Haiqing Lin earns AIChE award for research and educational impact

By Peter Murphy

According to AIChE, the award “recognizes an individual’s sustained excellence in contributing to the advancement of technology in the production, distribution and application of industrial gases.”

Lin’s work in this area has been used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lessen the effects of exhaust emissions throughout the world.

Over the course of his career, Lin—who also serves as graduate studies director in his department—has published nearly 160 papers, seven book chapters, and secured 10 patents and applications associated with membrane separations. He has also graduated nearly 50 students and welcomed nearly 50 undergraduate students into his research group.

“Haiqing has developed innovative strategies for a wide range of membrane applications. These have had a significant impact on the ability of the chemical engineering community to develop clean energy solutions,” said Jeff Errington, professor and chair in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

One of Lin’s most significant contributions has been the development of novel membranes for carbon capture in flue gas and synthesis gas (syngas). Flue gas is a byproduct of burning fuel and syngas is a mixture of gases—mostly H2 and carbon monoxide—used for making fuels, chemicals, and fertilizers. Lin’s novel membranes for carbon capture set the industrial benchmark for carbon capture in these gases.

While still a PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin, Lin developed novel polyethers to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from mixtures with light gases like hydrogen (H2) and nitrogen (N2). The materials—highly branched polyethylene oxide (PEOs)—had unprecedented CO2/H2 separation capabilities and remain the benchmark for separating those gases today.

After graduating with his PhD, Lin joined Membrane Technology and Research, Inc., and developed membranes for CO2/H2 separation, which were adopted into commercial systems. Upon joining UB, he continued to advance membrane materials for carbon capture and H2 production. Notably, his group has published over 20 papers on membranes (such as polyorganosilica and carbon molecular sieves) for high-temperature H2/CO2 separation and emerged as one of the most active teams in this area.

Lin has also made significant contributions in designing polyether-based membranes for CO2/N2 separation during post-combustion. His group designed and synthesized a series of polymers containing a higher ether-oxygen content than typical PEOs to improve the separation process. He has incorporated these materials into industrial thin-film composite membranes with separation properties superior to the state-of-the-art commercial membranes.

Lin’s contributions to the field go beyond his work in the lab as well. In addition to working closely on research with over 100 students, he has supervised six postdoctoral fellows and five visiting scientists. Ten of his students have won multiple national awards like the AIChE Separations Division Graduate Student Research Award and the North American Membrane Society’s young investigator fellowship and Student Fellowship Award.

Lin joined UB in 2013. He will be honored for this award during the AIChE Annual Meeting in November.