T. Alan Hatton

Last updated
T. Alan Hatton
Born
Durban, South Africa
Alma mater University of Natal; University of Wisconsin–Madison
Known forPurification technology
Scientific career
Institutions Massachusetts Institute of Technology

T. Alan Hatton is the Ralph Landau Professor and the Director of the David H. Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As part of the MIT Energy Initiative, he co-directs the Center for Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage. [1] His work focuses on the development of purification technologies of various kinds for use with air, water, and other substances.

Contents

Early life and education

Trevor Alan Hatton was born in Durban, South Africa. [2] He earned his B.Sc. Eng. (1972) and M.Sc. Eng. (1976) degrees at the University of Natal, Durban. He then worked for the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria for three years. Hatton earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, in 1981, [3] working with Edwin N. Lightfoot. [4]

Career

Hatton joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1982. [5] For several years he and his wife Marianne were faculty residents, living at MacGregor House until 1986. [6] [7] [8]

In 1995, Ralph Landau established a new chair at MIT: the Ralph Landau Professorship of Chemical Engineering Practice, to be held by the Director of the David H. Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice. [9] T. Alan Hatton became the first Ralph Landau Professor of the Practice School in 1996. [10] At the Practice School, students complete placements at industrial projects with international host companies, as well as taking on-campus academic courses. [11] [12] Hatton has been the program director of the Practice School for over 28 years. [2]

Beginning in 2015, the MIT Energy Initiative has established eight low-carbon energy centers focusing on technical advancements in areas critical for climate change. [1] [13] Hatton co-directs the Center for Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage. [1]

Hatton holds an honorary professorship at the University of Melbourne [14] and is an adjunct professor at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. [15]

He has served as a co-editor of Colloids and Surfaces , [16] and is on the international advisory board of the Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering. [17] In 1990, he chaired the Gordon Research Conference on Separation and Purification. [18] In 1999, he co-chaired the 73rd Colloid and Surface Science Symposium, held at MIT, with Paul E. Labinis. [19]

Research

Hatton has published widely on colloidal phenomena and their applications in chemical processing. His research interests include responsive surfactants and gels obtained by colloidal self-assembly, stimuli-responsive materials, chemically reactive fibers and fabrics, metal-organic frameworks for separations and catalysis, and synthesis and functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles and clusters. [20]

Much of his work focuses on the development of purification technologies of various kinds. In the 1980s, he studied the effects of metal ions, clays, and minerals on sorption capacities. [21] In the 1990s, Hatton worked to develop solvents for chemical synthesis, separation and cleaning that were less volatile and less water-soluble. This decreased the potential for undesirable air emissions or aqueous discharge. [22]

Hatton has done considerable work on the use of magnetically sensitive nanoparticles for separation of liquids. Nanoparticles can be designed with a distinctive protein signature that will attract and attach a desired target protein. The nanoparticles can then be added to a suspension, where they will attach the target molecules. By subjecting the liquid to a magnetic field, the nanoparticles with their attached targets can be removed from the suspension. Finally the nanoparticles and proteins can be separated, recovering the nanoparticles for reuse. [20] Hatton has used this type of technique for the separation of oil from water. He hopes it may be used eventually for the cleaning up of oil spills. [23]

As of 2012, Hatton worked on electrochemically mediated methods of carbon capture and conversion which could be used to reduce emissions from power plants and industry and decrease greenhouse gases. The researchers are studying magnesium oxide-based materials, coating particles of MgO with alkali metal nitrates. The resulting materials can capture more than ten times as much carbon dioxide (CO2) as other materials being investigated, at lower temperatures. [24]

As of 2015, T. Alan Hatton and Aly Eltayeb received funding to develop a commercial prototype for carbon capture and storage from the smokestacks of industrial and power plants that burn fossil fuels. First, flue gases are passed through a liquid containing amines, which attract carbon dioxide. Then, building on the work of Michael Stern, the prototype passes the resulting solution through an electrochemical cell containing two electrically charged copper plates. This causes the amines to release the carbon dioxide, which can be sequestered or reused. The approach would remove carbon from the atmosphere, while using less electricity than current amine scrubber technology. [25] [26]

As of 2016, Yogesh Surendranath and T. Alan Hatton received a Seed Fund Grant from the MIT Energy Initiative to investigate the possible cycling of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into chemical fuel. [27]

With Xiao Su and others, Hatton has developed new methods of removing unwanted substances such as chemical waste, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals from water supplies. Both positive and negative electrodes or plates can be coated with Faradaic materials, which are chemically "functionalized" to react with specific molecules. As water flows between the plates, electricity is applied causing the active groups on the plates to combine with desired molecules. This process can work even with very small trace concentrations of target particles, present at parts-per-million. For their work on water purification, researchers won the 2016 Water Innovation Prize. [28] [29] By better understanding fundamental mechanisms involved in electrosorption, they are attempting to design more effective novel electrode materials. [5]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water treatment</span> Process that improves the quality of water

Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, including being safely returned to the environment. Water treatment removes contaminants and undesirable components, or reduces their concentration so that the water becomes fit for its desired end-use. This treatment is crucial to human health and allows humans to benefit from both drinking and irrigation use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanomaterials</span> Materials whose granular size lies between 1 and 100 nm

Nanomaterials describe, in principle, chemical substances or materials of which a single unit is sized between 1 and 100 nm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental technology</span> Technical and technological processes for protection of the environment

Environmental technology (envirotech) is the use of engineering and technological approaches to understand and address issues that affect the environment with the aim of fostering environmental improvement. It involves the application of science and technology in the process of addressing environmental challenges through environmental conservation and the mitigation of human impact to the environment.

Nanomaterial-based catalysts are usually heterogeneous catalysts broken up into metal nanoparticles in order to enhance the catalytic process. Metal nanoparticles have high surface area, which can increase catalytic activity. Nanoparticle catalysts can be easily separated and recycled. They are typically used under mild conditions to prevent decomposition of the nanoparticles.

Enhanced oil recovery, also called tertiary recovery, is the extraction of crude oil from an oil field that cannot be extracted otherwise. Although the primary and secondary recovery techniques rely on the pressure differential between the surface and the underground well, enhanced oil recovery functions by altering the chemical composition of the oil itself in order to make it easier to extract. EOR can extract 30% to 60% or more of a reservoir's oil, compared to 20% to 40% using primary and secondary recovery. According to the US Department of Energy, carbon dioxide and water are injected along with one of three EOR techniques: thermal injection, gas injection, and chemical injection. More advanced, speculative EOR techniques are sometimes called quaternary recovery.

Hydrogen gas is produced by several industrial methods. Nearly all of the world's current supply of hydrogen is created from fossil fuels. Most hydrogen is gray hydrogen made through steam methane reforming. In this process, hydrogen is produced from a chemical reaction between steam and methane, the main component of natural gas. Producing one tonne of hydrogen through this process emits 6.6–9.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide. When carbon capture and storage is used to remove a large fraction of these emissions, the product is known as blue hydrogen.

As the world's energy demand continues to grow, the development of more efficient and sustainable technologies for generating and storing energy is becoming increasingly important. According to Dr. Wade Adams from Rice University, energy will be the most pressing problem facing humanity in the next 50 years and nanotechnology has potential to solve this issue. Nanotechnology, a relatively new field of science and engineering, has shown promise to have a significant impact on the energy industry. Nanotechnology is defined as any technology that contains particles with one dimension under 100 nanometers in length. For scale, a single virus particle is about 100 nanometers wide.

Green nanotechnology refers to the use of nanotechnology to enhance the environmental sustainability of processes producing negative externalities. It also refers to the use of the products of nanotechnology to enhance sustainability. It includes making green nano-products and using nano-products in support of sustainability.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are a class of nanoparticle that can be manipulated using magnetic fields. Such particles commonly consist of two components, a magnetic material, often iron, nickel and cobalt, and a chemical component that has functionality. While nanoparticles are smaller than 1 micrometer in diameter, the larger microbeads are 0.5–500 micrometer in diameter. Magnetic nanoparticle clusters that are composed of a number of individual magnetic nanoparticles are known as magnetic nanobeads with a diameter of 50–200 nanometers. Magnetic nanoparticle clusters are a basis for their further magnetic assembly into magnetic nanochains. The magnetic nanoparticles have been the focus of much research recently because they possess attractive properties which could see potential use in catalysis including nanomaterial-based catalysts, biomedicine and tissue specific targeting, magnetically tunable colloidal photonic crystals, microfluidics, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic particle imaging, data storage, environmental remediation, nanofluids, optical filters, defect sensor, magnetic cooling and cation sensors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electrocatalyst</span> Catalyst participating in electrochemical reactions

An electrocatalyst is a catalyst that participates in electrochemical reactions. Electrocatalysts are a specific form of catalysts that function at electrode surfaces or, most commonly, may be the electrode surface itself. An electrocatalyst can be heterogeneous such as a platinized electrode. Homogeneous electrocatalysts, which are soluble, assist in transferring electrons between the electrode and reactants, and/or facilitate an intermediate chemical transformation described by an overall half reaction. Major challenges in electrocatalysts focus on fuel cells.

Carbon-neutral fuel is fuel which produces no net-greenhouse gas emissions or carbon footprint. In practice, this usually means fuels that are made using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a feedstock. Proposed carbon-neutral fuels can broadly be grouped into synthetic fuels, which are made by chemically hydrogenating carbon dioxide, and biofuels, which are produced using natural CO2-consuming processes like photosynthesis.

Liquid Light is a New Jersey-based company that develops and licenses electrochemical process technology to make chemicals from carbon dioxide (CO2). The company has more than 100 patents and patent applications for the technology that can produce multiple chemicals such as ethylene glycol, propylene, isopropanol, methyl-methacrylate and acetic acid. Funding has been provided by VantagePoint Capital Partners, BP Ventures, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, Osage University Partners and Sustainable Conversion Ventures. Liquid Light's technology can be used to produce more than 60 chemicals, but its first targeted process is for the production of monoethylene glycol (MEG) which has a $27 billion annual market. MEG is used to make a wide range of consumer products including plastic bottles, antifreeze and polyester fiber. Liquid Light is a spiritual concept not the monopoly of a business company only

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbon quantum dot</span> Type of carbon nanoparticle

Carbon quantum dots also commonly called carbon nano dots or simply carbon dots are carbon nanoparticles which are less than 10 nm in size and have some form of surface passivation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synthesis of carbon nanotubes</span> Class of manufacturing

Techniques have been developed to produce carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in sizable quantities, including arc discharge, laser ablation, high-pressure carbon monoxide disproportionation, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Most of these processes take place in a vacuum or with process gases. CVD growth of CNTs can occur in a vacuum or at atmospheric pressure. Large quantities of nanotubes can be synthesized by these methods; advances in catalysis and continuous growth are making CNTs more commercially viable.

Yang Shao-Horn is a Chinese American scholar, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering and a member of Research Laboratory of Electronics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is known for research on understanding and controlling of processes for storing electrons in chemical bonds towards zero-carbon energy and chemicals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Characterization of nanoparticles</span> Measurement of physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles

The characterization of nanoparticles is a branch of nanometrology that deals with the characterization, or measurement, of the physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles.,. Nanoparticles measure less than 100 nanometers in at least one of their external dimensions, and are often engineered for their unique properties. Nanoparticles are unlike conventional chemicals in that their chemical composition and concentration are not sufficient metrics for a complete description, because they vary in other physical properties such as size, shape, surface properties, crystallinity, and dispersion state.

There are many water purifiers available in the market which use different techniques like boiling, filtration, distillation, chlorination, sedimentation and oxidation. Currently nanotechnology plays a vital role in water purification techniques. Nanotechnology is the process of manipulating atoms on a nanoscale. In nanotechnology, nanomembranes are used with the purpose of softening the water and removal of contaminants such as physical, biological and chemical contaminants. There are variety of techniques in nanotechnology which uses nanoparticles for providing safe drinking water with a high level of effectiveness. Some techniques have become commercialized.

Andrew R. Barron is a British chemist, academic, and entrepreneur. He is the Sêr Cymru Chair of Low Carbon Energy and Environment at Swansea University, and the Charles W. Duncan Jr.-Welch Foundation Chair in Chemistry at Rice University. He is the founder and director of Energy Safety Research Institute (ESRI) at Swansea University, which consolidates the energy research at the University with a focus on environmental impact and future security. At Rice University, he leads a Research Group and has served as Associate Dean for Industry Interactions and Technology Transfer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Direct air capture</span> Method of carbon capture from carbon dioxide in air

Direct air capture (DAC) is the use of chemical or physical processes to extract carbon dioxide directly from the ambient air. If the extracted CO2 is then sequestered in safe long-term storage, the overall process will achieve carbon dioxide removal and be a "negative emissions technology" (NET).

Miguel A. Modestino is a Venezuelan-born chemical engineer and co-founder of Sunthetics along with Myriam Sbeiti and Daniela Blanco. Sunthetics uses artificial intelligence to optimize chemical reactions by inducing electrical pulses, from renewable energy, into the reaction instead of just heating them. Modestino is a part of the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, which is a group focused on reducing the need for fossil fuel by developing solar fuels as a direct alternative. Modestino also formed a group called the Modestino Group, which specialize in developing state of the art electrochemical devices to optimize and tackle the issues revolving renewable energy at New York University (NYU), where he is the Donald F. Othmer Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and the Director of Sustainable Engineering Initiative.

References

  1. 1 2 3 O’Neill, Kathryn M. (December 5, 2016). "Q&As with Low-Carbon Energy Center co-directors". MIT Ei News.
  2. 1 2 "Joseph Priestley Society: T. Alan Hatton". Science History Institute . 2016-08-12. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 "T. Alan Hatton". MIT. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "T. Alan Hatton". Chemistry Tree. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 Su, Xiao; Hatton, T. Alan (2017). "Electrosorption at functional interfaces: from molecular-level interactions to electrochemical cell design". Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 19 (35): 23570–23584. Bibcode:2017PCCP...1923570S. doi:10.1039/C7CP02822A. PMID   28703812 . Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  6. ↑ "Reports to the President 1982-83" (PDF). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. p. 364.
  7. 1 2 "Reports to the President 1984-85" (PDF). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. p. 8.
  8. ↑ Schwarz, Katie (January 8, 1986). "Faculty residents of four dormitories to leave positions after this spring". The Tech. Vol. 105, no. 56. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  9. ↑ "Landau Chair to Support Practical Chemical Engineering Study". MIT News. December 8, 1995. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "MIT Reports to the President 1995-96". Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  11. ↑ Hatton, T. Alan (2009). "Practice School News" (PDF). Chemical Engineering Alumni News. No. Fall. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  12. ↑ Petkewich, Rachel (September 4, 2006). "No Substitute For Experience Chemical engineering students at all levels can benefit from 'learn and earn' opportunities". Chemical & Engineering News. 84 (36): 99–101. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "MIT Energy Initiative". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  14. ↑ "People". The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  15. ↑ "Staff Profile: Professor T.Alan Hatton". Curtin University. 2017-03-20. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  16. ↑ "International Association of Colloid and Interface Scientists" (PDF). Colloids and Surfaces. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  17. ↑ Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering Editorial Board. Elsevier Publishing. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  18. ↑ "Separation and Purification Gordon Research Conference". Gordon Research Conference. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  19. ↑ Rowell, Robert L. "History of the Division". American Chemical Society. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  20. 1 2 Ward, Lee; Sheridan, John (November 2016). "MIT Professor Sheds Light on Magnetically-Enhanced Separations for Biopharm Processing". ISPE Newsletter. XXVI (6). Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  21. ↑ Theng, B.K.G. (2012). Formation and properties of clay-polymer complexes (2nd ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 429. ISBN   9780444533548 . Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  22. ↑ "The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program Summary of 1996 Award Entries and Recipients" (PDF). United States Environmental Protection Agency. 1996.
  23. ↑ Singh, Timon (September 12, 2012). "MIT Develops a Way to Magnetically Separate Oil From Water". Inhabitat. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  24. ↑ "Reducing greenhouse gas emissions with a more effective carbon capture method". ACS News Service. March 4, 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  25. ↑ LaMonica, Martin (February 2, 2015). "MIT smokestack scrubber promises lower costs Researchers say they can help power plants do more to cut carbon dioxide emissions". Boston Globe. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  26. ↑ Dougherty, Elizabeth (Spring 2016). "Energizer An engineer/MBA applies new carbon capture technology to the fossil fuel industry". Spectrum. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  27. ↑ "MIT Energy Initiative Awards Nine Seed Fund Grants for Early-Stage Energy Research". Power Electronics. May 10, 2016.
  28. 1 2 Chandler, David L. (May 10, 2017). "MIT researchers develop new way to clear pollutants from water Electrochemical method can remove even tiny amounts of contamination". MIT News. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  29. 1 2 Su, Xiao; Tan, Kai-Jher; Elbert, Johannes; Rüttiger, Christian; Gallei, Markus; Jamison, Timothy F.; Hatton, T. Alan (2017). "Asymmetric Faradaic systems for selective electrochemical separations". Energy Environ. Sci. 10 (5): 1272–1283. doi:10.1039/C7EE00066A.
  30. ↑ Davis, Chris (2017-05-18). "Cleaning up water gets a boost from brand new method". China Daily. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  31. ↑ "New Method Selectively Removes Micropollutants from Water". Water Canada. May 16, 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  32. ↑ Chu, Susan (2017). "MIT Researchers Invent New Method to Purify Wastewater". TUN (The University Network). Retrieved 17 October 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.