10/20/2026
By Dongming Xie

The Alfred A. Donatelli Endowed Chemical Engineering Seminar: Sustainable Hydrocarbon Fuels for Resilient Energy Systems will be presented by Prof. Hongfei Lin, Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University.

  • Date: Thursday, Oct. 22
  • Time: 3:30 – 4:45 p.m.
  • Location: Falmouth 209

Abstract

A resilient energy system must keep critical services running through grid disruptions, extreme weather and supply-chain shocks, while also absorbing the variability of renewable power. Sustainable hydrocarbon fuels are well suited to this role. Their high energy density, long-term storability and compatibility with existing infrastructure allow them to be stockpiled, transported and deployed on demand. These qualities make them especially valuable for sectors that are difficult to electrify, including aviation, marine transport and heavy industry.

Resilience depends not only on the fuel but also on how it is produced. Our research develops catalytic technologies for the efficient, selective conversion of diverse carbon resources, including renewable biomass, waste plastics and CO₂, into liquid hydrocarbon fuels. These catalysts achieve high selectivity toward liquid fuels and remain stable under both steady-state and dynamic operating conditions. That stability allows production to follow intermittent renewable inputs and to accommodate variable feedstocks.

Key technical challenges include sustaining catalyst durability, tailoring product selectivity to specific fuel applications and maximizing carbon utilization across heterogeneous feedstocks. Advanced characterization and computational methods reveal the underlying reaction mechanisms and guide the rational design of more robust catalysts.

Together, these catalytic strategies offer a scalable, infrastructure-compatible pathway for converting intermittent renewable energy and waste carbon into dispatchable fuels. In doing so, they strengthen energy security and advance the transition to a circular carbon economy.

Biography

Dr. Hongfei Lin is the Arthur W. Zafiropoulo Endowed Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University. His research in catalysis and energy sustainability focuses on developing catalytic processes that convert renewable and waste carbon resources, including biomass, waste plastics and CO₂, into fuels and value-added chemicals. Dr. Lin received his B.E. and M.S. from Tsinghua University and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana State University. He conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and gained industry experience at renewable energy startups. Over the past two decades, he has built an interdisciplinary research program that bridges fundamental catalysis and practical energy solutions. His work has been supported by the DOE, NSF and USDA and has resulted in more than 80 publications and patents. Dr. Lin serves on the International Advisory Board of Energy Technology. He previously served on the Editorial Board of Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials, as Guest Editor for Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy, and as Program Chair of the American Chemical Society’s Division of Energy and Fuels.