Paul Dauenhauer Explained

Paul J. Dauenhauer
Honorific Prefix:Lanny & Charlotte Schmidt Professor
Birth Place:United States
Nationality:American
Field:Chemical Engineer, Catalysis
Work Institution:University of Minnesota
University of Massachusetts
Alma Mater:University of Wisconsin, Madison
University of Minnesota
Doctoral Advisor:Lanny Schmidt
Known For:Catalytic resonance theory
Cellulose Chemistry
Renewable Chemicals
Programmable Catalysts
Prizes:MacArthur Fellow (2020)
Rutherford Aris Award (2016)
Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar (2014)

Paul Dauenhauer (born 1980), a chemical engineer and MacArthur Fellow, is the Lanny & Charlotte Schmidt Professor at the University of Minnesota (UMN). He is recognized for his research in catalysis science and engineering, especially, his contributions to the understanding of the catalytic breakdown of cellulose to renewable chemicals, the invention of oleo-furan surfactants, and the development of catalytic resonance theory and programmable catalysts.[1]

Early life and education

Paul Dauenhauer was born in 1980 in Texas, US, and was raised in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, attending Lincoln High School.[2] He received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and chemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2004. Working under the supervision of Lanny Schmidt at the University of Minnesota, Dauenhauer received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 2008 from the Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science. His dissertation described the development of reactive flash volatilization and was titled "Millisecond autothermal catalytic reforming of carbohydrates for synthetic fuels by reactive flash volatilization".[3]

Career

Following graduation from Minnesota, Dauenhauer served as a senior research engineer at the Dow Chemical Company in Midland, MI, and Freeport, TX.[4] He started as an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2009 before promotion to associate professor in 2014.[5] In 2014, he moved to the Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science (CEMS) at the University of Minnesota, where he was promoted to professor, and then appointed Lanny Schmidt Honorary Professor in 2019. During this time, he co-founded or contributed to the founding of startup companies Activated Research Company, Sironix Renewables, and enVerde, LLC.[6]

Renewable chemicals

Dauenhauer's focus on renewable chemicals produced from glucose has targeted both drop-in replacement chemicals and new chemicals with novel characteristics. In 2012, he discovered a high yield pathway to synthesize p-xylene from glucose; this molecule is the key ingredient in polyethylene terephthalate plastic.[7] This process technology utilized a new class of weak acid zeolites that permits the manufacture of biorenewable polyester.[8]

In 2015, Dauenhauer and his team developed a new class of surfactants, detergents, and soaps that are derived from biomass (furans from sugars and fatty acids from triglycerides), oleo-furan sulfonates (OFS).[9] These molecules were shown to have high hard water stability (>1000 ppm Ca++) and are being commercialized by Sironix Renewables, Inc.[10]

In 2016, Dauenhauer and Abdelrahman developed the acid-catalyzed dehydra-decyclization mechanism that simultaneously opens cyclic ether rings and dehydrates to synthesize diene products.[11] This technology was subsequently used to optimize the catalytic production of isoprene, the key chemical in the production of car tires. Subsequent research identified pathways to similarly convert biomass-derived tetrahydrofuran to butadiene and 2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran to piperylene.[12]

In 2022, Dauenhauer and his laboratory invented a highly selective catalytic technology to convert lactic acid to acrylic acid and associated acrylates. This technology enables the use of existing facilities to convert maize (i.e., corn) to lactic acid as upstream feedstock providers for biorenewable sustainable acrylic acid and acryaltes, which are the key ingredient in products such as paints, coatings, and diapers.[13] This research was patented and is the foundational technology for the formation of Lakril Technologies, a startup company in Chicago, IL.

Key publications include:

Cellulose Pyrolysis

Dauenhauer's study of cellulose in 2008 led to the discovery of an intermediate liquid state of short-chain cellulose oligomers of sub-second duration at temperatures around 500 deg C.[17] He further outlined the challenges in understanding high temperature cellulose chemistry by publishing his "Top Ten Challenges" of biomass pyrolysis in 2012,[18] one of which was based on his discovery of the mechanism of aerosol formation through liquid intermediate cellulose.[19]

Dauenhauer further developed a new reactor technique called 'PHASR' (Pulse-Heated Analysis of Solid Reactions) which led to the first isothermal kinetics of cellulose conversion and product formation.[20] This technique permitted a molecular analysis of cellulose activation and the discovery that cellulose has a unique reaction transition at 467 deg C.[21] The high temperature kinetic transition was attributed to the catalytic role of chain-to-chain cellulose hydroxyl groups in stabilizing the chain fragmentation of inter-monomer bonds.[22]

Key publications include:

Catalytic Resonance Theory

Catalytic resonance theory was proposed by Dauenhauer based on the Sabatier principle of catalysis developed by French chemist Paul Sabatier. Optimal catalyst performance is depicted as a 'volcano' peak using a descriptor of the chemical reaction defining different catalytic materials. Experimental evidence of the Sabatier principle was first demonstrated by Balandin in 1960.[25] [26] In his initial discovery of the behavior of oscillating chemical reactions on metal surfaces, Dauenhauer showed that steady state reaction rates could achieve chemical reaction speeds as much as 1000 times greater than previously achievable rates, even with optimized catalytic systems.[27] This work broke down surface chemical reactions into its component parts and associated natural frequencies, which could be matched to resonate with the catalytic surface frequencies.[28]

Follow-up work on catalytic resonance theory by Dauenhauer and his team broadened to understand the relationship between surface chemistry with its linear scaling relationships and the surface binding energy oscillation waveform.[29] He introduced the concept of superVolcanoes as a superposition of all possible Sabatier volcanoes for varying linear scaling parameters, before further connecting the behavior of oscillating catalytic surfaces to molecular machines and pumps.

Key publications include:

Technology & Startup Companies

Paul Dauenhauer has developed multiple technologies that have been patented and licensed from the University of Minnesota to his startup companies located throughout the United States. The common theme across all startups and technologies is a focus on economic catalytic conversion for more sustainable energy and materials. Companies include:

Låkril Technologies

(www.lakril.com). Låkril Technologies catalyzes sustainability in chemical processes through sales of acrylic acid, acrylates, and licensing of related catalyst and process technology. They provide competitive alternatives to high volume petrochemicals to help decrease the world's CO₂ intensity via catalyst technology for catalytic dehydration of α-hydroxy acids (e.g., lactic acid) allows the supply of sustainable, bio-based acrylic acid and acrylate derivatives as drop-in replacements to the paints, coatings, adhesives, and superabsorbents industries at cost parity. The core technology of Lakril Technologies is based on the catalyst invention of the Dauenhauer Laboratory at the University of Minnesota to convert lactic acid to acrylic acid.[33]

Sironix Renewables

Sironix converts plants into eco-friendly cleaning ingredients which are marketed with the tagline, "so your conscience can be as clean as your clothes." The flagship detergent products called 'Eosix' are derived from renewable resources and provide advanced cleaning performance in both hard and cold water using molecular synthesis and design developed in the Dauenhauer Laboratory at the University of Minnesota. The active ingredient, oleo-furan sulfonate, was invented via combination of natural oil-derived fatty acids with sugar-derived furans, followed by sulfonation in an overall efficient and sustainable catalytic process.[34]

Activated Research Company

Activated Research Company (ARC) is at the forefront of developing revolutionary products that redefine the standards in chemical analysis. The company create easy-to-use GC-FID (gas chromatography flame ionization detector) and LC-FID (liquid chromatography flame ionization detector) technologies that deliver exceptional data results across a diverse range of industries. The flagship product, the Polyarc detector, was developed in the Dauenhauer Laboratory at the University of Minnesota to enable simple and accurate quantification of complex chemical mixtures without calibration.[35] ARC detectors were acquired by Shimadzu in 2024.[36]

Carba

Carba provides a unique reactor technology to convert plant-based low-value waste material into torrefied carbon product that can be secured underground for millennia to sequester carbon. Using fundamental insight from the Dauenhauer Laboratory at the University of Minnesota,[37] the Carba portable torrefaction reactor achieves high throughput for low capital investment and operating expense to manufacture sequestered carbon with long-term permanence that outcompetes competitors on energy efficiency and cost.[38]

Advising and honors

Professor Dauenhauer has supervised 20 Ph.D. students and advised ten post-doctoral scholars.[39] He has published over 130 peer-reviewed papers and 10 patents.[40] He has given over 50 invited seminars and lectures including the Eastman Lecture at the U of California (2021), Berkeley, the Notre Dame Thiele lecture in 2017, and the Purdue Mellichamp lecture in 2016. He has received numerous awards for his work including:[41]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Paul Dauenhauer, Professor . University of Minnesota . 2019-11-12 .
  2. Web site: 2019 . ChemRxiv Profile - Paul J. Dauenhauer . ChemRxiv .
  3. PhD . Dauenhauer . Paul D. . 2008 . Millisecond autothermal catalytic reforming of carbohydrates for synthetic fuels by reactive flash volatilization . University of Minnesota .
  4. Web site: 2019 . CEMS Department Profile - Paul J. Dauenhauer . University of Minnesota .
  5. Web site: 2019 . UMass Amherst - Paul J. Dauenhauer . University of Massachusetts .
  6. Web site: 2019 . NTUA - Paul J. Dauenhauer . National Technical University of Athens .
  7. Web site: Chemical Engineering Team Produces Valuable Chemical p-xylene Production from Biomass . UMass Amherst . 2014.
  8. Web site: UMass Amherst Chemical Engineers Lead Team that Boosts Valuable Chemical p-xylene Production from Biomass . UMass Amherst . 2016.
  9. Web site: Researchers invent 'perfect' soap molecule that is better for the environment . AAAS, EurekaAlert . 2016.
  10. Web site: Homepage - Sironix Renewables . Sironix Renewables . 2019.
  11. Web site: New Eco-Friendly, Renewable Tires Stretch the Boundaries of Rubber Production. Newsweek. 2017.
  12. Biomass-Derived Butadiene by Dehydra-Decyclization of Tetrahydrofuran. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 5. 5. 3732–3736. 10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b00745. 2017. Abdelrahman. Omar A.. Park. Dae Sung. Vinter. Katherine P.. Spanjers. Charles S.. Ren. Limin. Cho. Hong Je. Vlachos. Dionisios G.. Fan. Wei. Tsapatsis. Michael. Dauenhauer. Paul J..
  13. Web site: Multifunctional Amine Modifiers for Selective Dehydration of Methyl Lactate to Acrylates. JACS Au Journal .
  14. Cycloaddition of Biomass-Derived Furans for Catalytic Production of Renewable p-Xylene. ACS Catalysis. 2. 6. 935–939. 10.1021/cs300011a. 2012. Williams. C. Luke. Chang. Chun-Chih. Do. Phuong. Nikbin. Nima. Caratzoulas. Stavros. Vlachos. Dionisios G.. Lobo. Raul F.. Fan. Wei. Dauenhauer. Paul J..
  15. Cycloaddition of Biomass-Derived Furans for Catalytic Production of Renewable p-Xylene. ACS Central Science. 2. 11. 820–824. 10.1021/acscentsci.6b00208. 2016. 27924310. free. Park. D. S.. Joseph. K. E.. Koehle. M.. Krumm. C.. Ren. L.. Damen. J. N.. Shete. M. H.. Lee. H. S.. Zuo. X.. Lee. B.. Fan. W.. Vlachos. D. G.. Lobo. R. F.. Tsapatsis. M.. Dauenhauer. P. J.. 5126714.
  16. Renewable Isoprene by Sequential Hydrogenation of Itaconic Acid and Dehydra-Decyclization of 3-Methyl-Tetrahydrofuran. ACS Catalysis. 7. 2. 1428–1431. 10.1021/acscatal.6b03335 . 2017. Abdelrahman. Omar A.. Park. Dae Sung. Vinter. Katherine P.. Spanjers. Charles S.. Ren. Limin. Cho. Hong Je. Zhang. Kechun. Fan. Wei. Tsapatsis. Michael. Dauenhauer. Paul J..
  17. Reactive boiling of cellulose for integrated catalysis through an intermediate liquid . 2009 . Royal Society of Chemistry, Green Chemistry. 10.1039/B915068B . Dauenhauer . Paul J. . Colby . Joshua L. . Balonek . Christine M. . Suszynski . Wieslaw J. . Schmidt . Lanny D. . Green Chemistry . 11 . 10 . 1555 .
  18. Top ten fundamental challenges of biomass pyrolysis for biofuels . 2012 . Royal Society of Chemistry, Energy & Environmental Science . 10.1039/C2EE21679E . Mettler . Matthew S. . Vlachos . Dionisios G. . Dauenhauer . Paul J. . Energy & Environmental Science . 5 . 7 . 7797 .
  19. Aerosol generation by reactive boiling ejection of molten cellulose . 2011 . Royal Society of Chemistry, Energy & Environmental Science . 10.1039/C1EE01876K . Teixeira . Andrew R. . Mooney . Kyle G. . Kruger . Jacob S. . Williams . C. Luke . Suszynski . Wieslaw J. . Schmidt . Lanny D. . Schmidt . David P. . Dauenhauer . Paul J. . Energy & Environmental Science . 4 . 10 . 4306 .
  20. Millisecond Pulsed Films Unify the Mechanisms of Cellulose Fragmentation . Chemistry of Materials . 28 . 9 . 3108–3114 . American Chemical Society . 10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b00580 . 2016 . Krumm . Christoph . Pfaendtner . Jim . Dauenhauer . Paul J. . 1865816 .
  21. Energetics of cellulose and cyclodextrin glycosidic bond cleavage . 2017 . Royal Society of Chemistry, Reaction Chemistry & Engineering . 10.1039/C6RE00176A . Zhu . Cheng . Krumm . Christoph . Facas . Gregory G. . Neurock . Matthew . Dauenhauer . Paul J. . Reaction Chemistry & Engineering . 2 . 2 . 201–214 .
  22. Activation of Cellulose via Cooperative Hydroxyl-Catalyzed Transglycosylation of Glycosidic Bonds . ACS Catalysis . 9 . 3 . 1943–1955 . American Chemical Society . 10.1021/acscatal.8b04289 . 2019 . Maliekkal . Vineet . Maduskar . Saurabh . Saxon . Derek J. . Nasiri . Mohammadreza . Reineke . Theresa M. . Neurock . Matthew . Dauenhauer . Paul . 104316348 .
  23. Activation of Cellulose via Cooperative Hydroxyl-Catalyzed Transglycosylation of Glycosidic Bonds. ACS Catalysis. 9. 3. 1943–1955. 10.1021/acscatal.8b04289. 2019 . Maliekkal. Vineet. Maduskar. Saurabh. Saxon. Derek J.. Nasiri. Mohammadreza. Reineke. Theresa M.. Neurock. Matthew. Dauenhauer. Paul. 104316348 .
  24. Aerosol generation by reactive boiling ejection of molten cellulose. Energy & Environmental Science. 4. 10. 4306–4321. 10.1039/C1EE01876K. 2011 . Teixeira. Andrew R.. Mooney. Kyle G.. Kruger. Jacob S.. Williams. C. Luke. Suszynski. Wieslaw J.. Schmidt. Lanny D.. Schmidt. David P.. Dauenhauer. Paul J.. 92987976.
  25. Book: Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry . Heterogeneous Catalysis and Solid Catalysts . Helmut Knözinger . Karl Kochloefl . Wiley-VCH Verlag . 2005 . 10.1002/14356007.a05_313. 3527306730 .
  26. 10.1016/S0360-0564(08)60029-2 . Balandin, A. . Modern State of the Multiplet Theor of Heterogeneous Catalysis1 . Adv. Catal. Rel. Subj. . 19 . 1–210 . 1969. Advances in Catalysis . 9780120078196 .
  27. Web site: Energy Researchers Break the Catalytic Speed Limit . University of Minnesota.
  28. Web site: Energy Researchers Break the Catalytic Speed Limit . 29 May 2019 . R&D World.
  29. Web site: Catalytic Resonance Theory: SuperVolcanoes, Catalytic Molecular Pumps, and Oscillatory Steady State . 2019 . ChemRxiv. 10.26434/chemrxiv.8862677.v1 . Ardagh . M. Alexander . Birol . Turan . Zhang . Qi . Abdelrahman . Omar . Dauenhauer . Paul .
  30. Principles of Dynamic Heterogeneous Catalysis: Surface Resonance and Turnover Frequency Response. ACS Catalysis. 9. 8. 6929–6937. 10.1021/acscatal.9b01606. 2019. Ardagh. Alex. Abdelrahman. Omar. Dauenhauer. Paul . 182444068.
  31. Catalytic Resonance Theory: superVolcanoes, catalytic molecular pumps, and oscillatory steady state. Catalysis Science & Technology. 9. 18. 5058–5076. 10.1039/C9CY01543D. 2019. Ardagh. Alex. Birol. Turon. Zhang. Qi. Abdelrahman. Omar. Dauenhauer. Paul . 198929270.
  32. Catalytic Resonance Theory: Parallel Reaction Pathway Control. Chemical Science . 10.1039/C9SC06140A. 8152411. 2020. Ardagh. Alex. Shetty. Manish. Dauenhauer. Paul . 11 . 13 . 3501–3510 . 34109022 . free.
  33. Web site: Multifunctional Amine Modifiers for Selective Dehydration of Methyl Lactate to Acrylates. JACS Au Journal .
  34. Web site: Tunable Oleo-Furan Surfactants by Acylation of Renewable Furans. ACS Central Science Journal .
  35. Web site: Quantitative carbon detector (QCD) for calibration-free, high-resolution characterization of complex mixtures. Lab on a Chip Journal .
  36. Web site: Quantitative carbon detector (QCD) for calibration-free, high-resolution characterization of complex mixtures. Activated Research Company.
  37. Web site: Millisecond Pulsed Films Unify the Mechanisms of Cellulose Fragmentation. Chemistry of Materials Journal.
  38. Web site: Overcoming the Entropy Penalty of Direct Air Capture for Efficient Gigatonne Removal of Carbon Dioxide. ACS Engineering Au Journal.
  39. Web site: Dauenhauer Group - Alumni .
  40. Web site: Dauenhauer Group - Publications .
  41. Web site: Dauenhauer Group - Profile .
  42. Web site: Professor Paul Dauenhauer named 2024 Distinguished McKnight University Professor. College of Science & Engineering.
  43. Web site: Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School Graduation 2024. Wisconsin Rapids Tribune.
  44. Web site: Minnesota Cup 2023. Star Tribune.
  45. Web site: Holtz Lecture, JHU. JHU Holtz Lecture.
  46. Web site: Marple-Schweitzer Lecture, NU. Northwestern University.
  47. Web site: Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists. Blavatnik Awards.
  48. Web site: Herman Pines Award, 2021 Foundation. Chicago Catalysis Club. 26 April 2021 .
  49. Web site: Dourdeville Lecture - Brown University, 2021 Foundation. Brown University.
  50. Web site: Paul Dauenhauer - MacArthur Foundation. www.macfound.org.
  51. Web site: Dauenhauer awarded 2019 Stratis Sotirchos Lectureship Award .
  52. Web site: Dauenhauer Receives COGS Outstanding Advisor Award .
  53. Web site: Dauenhauer among winners of 2019 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship Awards .
  54. Web site: Dauenhauer to Deliver the Thiele Lecture .
  55. Web site: Dauenhauer Wins the Inaugural Rutherford Aris Award .
  56. Web site: Dauenhauer selected as 2016 Mellichamp Lecturer .
  57. Web site: Dauenhauer Receives Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award | College of Engineering | UMass Amherst. engineering.umass.edu.
  58. Web site: Dauenhauer Receives DuPont Young Professor Award | Chemical Engineering | UMass Amherst. che.umass.edu.
  59. Web site: Dauenhauer receives NSF CAREER grant to study advanced process for biofuel production. Office of News & Media Relations | UMass Amherst.

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