Michael Timko, Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Worcester Polytechnic

Let's Make this Waste Work for Us

Waste is the natural byproduct of our extractive economy. Accumulation of waste, including everything from atmospheric gases to water pollutants, threatens our ecosystems and increasingly our health. When the waste ends up in communities populated by disadvantaged communities, clean up takes on aspects of social justice. Why should the poorest bear the greater burden of waste? The problem of waste, however, is largely one of perspective. Waste is not without value, provided that we have ways to valorize it. In my research, we use develop new ways to valorize waste as energy, fuels, chemicals, and materials. In this talk, I will describe one of my groups journeys in our quest to make waste work for us. Starting with a fundamental understanding of food waste chemistry, we developed sequential generations of technologies for converting food waste into a renewable fuel. Each generation was an improvement, scientifically and technologically, over previous ones and at each stage we learned more about the complex chemical pathways responsible for converting food waste to renewable fuel. Our most recent family of catalysts is based on abundant materials, including calcium and phosphorous, stable under harsh reaction conditions, and results in a product that can be competitive economically with petroleum-based fuels. This series of discoveries has set the stage for advances in economic analysis, upgrading, and reactor modeling. From a modest starting point, we are now poised to make a positive impact on waste valorization, with corresponding environmental and economic benefits.
Prof. Michael Timko is an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Dr. Timko’s main research interests involve the study of new technologies for production of sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials. He is author of more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s CAREER award and the American Chemical Society’s Glenn Research Award. Prof. Timko is on the editorial boards of Sustainable Chemistry and Global Challenges and a member of AIChE’s Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Diversity Task Force. He is co-PI of an NSF Research Training Grant on the combination of chemical sciences, data sciences, and social sciences for advancing the circular economy. Prior to joining WPI, Dr. Timko was a Principal Engineer at Aerodyne Research Inc. and a Research Engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His training is in chemical engineering and chemical physics at The Ohio State University (B.S.), MIT (M.S. and Ph.D.), and Harvard University (post-doc)

Michael Timko, Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Worcester Polytechnic

Let's Make this Waste Work for Us

Waste is the natural byproduct of our extractive economy. Accumulation of waste, including everything from atmospheric gases to water pollutants, threatens our ecosystems and increasingly our health. When the waste ends up in communities populated by disadvantaged communities, clean up takes on aspects of social justice. Why should the poorest bear the greater burden of waste? The problem of waste, however, is largely one of perspective. Waste is not without value, provided that we have ways to valorize it. In my research, we use develop new ways to valorize waste as energy, fuels, chemicals, and materials. In this talk, I will describe one of my groups journeys in our quest to make waste work for us. Starting with a fundamental understanding of food waste chemistry, we developed sequential generations of technologies for converting food waste into a renewable fuel. Each generation was an improvement, scientifically and technologically, over previous ones and at each stage we learned more about the complex chemical pathways responsible for converting food waste to renewable fuel. Our most recent family of catalysts is based on abundant materials, including calcium and phosphorous, stable under harsh reaction conditions, and results in a product that can be competitive economically with petroleum-based fuels. This series of discoveries has set the stage for advances in economic analysis, upgrading, and reactor modeling. From a modest starting point, we are now poised to make a positive impact on waste valorization, with corresponding environmental and economic benefits.
Prof. Michael Timko is an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Dr. Timko’s main research interests involve the study of new technologies for production of sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials. He is author of more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s CAREER award and the American Chemical Society’s Glenn Research Award. Prof. Timko is on the editorial boards of Sustainable Chemistry and Global Challenges and a member of AIChE’s Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Diversity Task Force. He is co-PI of an NSF Research Training Grant on the combination of chemical sciences, data sciences, and social sciences for advancing the circular economy. Prior to joining WPI, Dr. Timko was a Principal Engineer at Aerodyne Research Inc. and a Research Engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His training is in chemical engineering and chemical physics at The Ohio State University (B.S.), MIT (M.S. and Ph.D.), and Harvard University (post-doc)