Abstract:
A series of Ag-based catalysts were studied for direct PO epoxidation with O2 as the oxidant. Ag supported on CaCO3 and α-Al2O3 were prepared as base materials to study. Promoters (K+, Cs+, Mo) and feed additives (EtCl, NO, CO2) were added to the catalyst and feed stream, respectively, in order to evaluate their effects on PO selectivity and yield. Ball-milling of the catalyst during preparation was a significant factor in ensuring proper blending of promoter species in the Ag particle. Surface characterization (chemisorption, XPS, SEM-EDX), bulk composition characterization (XRD, ICP-OES), and reaction kinetic evaluation were conducted to understand the nature of PO selectivity.
Biography:
Dr. Anne M. Gaffney is the Chief Science Officer of Idaho National Laboratory and Distinguished National Lab Fellow (2014 – present). She has thirty-four years of experience working in industry inventing and commercializing new technologies for major chemical manufacturing companies including Koch Industries, Lummus Technology, Dow, Dupont and ARCO Chemical Company. She has authored 155 publications and 256 patents. Dr. Gaffney is also a distinguished Joint Appointment Fellow at the University of South Carolina (2018 – present) where she is the Technical Director of the National Science Foundation Center for Rational Catalyst Synthesis. Some of her recent awards include: the 2019 American Chemical Society, Energy & Fuels, Distinguished Researcher Award in Petroleum Chemistry; the 2015 Eugene J. Houdry Award of the North American Catalysis Society; the Chemical Heritage Foundation, Women in Science Inductee, 2014; and the American Chemical Society, Industrial Chemistry Award, 2013. Dr. Gaffney received her BA in chemistry and mathematics from Mount Holyoke College and her Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry from University of Delaware.
