Biomass Systems Engineering and Thermochemical Processing in Arid Regions
Catherine E. Brewer
Chemical & Materials Engineering (CHME) Department
New Mexico State University
Seminar Host: Xianglan Bai
Abstract
Biomass resources are available all around us and are frequently underutilized. These resources can come in the form of agricultural residues like pecan shells, guayule bagasse or cotton gin trash, forest residues, invasive species like tumbleweed and salt cedar, yard waste, organic materials and nutrients in wastewater, and even garbage on spacecraft. There are many opportunities to use these resources to meet our feed, water, and energy needs—with the right engineering. Thermochemical processes, namely pyrolysis, torrefaction, and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), provide platforms to convert low-value materials into heat, power, liquid fuels, adsorbents, fertilizers, and soil amendments. Dr. Brewer will describe how a thermochemical biomass systems approach can be used to produce fully synthetic jet fuel, remove contaminants from ground water and soils, and improve the sustainability of biomass product industries.
Dr. Catherine “Catie” Brewer received a B.S. in Chemistry from Indiana U. of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and Biorenewable Resources & Technology from Iowa State University (2012). Prior to joining the Chemical & Materials Engineering faculty at New Mexico State University in 2013, she completed a postdoc at Rice University. She also serves as an affiliate faculty member for NMSU’s Water Science & Management program and is one of the instructors for NMSU’s new Brewery Engineering program. Her research interests include waste biomass utilization, biochar, pyrolysis, torrefaction, hydrothermal liquefaction, renewable fuels, local beer ingredients, and sustainable agriculture.
This seminar counts towards the ME 600 seminar requirement for Mechanical Engineering graduate students