Resasco, Daniel

Professor Daniel Resasco holds the Inaugural Gallogly Chair of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. He is also George Lynn Cross Professor, the highest research honor bestowed by the University.  He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina (1975) and his Ph.D. from Yale University (1984).  He has received the 2004 Oklahoma Chemist of the Year from the American Chemical Society, the Yale Award for Advancement of Basic and Applied Science from the Yale Science and Engineering Association, Yale University, the Regents Award for Superior Research, University of Oklahoma (1999), the Sam A. Wilson Professorship, and the J. and K. Smalley Presidential Professorship (1996).  He received the Big XII Rising Star Award from the Big XII Center for Economic Development, Innovation, and Commercialization and was finalist for the Small Times US Innovator of the Year in 2007.   In 1987 he received the B. Houssay Award for Scientific Achievement from the National Research Council of Argentina. He has also served as a Chairman in the Chemical Engineering Department at the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (1987-88). From 1991 to 1993 he was appointed Senior Scientist at Sun Company, Inc., Pennsylvania. He has been member of the Executive Committee of the International Congress on Catalysis (1996) and Associate Editor of the Journal of Catalysis, for which he is now a member of the Editorial Board.  

·       N.N. Bakhshi Lectureship Award in Chemical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Canada, Sept. 2018

·       External Fellow, National Academy of Sciences of Argentina, May 2018

·       Distinguished Overseas Professorship, Shanghai China, December 2017

The goal of Resasco’s research is to understand the relationship between the catalytic performance and the microscopic structure and composition of the material, in addition to the links between the synthesis process and the final catalyst. Achieving this goal requires a combination of studies involving materials synthesis, characterization of materials under reaction conditions, and precise measurement of the catalytic behavior (detailed kinetics, obtained under carefully controlled reaction conditions to properly account for parasitic effects, such as mass transfer limitations) . In this interdisciplinary effort, a variety of techniques is employed, including surface spectroscopies (DRUV-VIS, FTIR), x-ray absorption (EXAFS, XANES), X-ray diffraction, microcalorimetry, electron microscopy, resonance techniques, and temperature programmed methods (TPD, TPR, TPO), "in situ" Raman spectroscopy, together with steady-state and transient catalytic activity measurements.  A closely collaboration with experts in theoretical model allows Resasco’s group to develop atomistic reaction mechanisms based in the combination of theory and experiments.

Investigations are conducted on a variety of materials- zeolites, supported metals, and strong solid acids. These fundamental studies are designed to be applicable to industrial processes in several areas:

-          Molecular design of fuels with improved properties (cetane number, octane number, clean combustion)

-          Synthesis of nanostructured materials based on single-walled carbon nanotube

-          Upgrading of biomass to valuable chemicals and fuels

Selected Publications

·        “The Role of Defect Sites and Oxophilicity of the Support on the Phenol Hydrodeoxygenation Reaction” Camila A. Teles, Priscilla M.de Souza, Adriano Henrique Braga, Raimundo C.Rabelo-Neto, Alejandra Teran, Gary Jacobs, Daniel E. Resasco, Fabio B. Noronha. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2019 - doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2019.02.077

·        “Synergistic bimetallic Ru-Pt catalysts for the low-temperature aqueous phase reforming of ethanol” Zhao, Zheng; Zhang, Lu; Tan, Qiaohua; Yang, Feifei; Faria, Jimmy; Resasco, Daniel, AICHE Journal, 65, 151-160, 2019.

·        “Commentary: Distributed processes for biomass conversion could aid UN Sustainable Development Goals” Daniel E. Resasco, Bin Wang and David Sabatini, Nature Catalysis,1, 731–735, 2018.

·        “Catalytic upgrading of biomass pyrolysis vapors and model compounds using niobia supported Pd catalyst” Camila A. Teles, Priscilla M. de Souza, Raimundo C. Rabelo-Neto, Michael B. Griffin, Calvin Mukarakate, Kellene A. Orton, Daniel E. Resasco, Fábio B. Noronha, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 238, 38–50, 2018.

·        “Improving stability of cyclopentanone aldol condensation MgO-based catalysts by surface hydrophobization with organosilanes” D Ngo, T Sooknoi, D Resasco, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 237, 835-843, 2018.

·        “Hydrophobic zeolites for the upgrading of biomass-derived short oxygenated compounds in water/oil emulsions”, N Pino, T Bui, G Hincapié, D López, DE Resasco, Applied Catalysis A: General 559, 94-101 2018.

·        “Systems-Level Analysis of Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Coproducing Biobased Fuels and Chemicals: Implications for Sustainability”, AW Beck, AJ O’Brien, GG Zaimes, DE Resasco, SP Crossley, V Khanna, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 6 (5), 5826-5834 2018.

·        “Enhanced chemical activity and wettability at adjacent Brønsted acid sites in HZSM-5” M Zeets, DE Resasco, B Wang, Catalysis Today, 312, 44-50,            2018.

·        “Controlling Phenolic Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) by Tailoring Metal-O Bond Strength via Specific Catalyst Metal Type and Particle Size Selection” Nhung Duong, Qiaohua Tan, Daniel E. Resasco, Comptes Rendus Chimie, 21, 155-163, 2018.

·        “Hydrodeoxygenation of phenol over Pd catalysts. Effect of support on reaction mechanism and catalyst deactivation” Priscilla M de Souza, Raimundo C Rabelo-Neto, Luiz EP Borges, Gary Jacobs, Burtron H Davis, Daniel E Resasco, Fabio B Noronha, ACS Catalysis, 7, 2058-2073, 2017.

·        “Encapsulation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with copolymer to disperse in aqueous media, S Hanumansetty, E O’Rear, DE Resasco, Journal of Polymer Research 2017, 24 (12), 228

·        “Multistage torrefaction and in situ catalytic upgrading to hydrocarbon biofuels: analysis of life cycle energy use and greenhouse gas emissions” George G Zaimes, Andrew W Beck, Rajiv R Janupala, Daniel E Resasco, Steven P Crossley, Lance L Lobban, Vikas Khanna, Energy & Environmental Science 2017, 10, 1034-1050

·        “Polymer-Stabilized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Dispersions in High-Salinity Brines”, MJ Kadhum, D Swatske, J Weston, DE Resasco, B Shiau, JH Harwell, Energy & Fuels 31 (5), 5024-5030, 2017

·        “Hydrodeoxygenation of phenol over zirconia supported catalysts. The effect of metal type on reaction mechanism and catalyst deactivation” Camila Abreu Teles, Raimundo Crisostomo Rabelo-Neto, Gary Jacobs, Burtron H Davis, Daniel E Resasco, Fabio Bellot Noronha, ChemCatChem, 9, 2017, 2850–2863

·        “Enhancing the Acylation Activity of Acetic Acid by Forming an Intermediate Aromatic Ester” Nhung N. Duong, Bin Wang, Tawan Sooknoi, Steven P. Crossley and Daniel E. Resasco, ChemSusChem,  2017, 10, 2823–2832

·        “Reaction mechanism for the conversion of 𝛾-valerolactone (GVL) over a Ru catalyst: a first-principles study, Reda M. Bababrik, Bin Wang, Daniel E. Resasco, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2017, 56 (12), pp 3217–3222

·        “Structure, activity, and selectivity of bimetallic Pd-Fe/SiO₂ and Pd-Fe/𝛾-Al₂O₃ catalysts for the conversion of furfural, Natalia Pino, Surapas Sitthisa, Qiaohua Tan, Talita Souza, Diana López, Daniel E. Resasco, Journal of Catalysis 350, 30–40 2017

·        “A Systems-Level Roadmap for Biomass Thermal Fractionation and Catalytic Upgrading Strategies” Jeffrey A. Herron, Tyler Vann, Nhung Duong, Daniel E. Resasco, Steven Crossley, Lance L. Lobban, Christos T. Maravelias Journal of Energy Technology, 5, 130–150, 2017

·        “Simultaneous upgrading of furanics and phenolics via hydroxyalkylation/aldol condensation reactions” Tuong V Bui, Tawan Sooknoi, Daniel E. Resasco. ChemSusChem, 10 (7), 1631-1639 2017

·        “Mechanistic analysis of the role of metal oxophilicity in the hydrodeoxygenation of anisole” Qiaohua Tan, Gonghua Wang, Alex Long, Arne Dinse, Corneliu Buda, John Shabaker, Daniel E. Resasco, Journal of Catalysis, 347, 102–115, 2017

·        “Fine‐Tuning the Acid–Base Properties of Boron‐Doped Magnesium Oxide Catalyst for the Selective Aldol Condensation” TN Pham, L Zhang, D Shi, MR Komarneni, MP Ruiz, DE Resasco, J Faria, ChemCatChem 8 (23), 3611-3620, 2016