Trenton Tovar
Graduate Student - Chemical Engineering

B.S.  Chemical Engineering, 2009
North Carolina State University

ESB 3217
University of California - Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5080
tmtovar@engineering.ucsb.edu

(805) 893-8941 (lab)




Research Project

My research is on the production of bio-fuels from seed oils via olefin metathesis.  Self metathesis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) derived from the seed oils produces long chain alkenes that can be hydrogenated and fed directly into current petrol infrastructure.  I am currently looking at liquid phase kinetics and pore size transport limitations of the metathesis catalyst methyl trioxorhenium (MTO) supported on silica-alumina.



Publications