Robert B. Pace III

Research Interests
  • Biomass Fractionation
  • Bioproduct Isolation and Upgrading (Biofuels, Bioplastics)
  • Biomass analysis (Py-GCMS, Thermal analysis, HSQC-NMR)
  • Ionic Liquid Mediated Biomass Processing
  • Industrial and Fuel Chemistry
  • Heterogeneous Catalysis
  • Environmental Catalysis
  • Automotive Catalysis
  • Passive NOx Adsorbers
Selected Publications:

1. Mazzotta, M. G.; Pace, R. B.; Wallgren, B. N.; Morton, S. A.; Miller, K. M.; Smith, D. L., Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) of Ionic Liquids. Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry 2013, 24 (10), 1616-1619.

2. Harman-Ware, A.; Crocker, M.; Pace, R.; Placido, A.; Morton, S., III; DeBolt, S., Characterization of Endocarp Biomass and Extracted Lignin Using Pyrolysis and Spectroscopic Methods. Bioenerg. Res. 2014, 1-19.

3. Santillan-Jimenez, E.; Perdu, M.; Pace, R.; Morgan, T.; Crocker, M., Activated Carbon, Carbon Nanofiber and Carbon Nanotube Supported Molybdenum Carbide Catalysts for the Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol. Catalysts 2015, 5 (1), 424.

4. Santillan-Jimenez, E.; Pace, R.; Marques, S.; Morgan, T.; McKelphin, C.; Mobley, J.; Crocker, M., Extraction, characterization, purification and catalytic upgrading of algae lipids to fuel-like hydrocarbons. Fuel 2016, 180, 668-678.

5. Yao, S. G.; Meier, M. S.; Pace III, R. B.; Crocker, M., A comparison of the oxidation of lignin model compounds in conventional and ionic liquid solvents and application to the oxidation of lignin. RSC Advances 2016, 6 (106), 104742-104753.

6. Ligaba-Osena, A.; Hankoua, B.; DiMarco, K.; Pace, R.; Crocker, M.; McAtee, J.; Nagachar, N.; Tien, M.; Richard, T. L., Reducing biomass recalcitrance by heterologous expression of a bacterial peroxidase in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana). Scientific reports 2017, 7 (1), 17104.

7. Loe, R.; Lavoignat, Y.; Maier, M.; Abdallah, M.; Morgan, T.; Qian, D.; Pace, R.; Santillan-Jimenez, E.; Crocker, M., Continuous Catalytic Deoxygenation of Waste Free Fatty Acid-Based Feeds to Fuel-Like Hydrocarbons Over a Supported Ni-Cu Catalyst. Catalysts 2019, 9 (2), 123

8. Santillan-Jimenez, E.; Pace, R.; Morgan, T.; Behnke, C.; Sajkowski, D. J.; Lappas, A.; Crocker, M., Co-processing of hydrothermal liquefaction algal bio-oil and petroleum feedstock to fuel-like hydrocarbons via fluid catalytic cracking. Fuel Processing Technology 2019, 188, 164.

9. Loe, R., Huff, K., Walli, M., Morgan, T., Qian, D., Pace, R., Crocker, M. Effect of Pt Promotion on the Ni-Catalyzed Deoxygenation of Tristearin to Fuel-Like Hydrocarbons. Catalysts 2019, 9 (2), 200.