Newswise — Jochen Lauterbach, professor of chemical engineering at the University of Delaware, will represent the United States on a scientific panel focusing on the impact of catalysis on energy and the environment at the G8 Summit, July 7-9, in Toyako, Japan.
Held annually since 1975, the G8 summit brings together the leaders of the "group of eight" (G8) countries--including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States--to discuss major economic and social issues facing the global community and to reach a consensus on measures to address them. The European Union also participates in the summit and is represented by the president of the European Commission.
The agenda for this year's summit includes such issues as the environment and climate change, development and Africa, sustained growth of the world economy, protection of intellectual property rights, terrorism and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Lauterbach is a member of a panel of experts, slated for July 7, who will address the impact of catalysis on current energy and environmental issues facing the world. The panel, which includes experts from G8 nations, as well as representatives from non-G8 countries, will make recommendations to the G8 members about future research to address energy needs.
Catalysis is one of the most important enabling technologies for the development of novel, alternative energies. In general, catalysts increase the rates at which chemical reactions occur and help to steer the reaction to the desired product. They may range from tiny amounts of metals to living microorganisms.
In research at UD's Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, Lauterbach and his students recently discovered a novel formulation for operating pollution-abating catalytic converters that is much less expensive than present catalysts composed of noble metals.
Currently, Lauterbach is involved in several major research efforts including UD's Sustainable Energy from Solar Hydrogen program, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation's Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) program, and a U.S. Department of Energy project to identify low-cost, nano-sized catalysts--tiny amounts of metal compounds--that can spur the chemical conversion of liquid fuels such as ammonia into hydrogen for fuel cells that can be used to power cars and homes.
Lauterbach also is the principal investigator on a new, three-year, NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) grant, which will enable 10 exemplary students per year in chemical engineering to work with UD researchers over the summer on such projects as the design of new fuel cells, to the engineering of novel nano-material coatings to reduce the drag on ships in water.
Lauterbach came to UD in 2002 from Purdue University, where he won the National Science Foundation's prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Award and Union Carbide's Innovation Recognition Award.
He earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Bayreuth, Germany, and his doctorate from the Free University of Berlin.
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