Escobar, Alejandro Montoya - University of Sydney - School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

研究领域

Dr Alejandro Montoya’s research into reactive materials aims to bridge the gap between material properties at atomic scale and their useful large-scale applications in processes related to energy and chemical industrial sustainability. His unique research program in chemical engineering combines experimental (in small- and large-scale reactors) with simulation-based techniques. “My research concentrates on biomass liquefaction, CO2 carbonation, surface processes and catalysis, combustion and atmospheric environments. “I concentrate on developing predictive methods that can be used to optimise already established industrial processes and formulate new conditions for innovative applications. “For example, my research into the hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass looks at developing reactive models to optimise the transformation of low-value materials into high-value products. My recent efforts have concentrated on the use of algae, breaking down its components (such as proteins, lipids and carbohydrates) to produce products that can be used as biofuels for powering engines, and at the same time potentially producing valuable pharmaceuticals. “My work on CO2 carbonation is concerned with the heat pre-treatment of serpentine minerals to accelerate the leaching of cations for precipitation with CO2 to form carbonates, which are environmentally friendly solids that are able to retain CO2 permanently. I am working on predictive techniques to reduce the intensity of heat required to treat the rock, activate it, extract ions from it and induce the reactivity of these ions with the carbon dioxide. “These predictive models based on first principles will then be able to be extended to any material to determine structural, electronic and reactivity properties. “I’m passionate about my research because it’s an area that’s starting to make a real difference to the way chemical processes are optimised in industry. “The University of Sydney has offered me excellent opportunities to develop my career, initially through a Sesqui Postdoctoral Fellowship, and now as an academic in the School of Chemical Engineering.”

近期论文

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He, Y., Liang, X., Jazrawi, C., Montoya Escobar, A., Yuen, A., Cole, A., Neveux, N., Paul, N., De Nys, R., Maschmeyer, T., Haynes, B. (2016). Continuous hydrothermal liquefaction of macroalgae in the presence of organic co-solvents. Algal Research, 17, 185-195. [More Information] Moore, R., Haynes, B., Montoya Escobar, A. (2016). Effect of the Local Atomic Ordering on the Stability of β-Spodumene. Inorganic Chemistry, 55(13), 6426-6434. [More Information] Montoya Escobar, A., Haynes, B. (2015). Energy profiles of hydrogen migration in the early stages of lizardite dehydroxylation. Computational Materials Science, 98, 435-445. [More Information] Liang, X., Rahubadda, A., Haynes, B., Montoya Escobar, A. (2015). Kinetic Insights into the Hydrothermal Decomposition of Dihydroxyacetone: A Combined Experimental and Modeling Study. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 54(34), 8437-8447. [More Information] Abd Rahim, M., Hasan, H., Montoya, A., Abbas, A. (2015). Lovastatin and (+)-geodin production by Aspergillus terreus from crude glycerol. Engineering in Life Sciences, 15(2), 220-228. [More Information] Shojaee, K., Haynes, B., Montoya Escobar, A. (2015). Molecular modelling of the decomposition of NH3 over CoO(100). Materials Chemistry and Physics, 156, 141-149. [More Information] Jazrawi, C., Biller, P., He, Y., Montoya, A., Ross, A., Maschmeyer, T., Haynes, B. (2015). Two-stage hydrothermal liquefaction of a high-protein microalga. Algal Research, 8, 15-22. [More Information] Neveux, N., Yuen, A., Jazrawi, C., Magnusson, M., Haynes, B., Masters, A., Montoya, A., Paul, N., Maschmeyer, T., de Nys, R. (2014). Biocrude yield and productivity from the hydrothermal liquefaction of marine and freshwater green macroalgae. Bioresource Technology, 155, 334-341. [More Information] Neveux, N., Yuen, A., Jazrawi, C., He, Y., Magnusson, M., Haynes, B., Masters, A., Montoya, A., Paul, N., Maschmeyer, T., et al (2014). Pre- and post-harvest treatment of macroalgae to improve the quality of feedstock for hydrothermal liquefaction. Algal Research, 6(Part A), 22-31. [More Information] Shojaee, K., Haynes, B., Montoya Escobar, A. (2014). The role of oxygen during the catalytic oxidation of ammonia on Co3O4(100). Applied Surface Science, 316(1), 355-365. [More Information] Shojaee, K., Montoya Escobar, A., Haynes, B. (2013). Insight into oxygen stability and vacancy formation on Co3O4 model slabs. Computational Materials Science, 72, 15-25. [More Information] Jazrawi, C., Biller, P., Ross, A., Montoya Escobar, A., Maschmeyer, T., Haynes, B. (2013). Pilot plant testing of continuous hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae. Algal Research, 2(3), 268-277. [More Information] Liang, X., Montoya Escobar, A., Haynes, B. (2011). Local Site Selectivity and Conformational Structures in the Glycosidic Bond Scission of Cellobiose. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part B, 115(36), 10682-10691. [More Information] Liang, X., Montoya Escobar, A., Haynes, B. (2011). Molecular Dynamics Study of Acid-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Dimethyl Ether in Aqueous Solution. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part B, 115(25), 8199-8206. [More Information] Montoya Escobar, A., Haynes, B. (2011). Periodic density functional study of Co3O4 surfaces. Chemical Physics Letters, 502, 63-68. [More Information] Reichert, D., Montoya Escobar, A., Liang, X., Bockhorn, H., Haynes, B. (2010). Conformational and Thermodynamic Properties of Gaseous Levulinic Acid. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part A: Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment and General Theory, 114(46), 12323-12329. [More Information] Montoya Escobar, A., Haynes, B. (2009). DFT Analysis of the Reaction Paths of Formaldehyde Decomposition on Silver. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part A: Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment and General Theory, 113(28), 8125-8131. [More Information] Montoya Escobar, A., Haynes, B. (2007). Methanol and methoxide decomposition on silver. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part C, 111(27), 9867-9876. Montoya Escobar, A., Haynes, B. (2007). Reactions of hydroxyl on the topmost layer of Ag(111): A density functional theory study. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part C, 111(3), 1333-1341. Montoya Escobar, A., Schlunke, A., Haynes, B. (2006). Reaction of hydrogen with Ag(111): Binding states, minimum energy paths, and kinetics. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part B, 110(34), 17145-17154.