UWSP Research Team Contributes to Renewable Energy Research

This summer, Associate Professor of chemistry Jason D’Acchioli and a team of students conducted original research that could potentially be used to lessen dependence on petroleum in today’s changing climate.

Their research focuses on improving the catalysis process in creating hydrogen with new compounds. A catalyst is anything that speeds up a chemical reaction by lowering the amount of energy that a reaction needs to occur. In what is called a water-gas shift reaction, liquid water and carbon monoxide are put under pressure to form carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

While the exact mechanism is unknown, the research is focusing on creating better molecules to drive that process. As it stands, the materials used in most industrial catalyses are expensive, rare metals.

The materials the lab here at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point  range from $250 to $400 for a single gram. In trying to balance efficiency and affordability, the research team is working on designing new molecules that will hopefully improve the conversion.

Sophomore biology major Alex Eschmann was pleased that she was able to stick around campus during the summer and earn credit in addition to getting paid to do research.

“I really like that I was able to help create something that nobody ever had before,” Eschmann said.

Eschmann worked primarily with a material called osmium, but the lab also worked extensively with ruthenium and iron.

“Ruthenium is an interesting material to work with because its catalysis works at ambient temperatures,”D’Acchioli said.

This is particularly useful in industrial settings because a majority of the energy used in producing hydrogen gas is creating the right reaction conditions.

The first phase of the research was designing the compounds, and this fall the team is going to test the efficacy of their creations. After seeing if the compounds work, the next step will be to optimize their use by changing the reaction conditions. While optimistic about the project’s future, D’Acchioli mentioned that the research slows down during the school year due to busy schedules.

With the end goal of complete independence from fossil fuels, D’Acchioli and his research team can stay motivated and passionate about their work as they continue the search for a better way to produce hydrogen gas.

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