliver on programs related to nuclear nonproliferation, energy generation and storage and environmental cleanup.

These contributions require us to constantly advance the state of the art in chemistry through our fundamental research.

One trick of the trade is catalysis, or adding a substance — the catalyst — to increase the rate of a chemical reaction. This process was first described in 1794 by Scottish chemist Elizabeth Fulhame, who was interested in applying her scientific expertise to improve dyes and paints.

More than 200 years later, catalysis is central to efficient and cost-effective chemical transformations for myriad manufacturing and energy applications. For example, at PNNL we are advancing the frontiers of catalysis and chemistry to develop environmentally friendly bioproducts and better energy storage materials.

PNNL’s world-leading catalysis experts are frequently recognized for their outstanding accomplishments. In August, Morris Bullock, Dan DuBois and their research team were presented with the prestigious American Chemical Society’s Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science for revolutionizing the understanding of the role of controlling proton movement in turning electricity into hydrogen fuel.

Their research might lead to solutions for storing and delivering energy harnessed from the wind or the sun. This award traditionally honors individuals, and this was the first time it was given to a research team, which speaks to the importance of innovation and collaboration.

In addition to advancing scientific frontiers through our basic research, we also apply that expertise to important problems and applications — usually in collaboration with industry partners.

One of my favorite examples involved PNNL researchers creating a breakthrough catalyst and process to convert glycerol, which is a low-cost byproduct of biodiesel manufacturing, into propylene glycol, a chemical typically made from petroleum and found in common household products, including hand sanitizers, detergents and plastics. Archer Daniels Midland Co. licensed the process and built a facility in 2011 that today produces more than 100 million pounds of renewable propylene glycol a year.

In another project that focused on the underlying chemical transformations and conversions of an industrial process, PNNL scientists found a way to locate precisely where chemical reactions take place within zeolites — a material used in converting oil to gasoline.

Until now, the chemical transformations occurring within zeolites and what caused them to stop were poorly understood. PNNL researchers collaborating with industry partner UOP and the Netherlands’ Utrecht University discovered how a process called steaming causes the active sites in zeolites to cluster and stop working. They used highly specialized imaging instrumentation to construct the first 3-D atomic map of a sample zeolite material that is about a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair. These maps could one day guide industry to modify how it steams zeolites to produce more efficient, longer-lasting catalysts.

In a third example, PNNL is working with Washington State University and industry to develop low-carbon, renewable fuels for commercial aviation. The scientific challenge here centers on selectively splitting and forming certain chemical bonds to create the types of molecules needed in aviation fuel.

While many approaches are being considered, PNNL is helping to improve catalysts that not only create the right kind of molecules but also are stable in water-rich environments and more effective than available alternatives. As part of the Federal Aviation Administration Center of Excellence co-led by WSU and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, we are assisting an industry partner in producing and testing a new jet fuel based on our technology.

These are just three examples of how PNNL scientists and their collaborators are making fundamental advances in chemistry to improve our understanding of fundamental physical processes with important applications. In each case, our success depended in large part on our ability to bring together interdisciplinary teams to develop a comprehensive understanding of the problem at hand.

This is true of all our research at PNNL. We use advanced and often unique scientific instruments and computational resources to understand and manipulate matter on molecular and even atomic scales. And we collaborate with other national laboratories, universities and industry to accelerate discoveries that can help answer basic research questions and meet society’s most urgent security, energy and environmental needs.

After all, when it comes to advancing scientific understanding and moving solutions into everyday applications where they can make a difference, collaboration is often a catalyst in its own right.

This story was originally published October 11, 2015 at 6:54 PM with the headline "PNNL puts chemistry to work for manufacturing, energy applications."