Rorrer Lab

Sustainable Heterogeneous Catalysis @ UW


Welcome to the Rorrer Lab at the University of Washington Department of Chemical Engineering!

The Rorrer Lab leverages tunable heterogeneous catalytic systems to enable sustainable chemical transformations including the chemical upcycling of waste plastics, and catalytic upgrading of biomass-derived platform molecules. By developing targeted active catalytic sites to enable new chemical transformations and leveraging advanced characterization techniques, we aim to advance the field of renewable and sustainable chemical production, shifting away from fossil fuel consumption and mitigating the detrimental environmental effects of waste plastics. 

Conversion of Plastic Waste into Value-Added Products

Upgrading of Biomass-Derived Platform Molecules 

Synthesis of Tunable Heterogeneous Catalysts

Operando Characterization, Mechanistic Probing, and Microkinetic Modeling

The Rorrer Lab is a research group hosted by the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Interested in joining us? Check out our available positions