Minju Chung

mchung91 at gatech dot edu
Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2023)
B.S., Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University (2018)

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Project:  Oxidative Conversion of Polyols

Project Description:  The oxidation of polyols over supported metal nanoparticles provides a promising pathway to form renewable feedstocks for the production of polymers, chelating agents, and corrosion inhibitors. However, the direct oxidation of polyols to form α,ω-diacid using heterogeneous catalysts faces significant challenges, primarily the slow oxidation of monoacid intermediates and the catalyst poisoning by these intermediates and products. The complexity is further compounded by the yield discrepancy between continuous flow reactors and batch reactors, with the former consistently demonstrating lower yields. To address these challenges, my project will engage in a detailed investigation of the reaction pathway and adsorption behavior of polyols and their oxidation products under various conditions. Leveraging the insights from our analysis, we aim to modify the structure of nanoparticles and solvating liquid environment to enhance the overall process efficiency of the oxidative conversion of polyols.