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Javad Tavakoli, associate professor of chemical engineering, has recently received a $50,000 grant from the American Chemical Society (ACS) to continue his ongoing research on diesel fuel additives.
The award, which is distributed through the Petroleum Research Fund, has a three-year funding cycle.
Tavakoli has searched over the last few years for a better, cleaner type of diesel fuel. More specifically, he has worked to create a catalyst that will convert methanol to dimethoxymethane (DMM) via methanol oxidation in a single step opposed to the current two-step industrial process.
“Diesel-fueled cars constitute close to 40 percent of the passenger vehicles in a number of European countries, whereas their appeal in the U.S. is very limited,” says Tavakoli. “One reason could be the environmental drawbacks associated with diesel engines. While diesel is more efficient than gasoline, it generates particulate matter and nitrogen oxides in far higher quantities.”
Tavakoli says current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards require a 90-95 percent decrease in production of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and other emissions from diesel fuel by 2007. Oxygenate additives to diesel fuel, such as DMM, have shown to reduce formation of these environmentally-damaging emissions.
Student research, through EXCEL, honors theses, and independent study, has played a vital role in Tavakoli’s research. Over the course of the project, he has enlisted the help of seven chemical engineering majors. They areMaryKate Barillas ’04, Naa Larteokor Quarcoo ’04, Maret Smolow ’05, Joel Gross ’05, Gregory Lapp ’06, Carolyn Waite ’06, and Rufaro Mukogo ’07 (Harare, Zimbabwe), who is also pursing an A.B. in international studies and engineering.
Their combined research has yielded numerous publications and presentations and Tavakoli expects many more.
“Students have done a great job of getting the project this far and I am looking forward to working with more in the future,” says Tavakoli.
A recipient of the United Nations TOKTEN Award and a Fulbright Summer Scholarship, Tavakoli has presented his research in numerous publications and at conferences such as the World Water & Environmental Resources Congress, the World Congress of Chemical Engineering, and the National Science Foundation International Symposium and Technology Expo on Small Drinking Water and Wastewater Systems. He has served as a consultant for the Department of Environmental Protection and companies based in the U.S. and abroad.
He was also fundamental in securing a $267,000 National Science Foundation grant for state-of-the-art equipment in Lafayette’s chemical engineering labs.