Background

Education

University of Virginia, B.S. Chemical Engineering (2012)
     Thesis: "Life-cycle assessment of energy production from algae: removal of emerging contaminants from wastewater"
Purdue University, Ph.D. Chemical Engineering (2012 - present)

Experience

• Ticona Performance Polymers, Process Engineering Intern (Summer 2012)
• Ticona Perfomance Polymers, Supply Chain Intern (Summer 2011)
• Davis Group - University of Virginia, Undergraduate Research Assistant (Apr. 2010 - Sep. 2010)

Awards

• AIChE Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division Travel Award (AIChE, world-wide) (2016)
• 2nd Place Presentation, GSO Research Symposium (Purdue University, Chemical Engineering) (2016)
• The Dow Chemical Company ISCRE 24 Travel Award (Dow Chemical, ISCRE attendees) (2016)
• Eastman Chemical Travel Grant (Purdue University, Chemical Engineering) (2015)
• Ross Fellowship, Purdue University (Purdue University, graduate school) (2012)
• Undergraduate Research and Design Symposium (URDS), 3rd place - University of Virginia (2012)
       Thesis: "Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Production from Algae: Triclosan from Wastewater"
• Alwyn C. Lapsley Scholarship (UVa, Engineering School) (2008)
• Rodman Scholar (UVa, Engineering School) (2008)
• National Merit Scholarship (National Merit Foundation, nation-wide award) (2008)
• John H. Morgan Scholarship (Archdiocese of Louisville, city-wide award) (2008)

About Me

I am from Louisville, KY, and I received my B.S. in Chemical Engineering (cum laude) from the University of Virginia in 2012. I started at Purdue in the fall semester in 2012, where I was a Ross Fellow (2012-2013). I was a Rodman Scholar at the University of Virginia, and was awarded third place in the University's Undergraduate Research and Design Symposium (URDS) for a presentation of my independent thesis research entitled "Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Production from Algae: Triclosan from Wastewater." My thesis was titled "Life-cycle assessment of energy production from algae: removal of emerging contaminants from wastewater" and included my science, technology, and society thesis entitled "Policy factors affecting biofuel feedstock choice in the U.S." I was also a member of a five-person capstone project team that produced a second technical thesis entitled "The growth, extraction, and cracking of algae from botryococcus braunii for biofuel production." My hobbies include running, cycling, and tennis.

Project Description (high-level)

I synthesize aluminum-free Lewis Acid zeolites for use in various reaction studies. These materials are different from traditional zeolites promoted with transition metals in that they do not have a mix of Bronsted and Lewis acid sites, leading to differences in catalytic rates and product selectivities. I make these materials "from scratch," meaning they are free of impurities. I perform several characterization tests to completely identify what the materials are prior to testing them for the reaction(s) I study. Additionally, I've built a complete reactor setup from scratch for catalyst testing with direct injection to a gas chromatograph, which allows me to determine my reaction product distribution without any products condensing and reacting in the liquid phase.

Project Description (detailed)

I am studying metallosilicate zeolites as catalysts for various applications. This project involves synthesis of aluminum-free zeolite structures with various heteroatoms including zinc, tin, titanium, and others. Various characterization techniques are required to certify the success of each synthesis, including XRD, diffuse-reflectance UV-VIS (DRUV), NMR, micropore volume and surface area measurements via nitrogen physisorption, acid site titration with in situ IR spectroscopy and various probe molecules, atomic absorption (AA), and testing via probe reactions. Zeolites with isolated framework metal atoms have not been tested as catalysts for many industrial reactions as they require complicated and lengthy synthesis procedures when synthesized via traditional hydrothermal routes. To address this issue, I will also be testing zeolites synthesized by dealuminating industrially available catalysts followed by "healing in" various metal atoms to the zeolitic framework. I am also testing amorphous silica promoted with "single-site" transition metals via the strong electrostatic attraction (SEA) technique for comparison to the crystalline materials with isolated metal atoms in siliceous frameworks to determine the benefit of size-selectivity afforded by using zeolites.

Publications

• James W. Harris, Michael J. Cordon, John R. Di Iorio, Juan Carlos Vega-Vila, Fabio H. Ribeiro, Rajamani Gounder, Titration and Quantification of Open and Closed Lewis Acid Sites in Sn-Beta Zeolites that Catalyze Glucose Isomerization, Journal of Catalysis, 335, 2016, 141-154
• Zhenwei Wu, Evan C. Wegener, Han-Ting Tseng, James R. Gallagher, James W. Harris, Rosa E. Diaz, Yang Ren,Fabio H. Ribeiro, Jeffrey T. Miller, Pd-In intermetallic alloy nanoparticles: highly selective ethane dehydrogenation catalysts, Catalysis Science and Technology, 6, 2015, 6965-6976.
• Patrick Wolf, Wei-Chih Liao, Ta Chung Ong, Maxence Valla, James W. Harris, Rajamani Gounder, William N.P. van der Graaff, Evgeny A. Pidko, Emiel J. M. Hensen, Jan Dijkmans, Bert Sels, Ive Hermans, Aaron J. Rossini, Anne Lesage, Lyndon Emsley, Christophe Copèret, Identifying Sn Site Heterogeneities Prevalent Among Sn-Beta Zeolites, Helvetica Chimica Acta, doi: 10.1002/hlca.201600234
• Juan C. Vega-Vila, James W. Harris, Rajamani Gounder, Controlled Insertion of Tin Atoms into Zeolitic Framework Vacancies and Consequences for Glucose Isomerization Catalysis, Journal of Catalysis, 344, 2016, 108-120.
• Viktor J. Cybulskis, James W. Harris, Yury Zvinevich, Rajamani Gounder, Fabio H. Ribeiro, A Transmission Infrared Cell Design for Temperature-Controlled Adsorption Studies on Heterogeneous Catalysts, Reviews of Scientific Instruments, 87, 2016, 103101.

Conference Presentations

• James W. Harris, “Synthesis and Characterization of Lewis Acidic Zeolites that Catalyze Glucose Isomerization” 25th Annual Graduate Student Organization Research Symposium, West Lafayette, IN, August 18, 2016 (Oral)
• James W. Harris, Michael J. Cordon, John R. Di Iorio, Juan Carlos Vega-Vila, Fabio H. Ribeiro, Rajamani Gounder, “Structural and Kinetic Characterization of Lewis Acid Zeolites for Sugar Isomerization Catalysis” 24th International Symposium on Chemical Reaction Engineering, Minneapolis, MN, June 12-15, 2016 (Oral)
• James W. Harris, Michael J. Cordon, Juan Carlos Vega-Vila, John R. Di Iorio, Fabio H. Ribeiro, Rajamani Gounder, “Titration and Quantification of Open and Closed Lewis Acid Sites in Sn-Zeolites that Catalyze Glucose Isomerization” Catalysis Club of Chicago Annual Meeting, Naperville, IL, May 17th 2016 (Poster)
• James W. Harris, Michael J. Cordon, Juan Carlos Vega-Vila, John R. Di Iorio, Fabio H. Ribeiro, Rajamani Gounder, “Titration and Quantification of Open and Closed Lewis Acid Sites in Sn-Zeolites that Catalyze Glucose Isomerization” Michigan Catalysis Society Annual Meeting, Midland, MI May 4th 2016 (Poster)
• James W. Harris, Michael J. Cordon, Fabio H. Ribeiro, Rajamani Gounder, “Methods for Quantifying Open and Closed Lewis Acid Sites in Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Sn-Beta Zeolites That Catalyze Glucose Isomerization” American Institute of Chemical Engineers National Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, November 11th 2015 (Oral)
• James W. Harris, Michael J. Cordon, Fabio H. Ribeiro, Rajamani Gounder “Methods for Quantification of Open and Closed Lewis Acid Sites in Sn-Beta Zeolites that Catalyze Glucose Isomerization” Catalysis Club of Chicago Annual Meeting, Naperville, IL, May 14th 2015 (Poster)