RESEARCH
VOILAND NUMBERS
New catalyst could improve
biofuels production
production is grabbing carbon for fuel while
Murdock Grant to fund nextgeneration science at WSU
Washington
researchers
also removing oxygen. High oxygen content
By Will Ferguson, College of Arts and Sciences
have developed a new catalyst that could
makes biofuel less stable, gooier, and less
A car battery
lead
and
efficient than fossil fuels and not suitable
that gets you
more efficiently. Led by Voiland Distin-
to
State
making
University
biofuels
cheaply
One of the biggest challenges in biofuels
Gene and Linda Voiland School of
Growth in the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering
and Bioengineering
for airplane or diesel fuels. To improve
from Pullman
guished Professor
production,
to Seattle on
Yong Wang and
researchers
a single charge.
working
with
also want to
F l e x i b l e
little
Graduate Student Enrollment
Jean-
use
Undergraduate Enrollment
Professor
electronics that
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
80
as
Sabin McEwen,
hydrogen
as
can be sewn
the
possible
in
into clothing.
researchers
mixed inexpen-
the
reaction.
An affordable
sive iron with a
The WSU re-
transportation
tiny amount of
searchers
rare
developed the
hydrogen and
the
mixture of two
carbon monoxide. Washington State University
Their
metals to serve
researchers are a big step closer to making
work was featured
as a catalyst
these futuristic technologies a reality thanks
on the cover of
to efficiently
to a $521,800 grant from the M.J. Murdock
the journal ACS
and
Charitable Trust. The grant will help purchase
Catalysis.
r e m o v e
X-ray
oxygen.
instruments found nowhere else in the Pacific
to
palladium
make
catalyst.
Researchers,
cheaply
“The synergy
government
and
fuel made from
UV
photoelectron
spectroscopy
Northwest.
the
The instrumentation will be housed in the
industry leaders
palladium
Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and
are interested in
and the iron
Bioengineering and in the Department of
renewable
bio-
is incredible,”
Chemistry. In the Voiland School, the new
fuels as a way to
said Wang, who
instruments will help researchers investigate
leaders,
between
Norbert Kruse
and
reduce national dependence on fossil fuels and
holds
Pacific
the mechanisms of catalytic reactions and test
reduce emissions of harmful carbon dioxide to
Northwest National Laboratory and WSU.
a
joint
appointment
materials and devices in the environments where
the atmosphere, where it contributes to global
“When combined, the catalyst is far better
they will be required to function.
warming.
than the metals alone in terms of activity,
stability, and selectivity.” ❚
at
“One of our present research topics is to
produce gasoline or diesel fuels catalytically
from two simple gases, hydrogen and carbon
monoxide,
under
conditions,”
said
environmentally
friendly
Norbert
Voiland
Kruse,
Distinguished Professor. “The possibility of
producing a range of important chemical
products from only two gases is most fascinating,
and
the
two
photoelectron
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Chemical Engineering
Bioengineering
2
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
PhD
Research Expenditures
5,000,000
4,500,000
4,000,000
3,500,000
3,000,000
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
MS
FACULTY
Faculty
Fellows
Yong Wang ACS, AIChE, AAAS,
Royal Society of Chemistry
Dick Zollars AIChE, ASEE
spectrometers
3
CAREER
Award Winners
Haluk Beyenal
Anita Vasavada
Xiao Zhang
will help develop the respective nano-sized
catalysts.”
The Murdock grant will help WSU faculty
attract lucrative new grants and top-notch
young faculty and graduate students.
“We anticipate that this equipment will allow
us to perform hitherto unimagined research
funded by the federal government and industry
and to develop new technologies that will fuel
Students and faculty members from the catalysis research lab group.
the economy,” said James Petersen, director of
the Voiland School.”❚
5/15 149217
Areas of
Preeminence
• Energy and environmental
applications of catalysis
• Muscle mechanics and
protein engineering
• Biofilm engineering
•Biofuels
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
and BIOENGINEERING
Summer 2015
RESEARCH
VOILAND NUMBERS
New catalyst could improve
biofuels production
production is grabbing carbon for fuel while
Murdock Grant to fund nextgeneration science at WSU
Washington
researchers
also removing oxygen. High oxygen content
By Will Ferguson, College of Arts and Sciences
have developed a new catalyst that could
makes biofuel less stable, gooier, and less
A car battery
lead
and
efficient than fossil fuels and not suitable
that gets you
more efficiently. Led by Voiland Distin-
to
State
making
University
biofuels
cheaply
One of the biggest challenges in biofuels
Gene and Linda Voiland School of
Growth in the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering
and Bioengineering
for airplane or diesel fuels. To improve
from Pullman
guished Professor
production,
to Seattle on
Yong Wang and
researchers
a single charge.
working
with
also want to
F l e x i b l e
little
Graduate Student Enrollment
Jean-
use
Undergraduate Enrollment
Professor
electronics that
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
80
as
Sabin McEwen,
hydrogen
as
can be sewn
the
possible
in
into clothing.
researchers
mixed inexpen-
the
reaction.
An affordable
sive iron with a
The WSU re-
transportation
tiny amount of
searchers
rare
developed the
hydrogen and
the
mixture of two
carbon monoxide. Washington State University
Their
metals to serve
researchers are a big step closer to making
work was featured
as a catalyst
these futuristic technologies a reality thanks
on the cover of
to efficiently
to a $521,800 grant from the M.J. Murdock
the journal ACS
and
Charitable Trust. The grant will help purchase
Catalysis.
r e m o v e
X-ray
oxygen.
instruments found nowhere else in the Pacific
to
palladium
make
catalyst.
Researchers,
cheaply
“The synergy
government
and
fuel made from
UV
photoelectron
spectroscopy
Northwest.
the
The instrumentation will be housed in the
industry leaders
palladium
Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and
are interested in
and the iron
Bioengineering and in the Department of
renewable
bio-
is incredible,”
Chemistry. In the Voiland School, the new
fuels as a way to
said Wang, who
instruments will help researchers investigate
leaders,
between
Norbert Kruse
and
reduce national dependence on fossil fuels and
holds
Pacific
the mechanisms of catalytic reactions and test
reduce emissions of harmful carbon dioxide to
Northwest National Laboratory and WSU.
a
joint
appointment
materials and devices in the environments where
the atmosphere, where it contributes to global
“When combined, the catalyst is far better
they will be required to function.
warming.
than the metals alone in terms of activity,
stability, and selectivity.” ❚
at
“One of our present research topics is to
produce gasoline or diesel fuels catalytically
from two simple gases, hydrogen and carbon
monoxide,
under
conditions,”
said
environmentally
friendly
Norbert
Voiland
Kruse,
Distinguished Professor. “The possibility of
producing a range of important chemical
products from only two gases is most fascinating,
and
the
two
photoelectron
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Chemical Engineering
Bioengineering
2
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
PhD
Research Expenditures
5,000,000
4,500,000
4,000,000
3,500,000
3,000,000
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
MS
FACULTY
Faculty
Fellows
Yong Wang ACS, AIChE, AAAS,
Royal Society of Chemistry
Dick Zollars AIChE, ASEE
spectrometers
3
CAREER
Award Winners
Haluk Beyenal
Anita Vasavada
Xiao Zhang
will help develop the respective nano-sized
catalysts.”
The Murdock grant will help WSU faculty
attract lucrative new grants and top-notch
young faculty and graduate students.
“We anticipate that this equipment will allow
us to perform hitherto unimagined research
funded by the federal government and industry
and to develop new technologies that will fuel
Students and faculty members from the catalysis research lab group.
the economy,” said James Petersen, director of
the Voiland School.”❚
5/15 149217
Areas of
Preeminence
• Energy and environmental
applications of catalysis
• Muscle mechanics and
protein engineering
• Biofilm engineering
•Biofuels
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
and BIOENGINEERING
Summer 2015
VOILAND SCHOOL NOTES
RESEARCH
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
VOILAND STUDENTS
Su Ha named top researcher
Mix of skills, viewpoints drives student-entrepreneur success
Su Ha, associate professor in the Voiland
Alumni gift establishes endowed
professorship in energy
School
and
Washington State University’s Gene and Linda Voiland
Bioengineering and director of the O.H.
of
Chemical
Engineering
School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering has
Reaugh Laboratory for Oil and Gas Research,
received a gift from alumnus Brion Wise to establish the
has been named among the 3,200 top cited
B. Wise Professorship in Energy Production.
or influential scientific researchers in the
successful program to provide educational opportunities for
WSU student team participates in
national chemical car competition
The gift will allow the Voiland School to grow its
world, according to Thomson Reuters.
Scientist earns top national award for biofuels research
students who, like Gene Voiland, Brion Wise, and a host of
both metal-based nanoparticles
fuels using renewable energy
A group of WSU chemical engineering students traveled
alumni, desire to
novel methods for efficiently
and natural enzymes as
such as the solar and wind
to Atlanta, Georgia, this year to participate in a national
become
converting chemical energy of
catalysts.
power.
student conference and chemical car competition. The
in the petroleum
•Dr. Ha’s research includes
fuels, including biofuels, into
clean electrical energy using
•He has initiated a project for
converting carbon dioxide into
leaders
production
•He has numerous publications
industry, said Jim
and holds two patents.
Petersen, director
Brion and Ronda Wise
Researchers develop unique waste cleanup for rural areas
of
the
Voiland
School.
Petroleum demand continues to grow worldwide,
while energy production and conversion technologies
are undergoing dramatic, rapid changes. With a long
Washington State University researchers have
for the waste to be cleaned faster and with
developed a unique method to use microbes
fewer harmful emissions.
buried in pond sediment to power waste
cleanup in rural areas.
Microbial fuel cells use biological reactions
from microbes in water to create electricity.
The first microbe-powered, self-sustaining
The WSU researchers developed a microbial
wastewater treatment system could lead to
fuel cell that does the work of the aerator, using
an inexpensive and quick way to clean up
only the power of microbes in the sewage
waste from large farming operations and
lagoons to generate electricity.
rural sewage treatment plants while reducing
pollution.
The researchers created favorable conditions
for growth of microbes that are able to
Professor Haluk Beyenal and graduate
naturally generate electrons as part of their
student Timothy Ewing discuss the system in
metabolic processes. The microbes were able
the online edition of Journal of Power Sources
to successfully power aerators in the lab for
and have filed for a patent.
more than a year, and the researchers are
Cutting greenhouse gases
hoping to test a full-scale pilot for eventual
commercialization.
Traditionally, waste from dairy farms
The researchers believe that the microbial
in rural areas is placed in a series of ponds
fuel cell technology is on the cusp of providing
to be eaten by bacteria, generating carbon
useful power solutions for communities.
dioxide and methane pollution, until the
The work was funded by two National
waste is safely treated. In urban areas with
Science Foundation CAREER awards, the U.S.
larger infrastructure, electrically powered
Office of Naval Research, and Washington
aerators mix water in the ponds, allowing
State University’s Agricultural Research Center.
students from WSU’s student chapter of the American Insti-
Go-KEFI team at Spokane business plan competition.
tute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) secured a spot in the
Monica Bomber, Amanda Scott, and Troy Carpenter sit in a Todd Hall conference room
surrounded by half-full mugs of coffee and crushed Red Bull cans.
Crumpled papers are scattered on the floor, and surrounding whiteboards are plastered with
borderline illegible lists, charts, and graphs in colorful ink. Aspiring entrepreneurs, the students
attend to their buzzing phones, set up impromptu meetings, hash out assignments, and solve
problems. Welcome to Go-KEFI, a Washington State University student-led startup business.
tradition of producing graduates who become leaders
Adventures in business—and travel
willing to venture. The site will find locations that
in this industry, this gift helps the Voiland School
Finding the right platform for entrepreneurial
fit the users’ criteria.
continue to produce chemical engineers who are
ideas can be difficult for even the most ambitious
Students find resources, validation
uniquely qualified to take leadership roles in meeting
college student. But Bomber and her colleagues—
Bomber is the project’s chief financial officer
the needs of the energy sector.
one from communications and the other from
and chief strategic officer. She is using skills
The school’s research in catalysis is leading to more
economics—found a way to bring together their
she gained in engineering classes to create
efficient production of fuels and byproducts. In the past
passion for learning with their motivation to
financial models and is analyzing strategic
decade, the school has more than doubled its enrollment
create a successful startup through the Harold
steps to move the project forward.
while also building stronger relationships in the industry.
Frank Engineering Entrepreneurship Institute.
The gift supports hiring a faculty member who will enhance
“Through the Harold Frank program, you
collaboration with industry, enabling the Voiland School
get to see all the possibilities out there and you
to provide a transformational, high quality, highly relevant
learn not to limit yourself. Your possibilities
student experience and thus allowing the university to
are endless,” said Bomber, a senior chemical
achieve one of its two primary strategic emphases.
engineering student in the Voiland School of
“As world energy use continues to rise, Voiland School
Earlier this year, the team won first place at
Startup Weekend Spokane.
“It gave us a lot of validation with our
idea,” said Bomber.
“All of a sudden it wasn’t just a class project
anymore,” said Scott.
Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.
Bomber gives much credit for Go-KEFI’s
chemical engineers will be critically needed to develop the
The idea for Go-KEFI—an experience-based,
success to the Harold Frank program. The
best and most efficient technologies to meet demand,” said
adventure travel website—came out of a technology
technology ventures course provides a chance
Jim Petersen, director of the Voiland School. “With this gift,
ventures class that Bomber and Scott took as part of
for motivated students from a variety of disci-
we can now provide an enhanced education for our stu-
the Frank program. Go-KEFI.com will allow users
plines to come together for collaboration.
dents that will prepare them to become leaders in the indus-
to design custom travel by entering their budget,
try and help meet the industry’s future production needs.”
what they want to do, and how far they are
“At the same time, Brion’s generous gift will also grow
“I just love the atmosphere of the class. It really
is there to provide you with resources,” she said.
ference and chemi-
Washington State University professor Xiao Zhang has received a prestigious National
cal car competition
place in last spring’s
Pacific
The training that Paul Smith (’82 B.S.) received as a
regional competition.
will lead to new processes for producing sustainable fuel and improving economic
chemical
State
The
and environmental sustainability of biorefinery operations. The $500,000, five-year
University provided him with the problem-solving skills
Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award will allow Zhang, Pacific
that he has used throughout his career.
Northwest National Laboratory collaborators, and industrial partners to develop a new
Northwest
competition,
which included 35
requires that a chem-
can begin to imagine where you’ll be in 20 or 30 years.”
ically-powered car
travel
25
while
carrying
Engineering, he says, is simply a good foundation for a
meters
successful career.
a
Smith, a senior vice president at IPC (USA) Inc., a
sizeable cargo and then stop as close as possible to the
trader and wholesale distributor of petroleum products
finish line. WSU students developed the idea for the
that is headquartered in Irvine, California, was recently
national AIChE competition more than a decade ago.
named the Distinguished Chemical Engineering Alumnus
At the conference, the WSU chemical car team
members also participated in a poster competition
chair of the board, chief executive officer, and president. He
is now chair of the board for Flat Iron Resources, an oil and
gas exploration and production company. He also owns
B Wise Vineyards, located in Sonoma, California, where
he applies chemical engineering principles to enable the
production of high quality wines.
from the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and
Bioengineering. He calls himself a “Coug to the core.”
and safety training. Several students attended a
“It’s impossible to know what that building is going to
leadership training program and networking session
look like when you get done. Just keep your eyes open and
with the executive officer committee and the young
work hard,” he advised students when he was recently on
professionals of AIChE. Junior Anna-Marie Weed took
campus to receive his award.
third place in the undergraduate poster competition.
The students received support to participate in the
competition from Alaska Airlines, BP, and Phillips-66.
Thank you! We’ll miss you!
assistant, retired in 2015.
presenting
Fanglin Che researches enhancing
Yan Li is studying metal oxide
performance of solid oxide fuel cells,
catalysts
oxides catalyze biological material to
which can directly and efficiently
reactions, which are critical in many
highly valued chemicals. She hopes
transfer chemical energy to electric
common industrial processes and
the work will lead to biologically based
power. She will present the effects of an
energy alternatives to oil-based fuels and chemicals.
external field on catalytic reactions that are directly
She works with faculty member Yong Wang.
relevant to fuel cells. She works with faculty member
Jean-Sabin McEwen.
for
selective
oxidation
for chemical production. She works
with faculty member Yong Wang
method to break apart the tough ring of the lignin molecule at mild temperatures.
Iglesia speaks at Lanning Lecture
Enrique Iglesia, the Theodore Vermeulen Chair in Chemical Engineering at the
University of California, Berkeley, a faculty senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory, and director of the Berkeley Catalysis Laboratory, spoke on
“Nanoparticles, Nanospace, and the Catalysis Toolbox” at the Voiland College
annual Lanning Lecture in April.
Iglesia’s research group addresses the synthesis and the structural and
functional characterization of solids used as catalysts for production of fuels and
petrochemicals, for conversion of energy carriers, and for improving the energy and
atom efficiency and the sustainability of chemical processes. His work combines
synthetic, spectroscopic, theoretical, and mechanistic techniques to advance novel
concepts and applications in heterogeneous catalysis. He has coauthored more than
300 publications and holds 40 U.S. patents.
Washington State University civil engineering alumnus Jack Dillon (’41)
Dick Zollars, professor, and Diana Thornton, principal
research on how transition metal
is
Washington
think of where I am today,” he says. “There is no way you
Society’s Richard J. Kokes Award. The award encourages student participation in the group’s annual meeting and funds their travel.
Baylon
at
the United States,
grateful for his support.”
Rebeccan
student
lignin to open chain hydrocarbons similar to those that make up jet fuel. The results
“When I graduated in 1982, it was impossible for me to
Fanglin Che, Rebecca Baylon, and Yan Li, graduate students in the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, received the North American Catalysis
to found Western Gas Resources in 1971, serving as director,
engineering
material to liquid fuels. He is developing an innovative chemical pathway to convert
teams from around
Students win catalysis society awards
After graduating from WSU with a chemical engineering
Science Foundation junior faculty award for his work in converting tough plant
Paul Smith receives Voiland School
Alumni Award
after taking second
the Voiland School’s stature,” he added. “We are so
degree in 1968, Wise went to work for Shell Oil. He went on
Students work in Zhang’s lab at WSU Tri-Cities.
national student con-
established the Lanning Lecture in 1988 in honor of his late wife, Frances
Lanning Dillon. The fund supports lectures that broaden students’ knowledge of
the profession beyond the academic dimension, including societal, cultural, and
economic impacts, professional and business ethics, and leadership.
VOILAND SCHOOL NOTES
RESEARCH
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
VOILAND STUDENTS
Su Ha named top researcher
Mix of skills, viewpoints drives student-entrepreneur success
Su Ha, associate professor in the Voiland
Alumni gift establishes endowed
professorship in energy
School
and
Washington State University’s Gene and Linda Voiland
Bioengineering and director of the O.H.
of
Chemical
Engineering
School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering has
Reaugh Laboratory for Oil and Gas Research,
received a gift from alumnus Brion Wise to establish the
has been named among the 3,200 top cited
B. Wise Professorship in Energy Production.
or influential scientific researchers in the
successful program to provide educational opportunities for
WSU student team participates in
national chemical car competition
The gift will allow the Voiland School to grow its
world, according to Thomson Reuters.
Scientist earns top national award for biofuels research
students who, like Gene Voiland, Brion Wise, and a host of
both metal-based nanoparticles
fuels using renewable energy
A group of WSU chemical engineering students traveled
alumni, desire to
novel methods for efficiently
and natural enzymes as
such as the solar and wind
to Atlanta, Georgia, this year to participate in a national
become
converting chemical energy of
catalysts.
power.
student conference and chemical car competition. The
in the petroleum
•Dr. Ha’s research includes
fuels, including biofuels, into
clean electrical energy using
•He has initiated a project for
converting carbon dioxide into
leaders
production
•He has numerous publications
industry, said Jim
and holds two patents.
Petersen, director
Brion and Ronda Wise
Researchers develop unique waste cleanup for rural areas
of
the
Voiland
School.
Petroleum demand continues to grow worldwide,
while energy production and conversion technologies
are undergoing dramatic, rapid changes. With a long
Washington State University researchers have
for the waste to be cleaned faster and with
developed a unique method to use microbes
fewer harmful emissions.
buried in pond sediment to power waste
cleanup in rural areas.
Microbial fuel cells use biological reactions
from microbes in water to create electricity.
The first microbe-powered, self-sustaining
The WSU researchers developed a microbial
wastewater treatment system could lead to
fuel cell that does the work of the aerator, using
an inexpensive and quick way to clean up
only the power of microbes in the sewage
waste from large farming operations and
lagoons to generate electricity.
rural sewage treatment plants while reducing
pollution.
The researchers created favorable conditions
for growth of microbes that are able to
Professor Haluk Beyenal and graduate
naturally generate electrons as part of their
student Timothy Ewing discuss the system in
metabolic processes. The microbes were able
the online edition of Journal of Power Sources
to successfully power aerators in the lab for
and have filed for a patent.
more than a year, and the researchers are
Cutting greenhouse gases
hoping to test a full-scale pilot for eventual
commercialization.
Traditionally, waste from dairy farms
The researchers believe that the microbial
in rural areas is placed in a series of ponds
fuel cell technology is on the cusp of providing
to be eaten by bacteria, generating carbon
useful power solutions for communities.
dioxide and methane pollution, until the
The work was funded by two National
waste is safely treated. In urban areas with
Science Foundation CAREER awards, the U.S.
larger infrastructure, electrically powered
Office of Naval Research, and Washington
aerators mix water in the ponds, allowing
State University’s Agricultural Research Center.
students from WSU’s student chapter of the American Insti-
Go-KEFI team at Spokane business plan competition.
tute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) secured a spot in the
Monica Bomber, Amanda Scott, and Troy Carpenter sit in a Todd Hall conference room
surrounded by half-full mugs of coffee and crushed Red Bull cans.
Crumpled papers are scattered on the floor, and surrounding whiteboards are plastered with
borderline illegible lists, charts, and graphs in colorful ink. Aspiring entrepreneurs, the students
attend to their buzzing phones, set up impromptu meetings, hash out assignments, and solve
problems. Welcome to Go-KEFI, a Washington State University student-led startup business.
tradition of producing graduates who become leaders
Adventures in business—and travel
willing to venture. The site will find locations that
in this industry, this gift helps the Voiland School
Finding the right platform for entrepreneurial
fit the users’ criteria.
continue to produce chemical engineers who are
ideas can be difficult for even the most ambitious
Students find resources, validation
uniquely qualified to take leadership roles in meeting
college student. But Bomber and her colleagues—
Bomber is the project’s chief financial officer
the needs of the energy sector.
one from communications and the other from
and chief strategic officer. She is using skills
The school’s research in catalysis is leading to more
economics—found a way to bring together their
she gained in engineering classes to create
efficient production of fuels and byproducts. In the past
passion for learning with their motivation to
financial models and is analyzing strategic
decade, the school has more than doubled its enrollment
create a successful startup through the Harold
steps to move the project forward.
while also building stronger relationships in the industry.
Frank Engineering Entrepreneurship Institute.
The gift supports hiring a faculty member who will enhance
“Through the Harold Frank program, you
collaboration with industry, enabling the Voiland School
get to see all the possibilities out there and you
to provide a transformational, high quality, highly relevant
learn not to limit yourself. Your possibilities
student experience and thus allowing the university to
are endless,” said Bomber, a senior chemical
achieve one of its two primary strategic emphases.
engineering student in the Voiland School of
“As world energy use continues to rise, Voiland School
Earlier this year, the team won first place at
Startup Weekend Spokane.
“It gave us a lot of validation with our
idea,” said Bomber.
“All of a sudden it wasn’t just a class project
anymore,” said Scott.
Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.
Bomber gives much credit for Go-KEFI’s
chemical engineers will be critically needed to develop the
The idea for Go-KEFI—an experience-based,
success to the Harold Frank program. The
best and most efficient technologies to meet demand,” said
adventure travel website—came out of a technology
technology ventures course provides a chance
Jim Petersen, director of the Voiland School. “With this gift,
ventures class that Bomber and Scott took as part of
for motivated students from a variety of disci-
we can now provide an enhanced education for our stu-
the Frank program. Go-KEFI.com will allow users
plines to come together for collaboration.
dents that will prepare them to become leaders in the indus-
to design custom travel by entering their budget,
try and help meet the industry’s future production needs.”
what they want to do, and how far they are
“At the same time, Brion’s generous gift will also grow
“I just love the atmosphere of the class. It really
is there to provide you with resources,” she said.
ference and chemi-
Washington State University professor Xiao Zhang has received a prestigious National
cal car competition
place in last spring’s
Pacific
The training that Paul Smith (’82 B.S.) received as a
regional competition.
will lead to new processes for producing sustainable fuel and improving economic
chemical
State
The
and environmental sustainability of biorefinery operations. The $500,000, five-year
University provided him with the problem-solving skills
Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award will allow Zhang, Pacific
that he has used throughout his career.
Northwest National Laboratory collaborators, and industrial partners to develop a new
Northwest
competition,
which included 35
requires that a chem-
can begin to imagine where you’ll be in 20 or 30 years.”
ically-powered car
travel
25
while
carrying
Engineering, he says, is simply a good foundation for a
meters
successful career.
a
Smith, a senior vice president at IPC (USA) Inc., a
sizeable cargo and then stop as close as possible to the
trader and wholesale distributor of petroleum products
finish line. WSU students developed the idea for the
that is headquartered in Irvine, California, was recently
national AIChE competition more than a decade ago.
named the Distinguished Chemical Engineering Alumnus
At the conference, the WSU chemical car team
members also participated in a poster competition
chair of the board, chief executive officer, and president. He
is now chair of the board for Flat Iron Resources, an oil and
gas exploration and production company. He also owns
B Wise Vineyards, located in Sonoma, California, where
he applies chemical engineering principles to enable the
production of high quality wines.
from the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and
Bioengineering. He calls himself a “Coug to the core.”
and safety training. Several students attended a
“It’s impossible to know what that building is going to
leadership training program and networking session
look like when you get done. Just keep your eyes open and
with the executive officer committee and the young
work hard,” he advised students when he was recently on
professionals of AIChE. Junior Anna-Marie Weed took
campus to receive his award.
third place in the undergraduate poster competition.
The students received support to participate in the
competition from Alaska Airlines, BP, and Phillips-66.
Thank you! We’ll miss you!
assistant, retired in 2015.
presenting
Fanglin Che researches enhancing
Yan Li is studying metal oxide
performance of solid oxide fuel cells,
catalysts
oxides catalyze biological material to
which can directly and efficiently
reactions, which are critical in many
highly valued chemicals. She hopes
transfer chemical energy to electric
common industrial processes and
the work will lead to biologically based
power. She will present the effects of an
energy alternatives to oil-based fuels and chemicals.
external field on catalytic reactions that are directly
She works with faculty member Yong Wang.
relevant to fuel cells. She works with faculty member
Jean-Sabin McEwen.
for
selective
oxidation
for chemical production. She works
with faculty member Yong Wang
method to break apart the tough ring of the lignin molecule at mild temperatures.
Iglesia speaks at Lanning Lecture
Enrique Iglesia, the Theodore Vermeulen Chair in Chemical Engineering at the
University of California, Berkeley, a faculty senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory, and director of the Berkeley Catalysis Laboratory, spoke on
“Nanoparticles, Nanospace, and the Catalysis Toolbox” at the Voiland College
annual Lanning Lecture in April.
Iglesia’s research group addresses the synthesis and the structural and
functional characterization of solids used as catalysts for production of fuels and
petrochemicals, for conversion of energy carriers, and for improving the energy and
atom efficiency and the sustainability of chemical processes. His work combines
synthetic, spectroscopic, theoretical, and mechanistic techniques to advance novel
concepts and applications in heterogeneous catalysis. He has coauthored more than
300 publications and holds 40 U.S. patents.
Washington State University civil engineering alumnus Jack Dillon (’41)
Dick Zollars, professor, and Diana Thornton, principal
research on how transition metal
is
Washington
think of where I am today,” he says. “There is no way you
Society’s Richard J. Kokes Award. The award encourages student participation in the group’s annual meeting and funds their travel.
Baylon
at
the United States,
grateful for his support.”
Rebeccan
student
lignin to open chain hydrocarbons similar to those that make up jet fuel. The results
“When I graduated in 1982, it was impossible for me to
Fanglin Che, Rebecca Baylon, and Yan Li, graduate students in the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, received the North American Catalysis
to found Western Gas Resources in 1971, serving as director,
engineering
material to liquid fuels. He is developing an innovative chemical pathway to convert
teams from around
Students win catalysis society awards
After graduating from WSU with a chemical engineering
Science Foundation junior faculty award for his work in converting tough plant
Paul Smith receives Voiland School
Alumni Award
after taking second
the Voiland School’s stature,” he added. “We are so
degree in 1968, Wise went to work for Shell Oil. He went on
Students work in Zhang’s lab at WSU Tri-Cities.
national student con-
established the Lanning Lecture in 1988 in honor of his late wife, Frances
Lanning Dillon. The fund supports lectures that broaden students’ knowledge of
the profession beyond the academic dimension, including societal, cultural, and
economic impacts, professional and business ethics, and leadership.
VOILAND SCHOOL NOTES
RESEARCH
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
VOILAND STUDENTS
Su Ha named top researcher
Mix of skills, viewpoints drives student-entrepreneur success
Su Ha, associate professor in the Voiland
Alumni gift establishes endowed
professorship in energy
School
and
Washington State University’s Gene and Linda Voiland
Bioengineering and director of the O.H.
of
Chemical
Engineering
School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering has
Reaugh Laboratory for Oil and Gas Research,
received a gift from alumnus Brion Wise to establish the
has been named among the 3,200 top cited
B. Wise Professorship in Energy Production.
or influential scientific researchers in the
successful program to provide educational opportunities for
WSU student team participates in
national chemical car competition
The gift will allow the Voiland School to grow its
world, according to Thomson Reuters.
Scientist earns top national award for biofuels research
students who, like Gene Voiland, Brion Wise, and a host of
both metal-based nanoparticles
fuels using renewable energy
A group of WSU chemical engineering students traveled
alumni, desire to
novel methods for efficiently
and natural enzymes as
such as the solar and wind
to Atlanta, Georgia, this year to participate in a national
become
converting chemical energy of
catalysts.
power.
student conference and chemical car competition. The
in the petroleum
•Dr. Ha’s research includes
fuels, including biofuels, into
clean electrical energy using
•He has initiated a project for
converting carbon dioxide into
leaders
production
•He has numerous publications
industry, said Jim
and holds two patents.
Petersen, director
Brion and Ronda Wise
Researchers develop unique waste cleanup for rural areas
of
the
Voiland
School.
Petroleum demand continues to grow worldwide,
while energy production and conversion technologies
are undergoing dramatic, rapid changes. With a long
Washington State University researchers have
for the waste to be cleaned faster and with
developed a unique method to use microbes
fewer harmful emissions.
buried in pond sediment to power waste
cleanup in rural areas.
Microbial fuel cells use biological reactions
from microbes in water to create electricity.
The first microbe-powered, self-sustaining
The WSU researchers developed a microbial
wastewater treatment system could lead to
fuel cell that does the work of the aerator, using
an inexpensive and quick way to clean up
only the power of microbes in the sewage
waste from large farming operations and
lagoons to generate electricity.
rural sewage treatment plants while reducing
pollution.
The researchers created favorable conditions
for growth of microbes that are able to
Professor Haluk Beyenal and graduate
naturally generate electrons as part of their
student Timothy Ewing discuss the system in
metabolic processes. The microbes were able
the online edition of Journal of Power Sources
to successfully power aerators in the lab for
and have filed for a patent.
more than a year, and the researchers are
Cutting greenhouse gases
hoping to test a full-scale pilot for eventual
commercialization.
Traditionally, waste from dairy farms
The researchers believe that the microbial
in rural areas is placed in a series of ponds
fuel cell technology is on the cusp of providing
to be eaten by bacteria, generating carbon
useful power solutions for communities.
dioxide and methane pollution, until the
The work was funded by two National
waste is safely treated. In urban areas with
Science Foundation CAREER awards, the U.S.
larger infrastructure, electrically powered
Office of Naval Research, and Washington
aerators mix water in the ponds, allowing
State University’s Agricultural Research Center.
students from WSU’s student chapter of the American Insti-
Go-KEFI team at Spokane business plan competition.
tute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) secured a spot in the
Monica Bomber, Amanda Scott, and Troy Carpenter sit in a Todd Hall conference room
surrounded by half-full mugs of coffee and crushed Red Bull cans.
Crumpled papers are scattered on the floor, and surrounding whiteboards are plastered with
borderline illegible lists, charts, and graphs in colorful ink. Aspiring entrepreneurs, the students
attend to their buzzing phones, set up impromptu meetings, hash out assignments, and solve
problems. Welcome to Go-KEFI, a Washington State University student-led startup business.
tradition of producing graduates who become leaders
Adventures in business—and travel
willing to venture. The site will find locations that
in this industry, this gift helps the Voiland School
Finding the right platform for entrepreneurial
fit the users’ criteria.
continue to produce chemical engineers who are
ideas can be difficult for even the most ambitious
Students find resources, validation
uniquely qualified to take leadership roles in meeting
college student. But Bomber and her colleagues—
Bomber is the project’s chief financial officer
the needs of the energy sector.
one from communications and the other from
and chief strategic officer. She is using skills
The school’s research in catalysis is leading to more
economics—found a way to bring together their
she gained in engineering classes to create
efficient production of fuels and byproducts. In the past
passion for learning with their motivation to
financial models and is analyzing strategic
decade, the school has more than doubled its enrollment
create a successful startup through the Harold
steps to move the project forward.
while also building stronger relationships in the industry.
Frank Engineering Entrepreneurship Institute.
The gift supports hiring a faculty member who will enhance
“Through the Harold Frank program, you
collaboration with industry, enabling the Voiland School
get to see all the possibilities out there and you
to provide a transformational, high quality, highly relevant
learn not to limit yourself. Your possibilities
student experience and thus allowing the university to
are endless,” said Bomber, a senior chemical
achieve one of its two primary strategic emphases.
engineering student in the Voiland School of
“As world energy use continues to rise, Voiland School
Earlier this year, the team won first place at
Startup Weekend Spokane.
“It gave us a lot of validation with our
idea,” said Bomber.
“All of a sudden it wasn’t just a class project
anymore,” said Scott.
Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.
Bomber gives much credit for Go-KEFI’s
chemical engineers will be critically needed to develop the
The idea for Go-KEFI—an experience-based,
success to the Harold Frank program. The
best and most efficient technologies to meet demand,” said
adventure travel website—came out of a technology
technology ventures course provides a chance
Jim Petersen, director of the Voiland School. “With this gift,
ventures class that Bomber and Scott took as part of
for motivated students from a variety of disci-
we can now provide an enhanced education for our stu-
the Frank program. Go-KEFI.com will allow users
plines to come together for collaboration.
dents that will prepare them to become leaders in the indus-
to design custom travel by entering their budget,
try and help meet the industry’s future production needs.”
what they want to do, and how far they are
“At the same time, Brion’s generous gift will also grow
“I just love the atmosphere of the class. It really
is there to provide you with resources,” she said.
ference and chemi-
Washington State University professor Xiao Zhang has received a prestigious National
cal car competition
place in last spring’s
Pacific
The training that Paul Smith (’82 B.S.) received as a
regional competition.
will lead to new processes for producing sustainable fuel and improving economic
chemical
State
The
and environmental sustainability of biorefinery operations. The $500,000, five-year
University provided him with the problem-solving skills
Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award will allow Zhang, Pacific
that he has used throughout his career.
Northwest National Laboratory collaborators, and industrial partners to develop a new
Northwest
competition,
which included 35
requires that a chem-
can begin to imagine where you’ll be in 20 or 30 years.”
ically-powered car
travel
25
while
carrying
Engineering, he says, is simply a good foundation for a
meters
successful career.
a
Smith, a senior vice president at IPC (USA) Inc., a
sizeable cargo and then stop as close as possible to the
trader and wholesale distributor of petroleum products
finish line. WSU students developed the idea for the
that is headquartered in Irvine, California, was recently
national AIChE competition more than a decade ago.
named the Distinguished Chemical Engineering Alumnus
At the conference, the WSU chemical car team
members also participated in a poster competition
chair of the board, chief executive officer, and president. He
is now chair of the board for Flat Iron Resources, an oil and
gas exploration and production company. He also owns
B Wise Vineyards, located in Sonoma, California, where
he applies chemical engineering principles to enable the
production of high quality wines.
from the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and
Bioengineering. He calls himself a “Coug to the core.”
and safety training. Several students attended a
“It’s impossible to know what that building is going to
leadership training program and networking session
look like when you get done. Just keep your eyes open and
with the executive officer committee and the young
work hard,” he advised students when he was recently on
professionals of AIChE. Junior Anna-Marie Weed took
campus to receive his award.
third place in the undergraduate poster competition.
The students received support to participate in the
competition from Alaska Airlines, BP, and Phillips-66.
Thank you! We’ll miss you!
assistant, retired in 2015.
presenting
Fanglin Che researches enhancing
Yan Li is studying metal oxide
performance of solid oxide fuel cells,
catalysts
oxides catalyze biological material to
which can directly and efficiently
reactions, which are critical in many
highly valued chemicals. She hopes
transfer chemical energy to electric
common industrial processes and
the work will lead to biologically based
power. She will present the effects of an
energy alternatives to oil-based fuels and chemicals.
external field on catalytic reactions that are directly
She works with faculty member Yong Wang.
relevant to fuel cells. She works with faculty member
Jean-Sabin McEwen.
for
selective
oxidation
for chemical production. She works
with faculty member Yong Wang
method to break apart the tough ring of the lignin molecule at mild temperatures.
Iglesia speaks at Lanning Lecture
Enrique Iglesia, the Theodore Vermeulen Chair in Chemical Engineering at the
University of California, Berkeley, a faculty senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory, and director of the Berkeley Catalysis Laboratory, spoke on
“Nanoparticles, Nanospace, and the Catalysis Toolbox” at the Voiland College
annual Lanning Lecture in April.
Iglesia’s research group addresses the synthesis and the structural and
functional characterization of solids used as catalysts for production of fuels and
petrochemicals, for conversion of energy carriers, and for improving the energy and
atom efficiency and the sustainability of chemical processes. His work combines
synthetic, spectroscopic, theoretical, and mechanistic techniques to advance novel
concepts and applications in heterogeneous catalysis. He has coauthored more than
300 publications and holds 40 U.S. patents.
Washington State University civil engineering alumnus Jack Dillon (’41)
Dick Zollars, professor, and Diana Thornton, principal
research on how transition metal
is
Washington
think of where I am today,” he says. “There is no way you
Society’s Richard J. Kokes Award. The award encourages student participation in the group’s annual meeting and funds their travel.
Baylon
at
the United States,
grateful for his support.”
Rebeccan
student
lignin to open chain hydrocarbons similar to those that make up jet fuel. The results
“When I graduated in 1982, it was impossible for me to
Fanglin Che, Rebecca Baylon, and Yan Li, graduate students in the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, received the North American Catalysis
to found Western Gas Resources in 1971, serving as director,
engineering
material to liquid fuels. He is developing an innovative chemical pathway to convert
teams from around
Students win catalysis society awards
After graduating from WSU with a chemical engineering
Science Foundation junior faculty award for his work in converting tough plant
Paul Smith receives Voiland School
Alumni Award
after taking second
the Voiland School’s stature,” he added. “We are so
degree in 1968, Wise went to work for Shell Oil. He went on
Students work in Zhang’s lab at WSU Tri-Cities.
national student con-
established the Lanning Lecture in 1988 in honor of his late wife, Frances
Lanning Dillon. The fund supports lectures that broaden students’ knowledge of
the profession beyond the academic dimension, including societal, cultural, and
economic impacts, professional and business ethics, and leadership.
RESEARCH
VOILAND NUMBERS
New catalyst could improve
biofuels production
production is grabbing carbon for fuel while
Murdock Grant to fund nextgeneration science at WSU
Washington
researchers
also removing oxygen. High oxygen content
By Will Ferguson, College of Arts and Sciences
have developed a new catalyst that could
makes biofuel less stable, gooier, and less
A car battery
lead
and
efficient than fossil fuels and not suitable
that gets you
more efficiently. Led by Voiland Distin-
to
State
making
University
biofuels
cheaply
One of the biggest challenges in biofuels
Gene and Linda Voiland School of
Growth in the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering
and Bioengineering
for airplane or diesel fuels. To improve
from Pullman
guished Professor
production,
to Seattle on
Yong Wang and
researchers
a single charge.
working
with
also want to
F l e x i b l e
little
Graduate Student Enrollment
Jean-
use
Undergraduate Enrollment
Professor
electronics that
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
80
as
Sabin McEwen,
hydrogen
as
can be sewn
the
possible
in
into clothing.
researchers
mixed inexpen-
the
reaction.
An affordable
sive iron with a
The WSU re-
transportation
tiny amount of
searchers
rare
developed the
hydrogen and
the
mixture of two
carbon monoxide. Washington State University
Their
metals to serve
researchers are a big step closer to making
work was featured
as a catalyst
these futuristic technologies a reality thanks
on the cover of
to efficiently
to a $521,800 grant from the M.J. Murdock
the journal ACS
and
Charitable Trust. The grant will help purchase
Catalysis.
r e m o v e
X-ray
oxygen.
instruments found nowhere else in the Pacific
to
palladium
make
catalyst.
Researchers,
cheaply
“The synergy
government
and
fuel made from
UV
photoelectron
spectroscopy
Northwest.
the
The instrumentation will be housed in the
industry leaders
palladium
Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and
are interested in
and the iron
Bioengineering and in the Department of
renewable
bio-
is incredible,”
Chemistry. In the Voiland School, the new
fuels as a way to
said Wang, who
instruments will help researchers investigate
leaders,
between
Norbert Kruse
and
reduce national dependence on fossil fuels and
holds
Pacific
the mechanisms of catalytic reactions and test
reduce emissions of harmful carbon dioxide to
Northwest National Laboratory and WSU.
a
joint
appointment
materials and devices in the environments where
the atmosphere, where it contributes to global
“When combined, the catalyst is far better
they will be required to function.
warming.
than the metals alone in terms of activity,
stability, and selectivity.” ❚
at
“One of our present research topics is to
produce gasoline or diesel fuels catalytically
from two simple gases, hydrogen and carbon
monoxide,
under
conditions,”
said
environmentally
friendly
Norbert
Voiland
Kruse,
Distinguished Professor. “The possibility of
producing a range of important chemical
products from only two gases is most fascinating,
and
the
two
photoelectron
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Chemical Engineering
Bioengineering
2
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
PhD
Research Expenditures
5,000,000
4,500,000
4,000,000
3,500,000
3,000,000
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
MS
FACULTY
Faculty
Fellows
Yong Wang ACS, AIChE, AAAS,
Royal Society of Chemistry
Dick Zollars AIChE, ASEE
spectrometers
3
CAREER
Award Winners
Haluk Beyenal
Anita Vasavada
Xiao Zhang
will help develop the respective nano-sized
catalysts.”
The Murdock grant will help WSU faculty
attract lucrative new grants and top-notch
young faculty and graduate students.
“We anticipate that this equipment will allow
us to perform hitherto unimagined research
funded by the federal government and industry
and to develop new technologies that will fuel
Students and faculty members from the catalysis research lab group.
the economy,” said James Petersen, director of
the Voiland School.”❚
5/15 149217
Areas of
Preeminence
• Energy and environmental
applications of catalysis
• Muscle mechanics and
protein engineering
• Biofilm engineering
•Biofuels
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
and BIOENGINEERING
Summer 2015