CCSS June Seminar: Taylor Uekert

Center for Catalysis and Surface Science (CCSS) Seminar Series

Friday, June 5, 2026 | 12-1pm CT
Ryan Hall, 4003 | 2190 Campus Drive (Virtual Option via Zoom)

Join the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science (CCSS) for the Seminar Series. This month's speaker is Taylor Uekert.

About the Presentation

Speaker: Taylor Uekert

Title: “Rethinking Chemical Manufacturing: Analysis-Guided Pathways From Waste to Value”

Abstract: 

The use of biogenic and waste feedstocks is a promising strategy to improve the chemical sector’s supply chain resiliency and carbon intensity. To prioritize research efforts that transform these feedstocks into industrial chemicals, here we present a systematic analysis framework to consistently evaluate the economics and environmental impacts of >200 alternative production pathways for 51 organic commodity chemicals in the United States under an optimistic future scenario that reflects the potential upper-bound of process scalability and energy availability. Lower-impact and lower-cost alternative pathways were identified for all but three chemicals, with 75% using thermochemical routes and half leveraging existing manufacturing infrastructure. Implementing alternative pathways for just 11 chemicals could enable net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from chemical production by 2050, with 11% lower cost than business-as-usual, similar water requirements, quadrupled electricity demand, and use of most available woody biomass. Furthermore, we discuss ongoing efforts to expand on this analysis by incorporating additional supply chain parameters related to chemical “criticality.” Overall, these findings provide a quantitative roadmap toward a more sustainable chemical industry that harnesses alternative feedstocks.

Bio:  Dr. Taylor Uekert is an interdisciplinary scientist dedicated to solving waste and climate challenges with a circular economy. She has a B.S. in nanoengineering from the University of California San Diego and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Cambridge, where she studied sunlight-driven systems for transforming waste into fuel. Her research at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly the National Renewable Energy Laboratory) explores the environmental, economic, and supply chain impacts of emerging manufacturing and recycling strategies in the plastic and chemical sectors through transparent and accessible modeling approaches.

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The mission of the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science (CCSS) is to promote interdisciplinary research fundamental to the discovery, synthesis, and understanding of catalysts and catalytic reactions essential to modern society. As a part of the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy, CCSS applies fundamental advances in catalysis science towards applications in alternative fuels, abatement of harmful emissions, resource recovery concepts, new processing routes, and many other strategies towards making chemicals more sustainable.

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