Lab Address: Carbon Recycling Center, Eckles 224B

Education

• B.S. University of Colorado, 1984, Chemical Engineering
• Ph.D. University of Colorado, 1993, Chemical Engineering

Research

• Processing biomass and carbonaceous residues into energy, fuels and chemicals using supercritical fluids.

Research Summary

• At the Carbon Recycling Center in Eckles 224-B, we recognize that biomass is our carbon resource. Implementation of the biomass refinery concept on a large-scale and predominantly continuous basis is required to exploit this resource. We focus the use of supercritical fluids to process biomass and carbonaceous residues. Examples include exploration of gasification and combustion using supercritical water, and extractions and fractionations using supercritical carbon dioxide. Practical application of these techniques requires broadening our research focus to include upstream processing and downstream processing. Upstream processing projects include feeding biomass into high-pressure, high-temperature environments. Downstream processing projects include the use of high-pressure equilibrium phase separators. See an article from the Mizzou Engineer about the Carbon Recycling Center and the work we do there.

Recent Journal Articles

• Hendry, D., Miller, A., Wilkinson, N., Wickramathilaka, M., Espanani, R. and Jacoby, W. A. “Exploration of High Pressure Separations of Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide.” Journal of CO2 Utilization 3–4 (2013) 37–43.
• Wilkinson, N., Hendry, D., Venkitasamy, C. and Jacoby, W.A. “Study of process variables in supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of soybeans.” Food Science and Technology International 20(1) (2013), 63-70.
• Wilkinson, N., Wickramathilaka, M., Hendry, D., Miller, A., Espanani, R., and Jacoby, W.A. “Rate determination of supercritical water gasification of primary sewage sludge as a replacement for anaerobic digestion.” Bioresource Technology, 124 (2012) 269–275
• Miller, A., Hendry, D., Jacoby, W.A. “Gasification of Algae in Supercritical Water to Produce High-value Fuel Gas.” Bioresource Technology, 119 (2012) 41–47.
• Hendry, D., Miller, A., Jacoby, W.A. “Turbulent Operation of a Plug Flow Reactor for Gasification of Alcohols in Supercritical Water.” Industrial Engineering & Chemistry Research, 2012, 51, 2578-2585.
• Venkitasamy, C., Hendry, D., Wilkinson, N., Fernando, L. and Jacoby, W. A. “Investigation of thermochemical conversion of biomass in supercritical water using a batch reactor.” Fuel 90 (2011), pp. 2662-2670.
• Hendry, D., Venkitasamy, C. Wilkinson, N. and Jacoby, W.A. “Exploration of the effect of process variables on the production of high-value fuel gas from glucose via supercritical water gasification” Bioresource Technology 102 (2011) 3480–3487.

Working Titles for our Current Research

• “Oxidation of Simulated Sewage Sludge in Supercritical Water Using a Plug Flow Reactor: Experimental Determination of Mass Balance and Rate Parameters.”
• “Gasification of Simulated Sewage Sludge in Supercritical Water Using a Plug Flow Reactor: Experimental Determination of Mass Balance and Rate Parameters.”
• “Oxidation of Simulated Sewage Sludge in Supercritical Water: Determination of the Fate of Nitrogen and Phosphorous.”
• “Gasification of Simulated Sewage Sludge in Supercritical Water: Determination of the Fate of Nitrogen and Phosphorous.”
• “Exploration of High Pressure Separation of Fuel Gases and Carbon Dioxide.”
• “Supercritical Water Gasification of Motor Oil, Alcohols, Algae and Simulated Sewage Sludge: Establish Link Between Batch and Continuous Processing.”