Will Krisko

wkrisko3 at gatech dot edu
B. Chemical Engineering; University of Minnesota (2024)
B.S., Chemistry; University of Minnesota (2024)

Project Description:  Many small chain hydrocarbons such as propanediol typically come from oil-based sources involving cracking and pyrolysis. However, these same compounds can come from much greener sources, such as glycerol. Glycerol can come from numerous green sources, including the hydrolysis of fatty acids, the fermentation of certain sugars, and the production of biodiesel. The focus of my project is to take the hydrogenolysis of glycerol, typically thought of as a thermocatalytic process, and viewing it through the lens of electrochemistry. The reactions that occur on the surface of the catalyst can be thought of as a redox reaction, and by studying the electrochemical potential that occurs over the catalyst, a greater understanding of the fundamentals of the system can be intuited.