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Josh Schaidle

Photo of Josh Schaidle

Josh Schaidle works in the Thermochemical Catalysis Research and Development group, headed by Jesse Hensley. He manages a $500,000 per year task focused on developing catalysts, processes, and reactor systems for the catalytic upgrading of pyrolysis products to produce fungible transportation fuels.

Research Interests

  • Biomass conversion to fuels and chemicals
  • Environmentally-sustainable engineering practices
  • Photochemical and electrochemical routes for fuel production
  • Rational design of catalysts through the combination of experiment and theory
  • Early transition metal carbide and nitride catalysts
  • Process design and optimization
  • Life-cycle Assessment (LCA)
  • Catalysts for automotive exhaust treatment

Education

  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering; Concentration in Environmental Sustainability
    University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2011
  • B.S., Chemical Engineering
    University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 2006

Professional Experience

Josh's professional experience includes the following:

  • Design, construction, and commissioning of bench-scale reactor systems
  • Development of operating manuals and safety procedures
  • Programming, wiring, and troubleshooting of process control systems using Opto22
  • Trouble-shooting and operating pilot-scale fuel production systems
  • Proposal and manuscript writing
  • Collaboration with researchers in multiple centers within NREL
  • Invention and patenting
  • Programming in Visual Basic within Excel to improve efficiency of data collection and analysis
  • Instrumental analysis techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), mass spectrometry (MS), gas chromatography (GC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) pore size analysis, and chemisorption and temperature programmed desorption/reaction (TPD/TPR).
  • Specialized training: National School on X-ray and Neutron Scattering, Fischer-Tropsch Catalysis: Fundamentals and Practice short course, and Reaction Engineering and Applied Catalysis short course
  • Professional development training: "Building Professional Power through Professional Presence" class and Korn/Ferry International Proposing to Win: Two Day Program

Professional Affiliations

  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)

Patents and Publications

Patents

  • Thompson, L. T.; Schaidle, J.; Schweitzer, N., US Patent # 61437874. "High Activity Early Transition Metal Carbide and Nitride Based Catalysts". Filed for non-provisional patent on January 31, 2012.

Manuscripts

  • Schaidle, J.; Lausche, A.; Thompson, L. T. (2010) "Effects of sulfur on Mo2C and Pt/Mo2C catalysts: Water gas shift reaction" J. Catal., 272, 235-245.
  • Schaidle, J.; Moline, C.; Savage, P. (2011) "Biorefinery Sustainability Assessment" Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy, 30, 743-753.
  • Schweitzer, N.; Schaidle, J.; Ezekoye, O.; Pan, X.; Linic, S.; Thompson, L. T. (2011) "High activity carbide supported catalysts for water gas shift" J. Am. Chem. Soc., 133, 2378-2381.
  • Lausche, A.; Schaidle, J.; Thompson, L. T. (2011) "Understanding the effects of sulfur on Mo2C and Pt/Mo2C catalysts: Methanol steam reforming" App. Catal. A, 401, 29-36.
  • Schaidle, J.; Schweitzer, N.; Ajenifujah, O.; Thompson, L. T. (2012) "On the preparation of molybdenum carbide supported metal catalysts" J. Catal., 289, 210-217.

Abstracts

  • Schaidle, J.; Schweitzer, N.; Linic, S.; Thompson, L. T. (March 2012). "Understanding the effects of synthesis conditions on catalytic properties: Mo2C-supported metal catalysts." Western States Catalysis Club Annual Symposium, Boulder, CO.
  • Schaidle, J.; Thompson, L. T. (June 2011). "Early transition metal carbide and nitride catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis." 22nd North American Catalysis Society Meeting, Detroit, MI.
  • Schaidle, J.; Schweitzer, N.; Thompson, L. T. (November 2010). "Molybdenum carbide-supported metal catalysts: Synthesis, characterization, and catalytic properties." AIChE Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.
  • Schaidle, J.; Schweitzer, N.; Thompson, L. T. (June 2010). "Mo2C-supported metal catalysts: Adsorption mechanism and metal structure." Gordon Research Conference on Catalysis, New London, NH.
  • Schaidle, J.; Thompson, L. T. (November 2009). "Mo2C and W2C catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis: Investigating activity, selectivity, and stability." AIChE Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN.
  • Schaidle, J.; Lausche, A.; Thompson, L. T. (June 2009). "Effect of sulfur on properties of Mo2C and Pt/Mo2C catalysts." 21st North American Catalysis Society Meeting, San Francisco, CA.

Contact Information

Josh Schaidle
Engineer III
Thermochemical Catalysis R&D
National Bioenergy Center
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
15013 Denver West Parkway, MS 3317
Golden, CO 80401
Phone: 303-384-7823
E-mail: joshua.schaidle@nrel.gov