Background

Education

• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ph.D. Chemical Engineering (2025)
• University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, B.S. Chemical Engineering (2019)

Presentations

• NAM28 - 2023
• PREPA13 - 2023
• ACS Spring - 2023
• AICHE - 2023
• AICHE - 2024

Project Description

Understanding hydrocarbon and oxygenated molecule conversion pathways over zeolitic materials.

Awards

• Kokes Award - NAM28 (2023)
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow (2021)
• Graduate Engineering Research Scholars (GERS) Fellowship (2019)
• The National GEM Consortium (GEM) Associate Fellowship (2019)
• Luis Monzón and Luis Stefani Raffucci Award – Highest Honor (2019)

Publications

• Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Salvador, F. E.; Alikhani, Z.; Callahan, L.; Evans, J. M.; Ibrahim, F.; Hermans, I. Role of Transition State Stabilization on Zeolite Catalyzed Hydrocarbon Conversion. 2025. In preparation.
• Ibrahim, F.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Evans, J. M.; Callahan, L.; Rodríguez- Rodríguez, F.; Kortendick, C.; Cardona-Martínez, N.; Hermans, I. Catalytic Implications of Solvent Structures in the Confining Voids of Sn-β Zeolites on Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley Reaction Rates. 2025. In preparation.
• Hortal-Sánchez, I.; Ibrahim, F.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Cardona-Martínez, N.; Hermans, I. Conversion of Fructose to Difructose Anhydride over Bronsted Acidic Beta Zeolite and the Effect of Solvent/Cosolvent. Green Chemistry 2025. To be submitted.
• Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Salvador, F. E.; Alikhani, Z.; Evans, J. M.; Callahan, L.; Mitchell, N. K.; Huang, C.; Ganguly, S.; Ibrahim, F.; Hermans, I. Quantifying Site Heterogeneity in Microporous Aluminosilicates and Their Implications for Catalysis. ACS Catalysis 2025. Under review.
• Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Ibrahim, F.; Hortal-Sánchez, I.; López-González, J. Y.; Montano-Herazo, A.; Clewett, C.; Cardona-Martínez, G. W.; Hermans, I. Molecular Insights of Water-Induced Site Dynamics within Microporous Voids on Liquid-Phase Catalytic Transformations. ACS Catalysis 2025. Under review.
• Kiani, D.; Rebarchik, M.; Ryu, T.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Lo, W. S.; Ottinger, N.; Xi, Y.; Liu, Z. G.; Hermans, I. Experimental Perspective on Occluded CuxOy Nanoclusters in Hydrothermally Aged Cu-SSZ-13 SCR Catalysts. Chem Catalysis 2024, 4 (6).
• Wrasman, C. J.; Bell, A. T.; Chandler, B. D.; Harris, J. W.; Kwon, S.; Ball, M. R.; Krishna, S. H.; Khatib, S. J.; Bollini, P.; Román-Leshkov, Y.; “Bean” Getsoian, A.; Weber, R. S.; Lercher, J. A.; Liu, D.; Resasco, D. E.; Bates, J. S.; Hall, J. N.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Paz Herrera, L.; Notestein, J. M.; Schaidle, J. A. Recommendations for Improving Rigor and Reproducibility in Site Specific Characterization. J Catal 2024, 433, 115451.
• Göltl, F.; Bhandari, S.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Gold, J. I.; Hutton, D. J.; Zones, S. I.; Hermans, I.; Dumesic, J. A.; Mavrikakis, M. Exploring the Impact of Active Site Structure on the Conversion of Methane to Methanol in Cu-Exchanged Zeolites. Angewandte Chemie 2024, e202403179.
• Kurumbail, U. R.; McDermott, W. P.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Hermans, I. From Microkinetic Model to Process: Understanding the Role of the Boron Nitride Surface and Gas Phase Chemistry in the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane. React Chem Eng 2024, 9 (4), 795–802.
• Dong, S.; Ryu, T.; Oi, C.; Wu, J.; Altvater, N. R.; Hagmann, R.; Alikhani, Z.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Jansen, J. H.; Cecon, V. S.; Curtzwiler, G. W.; Vorst, K. L.; Huber, G. W.; Hermans, I. Catalytic conversion of post-consumer recycled high-density polyethylene oil over Zn-impregnated ZSM-5 catalysts. Chemical Engineering Journal 2024, 482, 148889.
• Alvear, M.; Schmidt, C.; Reinsdorf, O.; Lebrón-Rodríguez E.A; al Abdulghani, A.; Hermans I.; Peurla, M.; Lastusaari, M.; Eranen, k.; Murzin, D.; Kumar, N.; Salmi, T.; Ti-MWW catalysts for propylene oxide production: Influence of Si/Ti ratio and calcination conditions. Catalysis Letters 2023.
• Dong, S.; Li, H.; Bloede, I. K.; al Abdulghani, A. J.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Huber, G. W.; Hermans, I. Catalytic Conversion of Model Compounds of Plastic Pyrolysis Oil over ZSM-5. Appl Catal B 2023, 324, 122219.
• Wang, S.; Abdulghani, A. al; Lebrón‐Rodríguez, E. A.; Lo, W.; Zhu, H.; Moini, A.; Petrovic, I.; Prasad, S.; Hermans, I. Quantification of Exchanged Copper Species in Cu‐Chabazite Zeolite Using Cryogenic Probe Infrared Spectroscopy. ChemCatChem 2022, e202200725.
• Göltl, F.; Bhandari, S.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Gold, J. I.; Zones, S. I.; Hermans, I.; Dumesic, J. A.; Mavrikakis, M. Identifying Hydroxylated Copper Dimers in SSZ-13 via UV-Vis-NIR Spectroscopy. Catal Sci Technol 2022, 12 (9), 2744–2748.
• Cuello-Penaloza, P.; Krishna, S. H.; De Bruyn, M.; Weckhuysen, B. M.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Hermans, I.; Dumesic, J. A.; Huber, G. W. Production of Hexane-1,2,5,6-Tetrol from Biorenewable Levoglucosanol over Pt-WOx/TiO2. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 2021, 9 (48), 16123–16132.
• Mark, L. O.; Dorn, R. W.; McDermott, W. P.; Agbi, T. O.; Altvater, N. R.; Jansen, J.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Cendejas, M. C.; Rossini, A. J.; Hermans, I. Highly Selective Carbon-Supported Boron for Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane. ChemCatChem 2021, 13 (16), 3611–3618.
• Cendejas, M. C.; Dorn, R. W.; McDermott, W. P.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Mark, L. O.; Rossini, A. J.; Hermans, I. Controlled Grafting Synthesis of Silica-Supported Boron for Oxidative Dehydrogenation Catalysis. J. Phys. Chem. C 2021, 125 (23), 12636–12649.
• Ball, M. R.; Rivera-Dones, K. R.; Gilcher, E. B.; Ausman, S. F.; Hullfish, C. W.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Dumesic, J. A. AgPd and CuPd Catalysts for Selective Hydrogenation of Acetylene. ACS Catal. 2020, 10 (15), 8567–8581.

Patents

• Hortal-Sánchez, I.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Ibrahim, F.; Lo, W.-S.; Hermans, I.; Cardona-Martínez, N.; Catalytic Method for the Preparation of Difructose Anhydride. US20240417416A1 (2024).
• McDermott, W. P.; Lebrón-Rodríguez, E. A.; Kurumbail, U. R.; Hermans, I. Gas Phase Ozone-Mediated Selective Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Alkanes. US11680030B2 (2023).