Our general research interest is in the kinetics of heterogeneous catalytic processes. Heterogeneous catalysis will continue to be a key technology for the foreseeable future, especially as environmental regulations become more stringent and we look into transforming biomass into fuels. We study fundamental aspects of problems of current interest and employ a wide range of research approaches based on our previous research background in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and industrial practice. We work by combining measurements on high surface area catalyst with the ones on flat, non-porous replicas of the catalyst that are optimized for surface science analysis. Modeling the kinetics and calculating kinetic parameters by first-principle methods complements the experimental effort. One area of particular interest is the development of techniques and equipment fabrication to study catalysts under dynamic reaction conditions.
Our fundamental approach to problems has made interactions with industry quite effective. We usually involve industrial partners in our research. We have been working in the areas of, water-gas shift reaction for fuel cell applications, reactions on hydrocarbons for the production of chemical and fuels, NOx traps for automotive applications and transformation of biomass into fuels.
The spirit of innovation that propelled Purdue alumnus Neil Armstrong’s giant leap for mankind continues with the launch of Leading Energy-Transition Advances and Pathways to Sustainability (LEAPS). This Purdue Engineering Initiative focuses on the generation and use of sustainable, affordable and reliable energy to solve one of the grandest challenges for our planet. Purdue is stepping up to a new level of research and education innovation that will cross disciplines, link campus expertise and empower future engineers and entrepreneurs. To learn more, read the news article and watch the video.
The Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources, CISTAR, is one of the flagship Engineering Research Centers (ERCs) funded by the National Science Foundation. ERCs bring together industry, academia, and government to cultivate engineering discovery and education in research areas critical to our nation’s strength. ERC’s infrastructure integrates four pillars: research, engineering workforce development, industry and innovation, and diversity & culture of inclusion, with industry partners being paramount to center success. CISTAR is a coalition of five collaborating institutions comprising of Purdue University, University of New Mexico, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, and The University of Texas at Austin.
CISTAR objectives include expanding the use of natural gas as a feedstock in chemical processes while realizing economic gains alongside reduced environmental impacts through innovations in catalysis, separations, and process enhancements as well as electrification and decarbonization. To learn more, watch the video and visit our website.
“Effects of dioxygen pressure on rates of NOx selective catalytic reduction with NH3 on Cu-CHA zeolites”, Casey B. Jones, Ishant Khurana, Siddarth H. Krishna, Arthur J. Shih, W. Nicholas Delgass, Jeffrey T. Miller, Fabio H. Ribeiro, William F. Schneider, Rajamani Gounder, Journal of Catalysis, 389, 140–149, 2020.
“Consequences of product inhibition in the quantification of kinetic Parameters”, James W. Harris, Anuj A. Verma, Jeremy W. Arvay, Arthur J. Shih, W. Nicholas Delgass, Fabio H. Ribeiro, Journal of Catalysis, 389, 468–475, 2020.
“Effect of Cobalt Addition on Platinum Supported on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Water-Gas Shift”, Garrett M. Mitchell, Kaiwalya D. Sabnis, Fred G. Sollberger, Yanran Cui, Chang Wan Han, Paulami Majumdar, Zhenhua Zeng, Jeffrey T. Miller, Jeffrey Greeley, Volkan Ortalan, Chao Wang, W. Nicholas Delgass and Fabio H. Ribeiro, Journal of Catalysis, 391, 25-34, 2020
“Effects of Ethene Pressure on the Deactivation of Ni-Zeolites During Ethene Oligomerization at Sub-ambient Temperatures”, Richard Caulkins, Ravi Joshi, Rajamani Gounder, Fabio H. Ribeiro, ChemCatChem, 13, doi.org/10.1002/cctc.202101478, 2021.
“Water-Gas Shift Reaction over Supported Au Nanoparticles”, Mayank Shekhar, Wen-Sheng Lee, M. Cem Akatay, Leonardo Maciel, Wenjie Tang, Jeffrey T. Miller, Eric A. Stach, Matthew Neurock, W. Nicholas Delgass, and Fabio H. Ribeiro, Journal of Catalysis, 405, 475-488, 2022.
2023 INAUGURAL L.K. DORAISWAMY GRADUATE SEMINAR SERIES, Iowa State
University, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Ames, Iowa
2023 EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, American Chemical Society, Division of
Catalysis Science and Technology
2023 FELLOW, American Association for the Advancement of Science
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PRIZE FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO BUILDING
BRIDGES BETWEEN BRAZIL AND THE U.S., Brazilian Embassy in the U.S.
2022 SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue
2020 FACULTY RESEARCH AWARD, Sigma Xi Purdue Chapter
2019 CATALYSIS CLUB OF PHILADELPHIA AWARD, Catalysis Club of Philadelphia
2019
GIUSEPPE PARRAVANO MEMORIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN CATALYSIS
RESEARCH, Michigan Catalysis Society
2015
VISITING PROFESSOR, Departement Chemie und Angewandte Biowissenschaften,
ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, March 1st to May 31st, 2015
2015 HERMAN PINES AWARD, Catalysis Club of Chicago
2014 FELLOW, American Institute of Chemical Engineers
2014
PRESIDENTIAL SAFETY AWARD TO THE CHEMICAL ENGINEERING SAFETY
COMMITTEE, FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE, Purdue University
2014 TEAM AWARD, Purdue College of Agriculture
2014 FACULTY AWARD OF EXCELLENCE ON RESEARCH, Purdue College of Engineering
2012 HENRY J. ALBERT AWARD, International Precious Metals Institute
2010
LANGMUIR: INVITED CO-EDITOR, Special issue in honor of Gabor A. Somorjai
(Seong H. Kim, Fabio H. Ribeiro, Robert M. Rioux)
2006 – 2011 FACULTY SCHOLAR, Purdue University
2007 TEAM EXCELLENCE AWARD, Purdue University, College of Engineering
2005 EXCELLENCE IN CATALYSIS AWARD, Catalysis Society of Metropolitan New York
2003
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY: INVITED CO-EDITOR, Special issue in honor
of Michel Boudart
2001
VISITING ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, University of Poitiers, Laboratoire de Catalyse en
Chimie Organique, Poitiers, France, June 15 to July 15, 2001
