A "Transforming Energy" Lecture by Al Weimer
February 25, 2011

Abstract

Sunlight is concentrated  to achieve ultra-high temperatures for the efficient and clean conversion of  chemical reactions to produce renewable fuels. Solar-thermal reactors have been designed, constructed and tested on-sun for the splitting of water through thermochemical cycles and for the rapid dissociation of cellulosic biomass to intermediate sygnas. This presentation will focus on

1. base thermodynamic considerations for using solar energy to drive highly endothermic reactions,
2. experimental results for both water splitting and biomass conversion reactions,
3. materials challenges/solar reactor design, and
4. economics/process scalability.

A thin film two-step ferrite based water splitting cycle and the rapid conversion of cellulosic biomass—without producing tars and with > 90% utilization of the biomass will be reviewed with experimental results presented. Finally, the challenges and opportunities for the commercialization of solar-thermal processes will be discussed.

Bio

Al Weimer joined the faculty of the University of Colorado after a 16 year career with the Dow Chemical Company.  He was named Dow Research Inventor of the Year in 1993 and received Dow’s “Excellence in Science Award” in 1995 for commercializing high temperature processing to produce advanced materials.  He is recipient of the 2005 DOE Hydrogen Program R&D Award in recognition of outstanding achievement in R&D for solar-driven high-temperature thermochemical cycles for hydrogen production and more recently received the 2009 AIChE Baron Award in Fluid-Particle Systems and the 2010 AIChE Excellence in Process Development Research Award.   He is Executive Director of the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels, a partnership of the three major research universities in Colorado and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.  His former students have co-founded two spin-off companies out of his university laboratory.  He teaches the senior undergraduate capstone design course and supervises the research of 12 Ph.D. students.