The panel discussion on "Low-Carbon Fuel for Engines" will bring together leading experts from industry, academia, and national labs to explore innovative solutions for reducing life-cycle carbon emissions in transportation. This panel will explore the latest advancements in low-carbon fuel technologies, such as biofuels, hydrogen, synthetic fuels, SAF, etc. Panelists will discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with scaling up these technologies and addressing infrastructure, economic, and regulatory hurdles. The panel aims to foster a collaborative dialogue on how to fairly evaluate different fuels from life-cycle perspective, how to accelerate the transition to sustainable fuel alternatives, ensuring a cleaner and more resilient future for transportation. Attendees will gain insights into cutting-edge research, practical implementations, and policy frameworks that support the adoption of low-carbon fuels. This discussion promises to be a vital exchange of ideas and strategies for driving forward the decarbonization of engines and achieving global climate goals.
MODERATOR
André Boehman
Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Vennema Professor of Engineering
Director, W.E.Lay Automotive Laboratory
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
André Boehman is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Vennema Professor of Engineering at the University of Michigan. He joined U-M in 2012 after serving for 18 years at Penn State as a Professor of Fuel Science. At U-M, Prof. Boehman serves as the Director of the Walter E. Lay Automotive Laboratory. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering: a BS from the University of Dayton (1986) and an MS (1987) and PhD (1993) from Stanford University. He served as the Editor in Chief of the journal Fuel Processing Technology from 2007-2011, and as an Associate Editor for Energy & Fuels from 2016-2019. He is a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Chemical Society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Combustion Institute. He received the 2009 John Johnson Award for Outstanding Research in Diesel Engines and the 2009 Arch T. Colwell Merit Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers. He received the 2018 Achievement Award from the U-M Mechanical Engineering Department and both the 2021 Monroe-Brown Foundation Service Excellence Award and 2023 David E. Liddle Research Excellence Award from the U-M College of Engineering. He also received the 2020 ASME Internal Combustion Engine Award. He has authored or co-authored 136 journal publications and 6 book chapters. He has chaired or co-chaired more than 30 MS theses and 30 doctoral theses at Penn State and Michigan.
PANELIST
Xiaoyi He
Senior Engineer
Phillips 66 Company
Xiaoyi He is a senior engineer at Phillips 66 Company, specializing in life cycle analysis and techno-economic analysis of sustainable energy/transportation systems. She obtained a Ph.D in Environmental Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University in 2018, before embarking on a joint postdoctoral program at the Univ. of Michigan and Ford Motor Company. Xiaoyi has co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed journal articles with over 1000 citations. In her free time, Xiaoyi enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with family.
PANELIST
Eric C. D. Tan
Senior Research Engineer
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Eric C. D. Tan is a Senior Research Engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). His expertise lies in developing renewable feedstock conversion pathways that generate low-carbon liquid hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals. Before his time at NREL, he worked in industry R&D, focusing on fuel processing technology, hydrogen production processes, and commercial fuel cell systems.
Dr. Tan obtained his PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Akron and a Master's in Sustainability from Harvard University. He has published over 100 technical papers and reports in heterogeneous catalysis, biorefinery, process intensification, decarbonization, circular economy, and sustainability. He is a certified life cycle assessment (LCA) professional and a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
PANELIST
Christopher P. Kolodziej
Principal Energy Systems Analyst
Argonne National Laboratory
Dr. Christopher Kolodziej is a Principal Energy Systems Analyst at Argonne National Laboratory. He is principal investigator of several decarbonization projects of on-road transportation, off-road equipment, and the maritime sector on a life cycle analysis (LCA) basis, primarily using Argonne's GREET model. He is co-authoring the US interagency decarbonization Action Plans for the maritime and off-road sectors. He is a US representative in the IEA Advanced Materials for Transportation (AMT) TCP and provides expertise on maritime LCA for the US delegation to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Great Lakes Green Shipping Corridor.
Panel Organizers:
Xin He, Yuanjiang Pei (Aramco Americas)
Sibendu Som (Argonne National Laboratory)
Kelly Senecal (Convergent Science)