CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT PRESENTS

Dr. Jeremy T. Feaster

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Monday, March 2nd, 2020; Baskerville 106 at 2:00 PM

Reception: Exhibit Room from 3:00 – 4:00 PM

Combining Advanced Manufactured Reactors and Computational Fluid Dynamics for Improved Understanding of Electrochemical CO₂ Conversion

With the realization of the global impact of waste carbon on the atmosphere, coupled with a clear and growing demand for abundant electricity, there are both environmental and economic driving forces for capturing and electrochemically converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into high value hydrocarbon products. While much of the recent focus in this area has been driven by catalyst discovery, there is a lack of understanding on how the partnership of the catalyst and the reactor can be optimized for product selectivity and overall performance. The development of novel and optimized electrochemical reactors for this reaction is critically important; to address this gap, we report the use of advanced materials and manufacturing capabilities to design and construct electrocatalysts and electrochemical reactors for CO2 reduction. We report that by 3D printing catalysts and reactors, we can affect catalyst morphology, environment and reaction conditions, and thereby improve performance of Ag and Cu catalysts for electrochemical CO2 reduction. Our work at LLNL demonstrates our ability to leverage 3D printing, computational fluid dynamics, and advanced manufacturing as tools to help study and improve catalyst activity, product faradaic efficiency, and overall energy efficiency.

Dr. Jeremy T. Feaster is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Materials Science Division at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His research focuses on utilizing advanced manufacturing for designing and testing electrochemical reactors and electrocatalysts for CO2 conversion and energy applications. Dr. Feaster earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University in 2018 and 2015, respectively, and completed his B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech in 2011. A passionate proponent of uplifting communities of color, he started the Jeremy T. Feaster Foundation in 2012. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Feaster Foundation awards scholarships and provides mentorship to students of color across the nation who are driven to serve their community and help their fellow peers.