Praveen Bollini

Abstract:
Engineering the next generation of nanoporous materials will enable atom-efficient catalysis, and energy-efficient separations processes. This talk will focus on two studies where a molecular-level understanding of rate processes enables significant improvements in process performance. The first part of the talk will identify principal factors governing the kinetics of CO2 adsorption onto supported amine adsorbents for flue gas applications. Based on these factors, I will discuss strategies for designing adsorbents that simultaneously exhibit both high equilibrium adsorption capacities as well as rapid adsorption kinetics. The second part of this talk will illustrate the identity of key intermediates acting as either co-catalysts for product formation or precursors to catalyst deactivation in the conversion of methanol to olefins over zeolites. This understanding of key intermediates is then used to develop a hydrocarbon seeding strategy that enhances light-olefin yields while also mitigating carbon loss during methanol to olefins catalysis. These investigations serve as examples of how a molecular-level picture of physical and chemical processes can inform the development of advanced adsorbents, membranes, and catalytic materials.

Biography:
Praveen Bollini is originally from India, and received his Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India in 2008 and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2013. He was a Research Engineer at the Dow Chemical Company in Freeport, TX from 2013-2015. He has been a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Minnesota since March 2015.

Sponsored by the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Notre Dame.