Find Faculty Experts
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Education
- Degree: Postdoctoral Research
- Year: 2005
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Institution and Location
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA -
Major Discipline
Chemical Engineering
- Degree: Ph.D.
- Year: 2003
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Institution and Location
Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN -
Major Discipline
Chemical Engineering
- Degree: B.S.
- Year: 1997
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Institution and Location
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC -
Major Discipline
Chemical Engineering
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Benjamin Wilhite
Associate Professor, Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering
Department(s): Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering
Campus: Texas A&M University
Contact Information
Phone: 979-845-0406Personal/Dept/Lab URL:
E-mail: benjaminwilhite@exchange.tamu.edu
Personal Departmental Webpage
Faculty Interview
Research Topic(s)
Biomass conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity; Hydrogen production; Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications; Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage); Materials for separations in energy applications; Fuel cells technologies and materials; Thermoelectrics-based technologies and materials
Research Summary
Dr. Wilhite’s research focuses upon understanding reaction-transport interactions in catalytic reactors, with emphasis upon optimal coupling of multiple endo- and exo-thermic reactions (as typical in autothermal reformers for gas processing or hydrogen production) in microreactors and integration of reaction and separations for simultaneous gas processing and carbon sequestration. Additional research efforts focus upon understanding how materials chemistry and structure dictate catalytic and electrochemical properties of electroceramic materials (employed in solid-oxide fuel cells and oxygen membrane reactors) and gas separation properties of polymeric thin-films for natural gas processing.
Professional Background
2010-Present Associate Professor, Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 2005-2010 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT -
Themes, Areas, and Topics
-
Theme 1: Fossil and Non-Fossil based Technologies for Energy
-
Area 1: Fossil-based Technologies for Energy
- T1: Petroleum exploration and production
- T2: Conventional and unconventional reservoirs
- T3: Drilling technologies
- T4: Natural/shale gas production
- T5: Natural/shale gas supply chain
- T6: Coal conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T12: Hydrogen production
- T25: Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications
- T26: Combustion
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T28: Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage)
- T29: Materials for separations in energy applications
- T57: Energy security
- T58: Environmental risk assessment for planning offshore structures
- T60: Water use in hydraulic fracturing
- T65: Crude oil processing: non-thermal, electrical discharge, and plasma processes
-
Area 2: Renewable Technologies for Energy
- T7: Biomass production
- T8: Biomass conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T9: Biomass-based supply chain
- T10: Hybrid feedstocks (any combination of biomass/coal/natural gas/petroleum) conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T11: Hybrid feedstocks-based supply chain
- T12: Hydrogen production
- T17: Solar energy conversion and lighting technologies
- T18: Materials for solar energy conversion and storage
- T19: Wind energy conversion technologies
- T20: Wind energy measurement, forecasting, and storage
- T24: Ocean energy conversion
- T25: Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications
- T26: Combustion
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T28: Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage)
- T29: Materials for separations in energy applications
- T34: Fuel cells technologies and materials
- T35: Thermoelectrics-based technologies and materials
- T55: Nondestructive testing for energy applications
- T56: Biofuel biochemistry and energy metabolism
- T63: Turbomachinery for energy use and its reliability
- T64: Materials for wind energy
- Area 3: Geothermal and Hydropower-based Technologies for Energy
-
Area 4: Nuclear Energy Technologies
- T14: Nuclear energy conversion technologies
- T15: Materials for nuclear fuels and system design
- T16: Nuclear safety and security
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T53: Applied superconductivity
- T54: Neutron imaging for energy materials
- T55: Nondestructive testing for energy applications
- T57: Energy security
-
Area 8: Multi-scale Analysis, Simulation, Synthesis, and Optimization of Energy Systems
- T5: Natural/shale gas supply chain
- T6: Coal conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T8: Biomass conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T9: Biomass-based supply chain
- T10: Hybrid feedstocks (any combination of biomass/coal/natural gas/petroleum) conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T11: Hybrid feedstocks-based supply chain
- T12: Hydrogen production
- T13: Hydrogen-based supply chain
- T25: Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications
- T26: Combustion
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T28: Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage)
- T29: Materials for separations in energy applications
- T39: Modeling, simulation and optimization of energy systems
- T40: Design and synthesis of energy conversion systems
- T41: Energy supply chain
- T42: Control, scheduling, planning, safety, risk analysis, and uncertainty in energy systems
- T45: Energy and sustainability
- T46: Energy and water supply chain
- T47: Energy and food supply chain
- T48: Energy efficiency in urban systems
- T49: Energy use, conservation and lighting technologies for buildings
- T50: Energy in transportation systems: Electric, natural gas, and hybrid vehicles
- T59: Communications for energy systems
- T60: Water use in hydraulic fracturing
- T62: Environmental impacts of energy production
- Area 9: Energy Transmission
-
Area 10: Energy Policy, Law, Security, and Societal Impact
- T16: Nuclear safety and security
- T33: Smart grid safety and security
- T41: Energy supply chain
- T43: Energy economics
- T44: Energy law and policy
- T45: Energy and sustainability
- T46: Energy and water supply chain
- T47: Energy and food supply chain
- T57: Energy security
- T62: Environmental impacts of energy production
-
Area 1: Fossil-based Technologies for Energy
-
Theme 2: Materials, Catalysis, and Separations for Energy
-
Area 1: Fossil-based Technologies for Energy
- T1: Petroleum exploration and production
- T2: Conventional and unconventional reservoirs
- T3: Drilling technologies
- T4: Natural/shale gas production
- T5: Natural/shale gas supply chain
- T6: Coal conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T12: Hydrogen production
- T25: Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications
- T26: Combustion
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T28: Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage)
- T29: Materials for separations in energy applications
- T57: Energy security
- T58: Environmental risk assessment for planning offshore structures
- T60: Water use in hydraulic fracturing
- T65: Crude oil processing: non-thermal, electrical discharge, and plasma processes
-
Area 2: Renewable Technologies for Energy
- T7: Biomass production
- T8: Biomass conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T9: Biomass-based supply chain
- T10: Hybrid feedstocks (any combination of biomass/coal/natural gas/petroleum) conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T11: Hybrid feedstocks-based supply chain
- T12: Hydrogen production
- T17: Solar energy conversion and lighting technologies
- T18: Materials for solar energy conversion and storage
- T19: Wind energy conversion technologies
- T20: Wind energy measurement, forecasting, and storage
- T24: Ocean energy conversion
- T25: Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications
- T26: Combustion
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T28: Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage)
- T29: Materials for separations in energy applications
- T34: Fuel cells technologies and materials
- T35: Thermoelectrics-based technologies and materials
- T55: Nondestructive testing for energy applications
- T56: Biofuel biochemistry and energy metabolism
- T63: Turbomachinery for energy use and its reliability
- T64: Materials for wind energy
- Area 3: Geothermal and Hydropower-based Technologies for Energy
-
Area 4: Nuclear Energy Technologies
- T14: Nuclear energy conversion technologies
- T15: Materials for nuclear fuels and system design
- T16: Nuclear safety and security
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T53: Applied superconductivity
- T54: Neutron imaging for energy materials
- T55: Nondestructive testing for energy applications
- T57: Energy security
-
Area 5: Energy Storage
- T31: Electric power generation and storage
- T34: Fuel cells technologies and materials
- T35: Thermoelectrics-based technologies and materials
- T36: Technologies for energy storage: Batteries
- T37: Technologies for energy storage: Hydrogen
- T38: Technologies for energy storage: Supercapacitors
- T51: Technologies for energy storage: Compressed air
- T52: Technologies for energy storage: Heat pumps
- T61: Technologies for energy storage: Flywheels
- T64: Materials for wind energy
- Area 6: Energy Efficiency
- Area 7: Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage
-
Area 8: Multi-scale Analysis, Simulation, Synthesis, and Optimization of Energy Systems
- T5: Natural/shale gas supply chain
- T6: Coal conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T8: Biomass conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T9: Biomass-based supply chain
- T10: Hybrid feedstocks (any combination of biomass/coal/natural gas/petroleum) conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T11: Hybrid feedstocks-based supply chain
- T12: Hydrogen production
- T13: Hydrogen-based supply chain
- T25: Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications
- T26: Combustion
- T27 Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T28: Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage)
- T29: Materials for separations in energy applications
- T39: Modeling, simulation and optimization of energy systems
- T40: Design and synthesis of energy conversion systems
- T41: Energy supply chain
- T42: Control, scheduling, planning, safety, risk analysis, and uncertainty in energy systems
- T45: Energy and sustainability
- T46: Energy and water supply chain
- T47: Energy and food supply chain
- T48: Energy efficiency in urban systems
- T49: Energy use, conservation and lighting technologies for buildings
- T50: Energy in transportation systems: Electric, natural gas, and hybrid vehicles
- T59: Communications for energy systems
- T60: Water use in hydraulic fracturing
- T62: Environmental impacts of energy production
-
Area 1: Fossil-based Technologies for Energy
-
Theme 3: Multi-scale Energy Systems Engineering
-
Area 1: Fossil-based Technologies for Energy
- T1: Petroleum exploration and production
- T2: Conventional and unconventional reservoirs
- T3: Drilling technologies
- T4: Natural/shale gas production
- T5: Natural/shale gas supply chain
- T6: Coal conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T12: Hydrogen production
- T25: Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications
- T26: Combustion
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T28: Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage)
- T29: Materials for separations in energy applications
- T57: Energy security
- T58: Environmental risk assessment for planning offshore structures
- T60: Water use in hydraulic fracturing
- T65: Crude oil processing: non-thermal, electrical discharge, and plasma processes
-
Area 2: Renewable Technologies for Energy
- T7: Biomass production
- T8: Biomass conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T9: Biomass-based supply chain
- T10: Hybrid feedstocks (any combination of biomass/coal/natural gas/petroleum) conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T11: Hybrid feedstocks-based supply chain
- T12: Hydrogen production
- T17: Solar energy conversion and lighting technologies
- T18: Materials for solar energy conversion and storage
- T19: Wind energy conversion technologies
- T20: Wind energy measurement, forecasting, and storage
- T24: Ocean energy conversion
- T25: Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications
- T26: Combustion
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T28: Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage)
- T29: Materials for separations in energy applications
- T34: Fuel cells technologies and materials
- T35: Thermoelectrics-based technologies and materials
- T55: Nondestructive testing for energy applications
- T56: Biofuel biochemistry and energy metabolism
- T63: Turbomachinery for energy use and its reliability
- T64: Materials for wind energy
- Area 3: Geothermal and Hydropower-based Technologies for Energy
-
Area 4: Nuclear Energy Technologies
- T14: Nuclear energy conversion technologies
- T15: Materials for nuclear fuels and system design
- T16: Nuclear safety and security
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T53: Applied superconductivity
- T54: Neutron imaging for energy materials
- T55: Nondestructive testing for energy applications
- T57: Energy security
- Area 6: Energy Efficiency
- Area 7: Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage
-
Area 8: Multi-scale Analysis, Simulation, Synthesis, and Optimization of Energy Systems
- T5: Natural/shale gas supply chain
- T6: Coal conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T8: Biomass conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T9: Biomass-based supply chain
- T10: Hybrid feedstocks (any combination of biomass/coal/natural gas/petroleum) conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T11: Hybrid feedstocks-based supply chain
- T12: Hydrogen production
- T13: Hydrogen-based supply chain
- T25: Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications
- T26: Combustion
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T28: Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage)
- T29: Materials for separations in energy applications
- T39: Modeling, simulation and optimization of energy systems
- T40: Design and synthesis of energy conversion systems
- T41: Energy supply chain
- T42: Control, scheduling, planning, safety, risk analysis, and uncertainty in energy systems
- T45: Energy and sustainability
- T46: Energy and water supply chain
- T47: Energy and food supply chain
- T48: Energy efficiency in urban systems
- T49: Energy use, conservation and lighting technologies for buildings
- T50: Energy in transportation systems: Electric, natural gas, and hybrid vehicles
- T59: Communications for energy systems
- T60: Water use in hydraulic fracturing
- T62: Environmental impacts of energy production
- Area 9: Energy Transmission
-
Area 10: Energy Policy, Law, Security, and Societal Impact
- T16: Nuclear safety and security
- T33: Smart grid safety and security
- T41: Energy supply chain
- T43: Energy economics
- T44: Energy law and policy
- T45: Energy and sustainability
- T46: Energy and water supply chain
- T47: Energy and food supply chain
- T57: Energy security
- T62: Environmental impacts of energy production
-
Area 1: Fossil-based Technologies for Energy
-
Theme 4: Energy Economics, Law, Policy, and Societal Impact
-
Area 1: Fossil-based Technologies for Energy
- T1: Petroleum exploration and production
- T2: Conventional and unconventional reservoirs
- T3: Drilling technologies
- T4: Natural/shale gas production
- T5: Natural/shale gas supply chain
- T6: Coal conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T12: Hydrogen production
- T25: Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications
- T26: Combustion
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T28: Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage)
- T29: Materials for separations in energy applications
- T57: Energy security
- T58: Environmental risk assessment for planning offshore structures
- T60: Water use in hydraulic fracturing
- T65: Crude oil processing: non-thermal, electrical discharge, and plasma processes
-
Area 2: Renewable Technologies for Energy
- T7: Biomass production
- T8: Biomass conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T9: Biomass-based supply chain
- T10: Hybrid feedstocks (any combination of biomass/coal/natural gas/petroleum) conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T11: Hybrid feedstocks-based supply chain
- T12: Hydrogen production
- T17: Solar energy conversion and lighting technologies
- T18: Materials for solar energy conversion and storage
- T19: Wind energy conversion technologies
- T20: Wind energy measurement, forecasting, and storage
- T24: Ocean energy conversion
- T25: Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications
- T26: Combustion
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T28: Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage)
- T29: Materials for separations in energy applications
- T34: Fuel cells technologies and materials
- T35: Thermoelectrics-based technologies and materials
- T55: Nondestructive testing for energy applications
- T56: Biofuel biochemistry and energy metabolism
- T63: Turbomachinery for energy use and its reliability
- T64: Materials for wind energy
- Area 3: Geothermal and Hydropower-based Technologies for Energy
-
Area 4: Nuclear Energy Technologies
- T14: Nuclear energy conversion technologies
- T15: Materials for nuclear fuels and system design
- T16: Nuclear safety and security
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T53: Applied superconductivity
- T54: Neutron imaging for energy materials
- T55: Nondestructive testing for energy applications
- T57: Energy security
- Area 7: Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage
-
Area 8: Multi-scale Analysis, Simulation, Synthesis, and Optimization of Energy Systems
- T5: Natural/shale gas supply chain
- T6: Coal conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T8: Biomass conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T9: Biomass-based supply chain
- T10: Hybrid feedstocks (any combination of biomass/coal/natural gas/petroleum) conversion to liquid fuels/chemicals/electricity
- T11: Hybrid feedstocks-based supply chain
- T12: Hydrogen production
- T13: Hydrogen-based supply chain
- T25: Catalysis and reaction engineering for energy applications
- T26: Combustion
- T27: Multifunctional materials for energy applications
- T28: Separation technologies for energy applications (e.g., CO2 capture, utilization, storage)
- T29: Materials for separations in energy applications
- T39: Modeling, simulation and optimization of energy systems
- T40: Design and synthesis of energy conversion systems
- T41: Energy supply chain
- T42: Control, scheduling, planning, safety, risk analysis, and uncertainty in energy systems
- T45: Energy and sustainability
- T46: Energy and water supply chain
- T47: Energy and food supply chain
- T48: Energy efficiency in urban systems
- T49: Energy use, conservation and lighting technologies for buildings
- T50: Energy in transportation systems: Electric, natural gas, and hybrid vehicles
- T59: Communications for energy systems
- T60: Water use in hydraulic fracturing
- T62: Environmental impacts of energy production
- Area 9: Energy Transmission
-
Area 10: Energy Policy, Law, Security, and Societal Impact
- T16: Nuclear safety and security
- T33: Smart grid safety and security
- T41: Energy supply chain
- T43: Energy economics
- T44: Energy law and policy
- T45: Energy and sustainability
- T46: Energy and water supply chain
- T47: Energy and food supply chain
- T57: Energy security
- T62: Environmental impacts of energy production
-
Area 1: Fossil-based Technologies for Energy
-
Theme 1: Fossil and Non-Fossil based Technologies for Energy
