MAE Seminar – Thermochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Strategies for Decarbonizing Industrial and Transpo

Details

Dear Undergraduate and Graduate Students, Faculty, and Staff,
You are invited! UF Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering’s Seminar Series
This is a perfect opportunity to enjoy some coffee, cookies, and captivating talks! These sessions feature amazing guest speakers, from academic trailblazers and industry movers to our very own faculty candidates showing off their expertise and fresh perspectives.
Come for the treats, stay for the engaging discussions, and connect with fellow MAE enthusiasts. Everyone is welcome!

Thermochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Strategies for Decarbonizing Industrial and Transportation Sector

September 2, 2025, at 4:05pm
Location: WERTHEIM 450

Dr. Jonathan Scheffe
Associate Professor
University of Florida
Dept. of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Abstract
As the integration of renewable energy sources into the global energy supply increases, the demand for robust, efficient and economical energy storage techniques becomes even more critical. Energy storage solutions like hydrogen and other energy-dense liquid fuels are particularly crucial for sectors that are challenging to decarbonize, such as shipping, aviation, and the production of cement and steel. This talk describes the work we are doing in our laboratory to use renewable thermal energy to drive industrially relevant chemical processes such as CH4 reforming, sulfur reforming, H2O and CO2 splitting to produce H2 and/or CO, long-duration energy storage vectors that can be used directly to produce power, such as H2 in fuel cell electric vehicles, or as precursors to liquid fuels synthesis. In our lab we are focused on understanding the fundamental thermodynamic and kinetic limitations that govern this chemistry and use this understanding to develop prototype reactors/devices that can be implemented at industrial scale

Biography
Jonathan Scheffe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida. Prof. Scheffe is Principle Investigator of the Renewable Energy Conversion Laboratory that is focused on research in the area of energy conversion and storage. Applications include the production of renewable fuels/electricity, H2 production and fuel reforming. He is the former chair of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Solar Energy Division, ASME Fellow, and has co-authored more than 50 peer reviewed publications in the field of solar thermal energy conversion. Prof. Scheffe has received research funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technology Office, U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Office, Duke Energy, Synhelion SA, Peregrine Hydrogen, Florida Department of Transportation, and Qatar National Research Foundation.

MAE Faculty Host: John Schueller