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Chemistry Seminar Program
Student Hosted Colloquium
Thursday, October 25th
Professor Carl Koval
"Electrocatalysis, Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Sequestration, and Creating an
Energy Initiative"
4:15pm - 5:15pm
Braun Auditorium
S.G. Mudd Chemistry Building
Stanford University
This seminar is being sponsored by Dow Chemical
and is free and open to the public. All Stanford University Chemistry students are encouraged to attend this special event.
About the lecture:
Interest in electrocatalysis, like many other scientific issues
related to energy production, storage and utilizations, is enjoying a
resurgence due to concerns about global climate change. Despite
decades of research, efficient, stable, and inexpensive
electrocatalysts for key reactions such as oxygen reduction, water
oxidation and carbon dioxide reduction have yet to be discovered.
Prof. Koval's introduction to this field occurred through a
collaboration involving faculty in Stanford's Chemistry department in
the 1970's. After some brief reminiscing, preliminary (and
unofficial) findings will be shared from the recent panel on "Advanced
Catalysts for the Photo- and Electro-Driven Conversion of Carbon
Dioxide and Water" that was part of the BES Basic Research Needs in
Catalysis for Energy Applications Conference. If carbon sequestration
is to be implemented as a means to mitigate climate change, selective
and energy-efficient methods for separating carbon dioxide from other
gases will be needed. Two possible methods for accomplishing carbon
dioxide separations, electrochemically modulated complexation and
ionic liquid membranes, will be briefly discussed. It time permits,
Prof. Koval will also discuss his role in the formation of the
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Initiative at CU-Boulder and the
Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory.
About Koval:
Faculty Director Koval has been a faculty member in the Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry at CU Boulder since 1980. As part of developing his research program in electrochemistry and membrane science, he has been the thesis advisor for 26 Ph.D. students, 5 M.S. students and 5 research associates. His research has resulted in over 110 publications, 10 patents, and has been supported by 47 separate research contracts and grants, and has included collaborations with several current and former scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Most of Prof. Koval’s research throughout his scientific career has been related to renewable or sustainable energy:
- His Ph.D. research at Caltech involved developing catalysts for the reduction of oxygen to water. This is still a significant problem in the area of fuel cell development.
- From approximately 1985 – 2000, his research group investigated a number of fundamental issues related to electron transfer processes at the semiconductor-solution interface. Understanding these processes is critical for the development of efficient photoelectrochemical cells.
- In the 1990’s, Prof. Koval collaborated with on a number of projects related to using photoelectrochemical process for the treatment of both gaseous and liquid waste streams. These processes have the potential to be more energy-efficient than conventional technologies.
- As part of a longstanding collaboration with Prof. Richard Noble in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Prof. Koval investigated selective and energy-efficient membrane separation processes, primary through the use of facilitated transport membranes and, more recently, ionic liquid membranes.
- Another collaborative research direction involved the development of electrochemically modulated complexation (EMC), an energy efficient process that allows specific components of a mixture to be separated and concentrated. Recently, his group showed that an EMC processes could be used to selectively remove carbon dioxide from gas mixtures.
Questions
Please contact Patricia Dwyer at 650-723-4770.
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