News Archives | Dauenhauer Research Group

Researchers invent ‘perfect’ soap molecule

October 26, 2016. A team of researchers, led by the University of Minnesota, has invented a new soap molecule made from renewable sources that could dramatically reduce the number of chemicals in cleaning products and their impact on the environment. The soap molecules also worked better than some conventional soaps in challenging conditions such as cold water and hard water. The technology has been patented by the University of Minnesota and is licensed to the new Minnesota-based startup company Sironix Renewables. The new study is now online and will be published in the next issue of the American Chemical Society’s ACS Central Science, a leading journal in the chemical sciences. Authors of the study include researchers from the University of Minnesota, University of Delaware, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Sironix Renewables, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation and Argonne National Laboratory.

Dauenhauer to receive Pittcon 2017 Achievement Award

Nov. 17, 2016 - Associate Professor Paul Dauenahuer has been selected for a 2017 Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award, to be presented at the Pittcon Conference and Exposition in Chicago, Illinois in March 2017. The Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh (SACP) presents the awards annually at Pittcon to recognize individuals for outstanding achievements in the fields of analytical chemistry and/or applied spectroscopy within 10 years after completion of their Ph.D. work. As an award recipient, Dauenhauer will be a featured speaker at the Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award Symposium and honored with a cash gift and scroll at the conference awards reception.

Dauenhauer selected as 2016 Mellichamp Lecturer

Aug. 15, 2016 - Associate Professor Paul J. Dauenhauer will deliver the 2016 Mellichamp Lecture at Purdue University in October. The Duncan and Suzanne Mellichamp Lectureship was established in 2013 to recognize the work of a distinguished young researcher in any area related to the field of chemical engineering. The recipient is selected by the School of Chemical Engineering faculty in recognition of his or her contributions to research and education.

Dauenhauer wins inaugural Rutherford Aris Award

Jan. 28, 2016 - Associate Professor Paul Dauenhauer has won the inaugural Rutherford Aris Young Investigator Award for Excellence in Chemical Reaction Engineering by the International Symposium on Chemical Reaction Engineering (ISCRE). This prestigious award recognizes outstanding contributions in experimental and/or theoretical reaction engineering research of investigators in the early stages of their careers. In the past decade, Dauenhauer has made transformational contributions to chemical reaction engineering research in the areas of biomass catalysis for renewable chemicals and solid fuel reaction engineering. His research activities have led to major breakthroughs published in the premiere scientific journals (Science, JACS, and Energy & Environmental Science). His independent research has been supported by prestigious young investigator awards (e.g., NSF CAREER and DOE Early Career Awards) and punctuated with the development of breakthrough research techniques, such as Thin-Film Pyrolysis, for probing the mechanisms underlying the conversion of biomass.