"Membrane technologies are key enablers of the energy transition"

This event is sponsored by FAMU-FSU Engineering Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering.

Abstract: The hydrocarbon processing industry is in the midst of a major shift in feedstocks, structure, and products. Aggressive carbon abatement targets and intrinsic efficiency advantages from electrification strongly undercut the advantages of fossil fuels, which are the majority product of this industry. However, the existing value of the hydrocarbon infrastructure and the projected rise in demand for chemicals and plastics over the next 50 years suggests that this industry will remain an integral part of our global economic systems throughout the energy transition and perhaps beyond. Membranes – synthetic materials capable of molecular-scale separations of ions, gases, water, and chemicals – are an unlikely hero in the quest to make this industry and others more sustainable. These materials-enabled technologies will play an instrumental role in addressing water scarcity and pollution, carbon capture, green hydrogen, industrial efficiency, and more. In this talk, comments on the important role of membrane separation systems in that future will be discussed in addition to specific research challenges facing membrane technologies.

Dr. Ryan P. Lively

Professor, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Georgia Institute of Engineering

Bio: Ryan Lively is the Thomas C. DeLoach Jr. Endowed Professor in the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His current research seeks to revolutionize fluid separation processes critical to the global energy and carbon infrastructure. He has a specific focus on membrane- and adsorbent-based science and technology to address some of the most difficult chemical separations facing industry and humanity today and in the future. His group’s research activities range from fundamental material science and discovery to translational engineering applications focusing on making and testing separation devices. He has received a variety of awards for his research efforts including the 2020 Allan P. Colburn Award from AIChE, and the 2022 Curtis W. McGraw Award from ASEE. He is currently an Editor for the Journal of Membrane Science, the Secretary of the North American Membrane Society, and a Fellow of several scientific societies. He is the Director of the Center for Understanding & Controlling Accelerated and Gradual Evolution of Materials for Energy (UNCAGE-ME), an Energy Frontier Research Center of the US Department of Energy. He has over 200 publications in the field of separations including articles in Science, Nature, and Nature Materials.