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Sheehan Lab
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Welcome
The mission of the Sheehan Lab is to develop chemical processes that support a sustainable future for our society and the environment. We research intensified reaction (e.g., thermochemical, catalytic) and separation processes for valorizing emergent feedstocks (e.g., lignocellulosic residues, waste plastics) into value-added chemical and material products. We use benchtop-scale experiments, analytical techniques (e.g., in situ & ex situ spectroscopy, wet chemistry, chromatography, microscopy), and modeling approaches to characterize and design chemical processes systems.
We are currently developing chemical processes that use supercritical fluids, CO2-switchable chemistries, and integrated continuous reaction-separation operations to 1) deconstruct synthetic and natural polymers into small molecules, 2) fractionate lignocellulose into its constituent structural polymers (e.g., cellulose, hemicellulose lignin), and 3) develop bio-based, high-performance materials.
We are currently developing chemical processes that use supercritical fluids, CO2-switchable chemistries, and integrated continuous reaction-separation operations to 1) deconstruct synthetic and natural polymers into small molecules, 2) fractionate lignocellulose into its constituent structural polymers (e.g., cellulose, hemicellulose lignin), and 3) develop bio-based, high-performance materials.
