Convergence Research Seminar Series, William Tarpeh, PhD (Stanford University)

Abstract:

Wastewaters are underutilized mines that can improve the sustainability of chemical manufacturing. Converting aqueous pollutants into high-purity products require both separations and reactions with high selectivity. These ion-selective separations require integrated design of materials and processes, particularly electrochemical separations and electrocatalysis that can be paired with renewable energy and on-site manufacturing. This seminar will focus on converting wastewater nitrate to ammonia and concentrating ammonia as a value-added product using electrocatalysis and electrochemical swing processes. Together, these efforts to design nitrogen-selective electrochemical processes will enable treatment of polluted waters and electrified chemical manufacturing.

Bio:

Dr. William Tarpeh is an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University.  The Tarpeh Lab develops and evaluates selective separations in “waste” waters at several synergistic scales: molecular mechanisms of chemical transport and transformation; novel unit processes that increase resource efficiency; and systems-level assessments that identify optimization opportunities. Will completed his B.S. in chemical engineering at Stanford, his M.S. and Ph.D. in environmental engineering at UC Berkeley, and postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan in environmental engineering. His recent awards include the Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, AIChE 35 Under 35 and the Environmental Division Early Career Award, and the Electrochemical Society Young Investigator Fellowship.