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Stefanie Van Wychen

Researcher II-Chemistry


303-384-7964

Research Interests

  • Identification and quantitation of biochemicals and other compounds of interest

  • Analytical method development—wet chemistry and instrumentation

  • Experimental design/quality control

  • Fraction separation

Affiliated Research Programs

  • Algae Characterization, Advanced Analytical Development (collaborator)

  • Targeted Microbial Development, Advanced Concepts for Producing Hydrocarbons (contributor)

  • Algal Biomass Conversion, Pretreatment, and Fractionation (contributor)

  • Natural Gas into Diesel Fuel, Biocatalysis For Small Scale (contributor)

  • Analytical Development (contributor)

  • ATP3 (contributor)

Areas of Expertise

  • Biomass analysis

    • Terrestrial feedstocks

    • Algal feedstocks

  • Biochemical products analysis

    • Lipids

    • Fatty alcohols

    • Alkenes/olefins

    • Fatty acid ethyl esters/fatty acid methyl esters

    • Polysaccharides

  • Liquid, gas, and anion exchange chromatography

  • Analytical method development and validation

Education

  • M.S., Soil Science, Colorado State University, 2006

  • B.S., Soil Science/Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin — Madison, 2004

Professional Experience

  • Research Scientist — Biomass Analysis, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), National Bioenergy Center (NBC), 2013–present

  • Research Technician — Biomass Analysis, NREL, NBC, 2010–2013

  • Water Quality Technician, City and County of Broomfield, 2007–2010

  • Assistant Water Quality Specialist, Colorado State University, 2006–2007

Patents

  1. "Disruption of cell walls for enhanced lipid recovery," U.S. Patent No. 8,986,977 (2015)

Featured Publications

  1. "Acid-catalyzed algal biomass pretreatment for integrated lipid and carbohydrate-based biofuels production," Green Chemistry (2015)

  2. "Strain, biochemistry, and cultivation-dependent measurement variability of algal biomass composition," Analytical Biochemistry (2014)

  3. "Genomic, proteomic, and biochemical analyses of oleaginous Mucor circinelloides: Evaluating its capability in utilizing cellulolytic substrates for lipid production," PLoS ONE (2013)

  4. "Separation and quantification of microalgal carbohydrates," Journal of Chromatography A (2012)

  5. "Accurate and reliable quantification of total microalgal fuel potential as fatty acid methyl esters by in situ transesterification," Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry (2012)

  6. "Algal biomass constituent analysis: method uncertainties and investigation of the underlying measuring chemistries," Analytical Chemistry (2012)

  7. "Differences in below ground heterogeneity within a restoration of a dewatered reservoir in Southwestern Wisconsin," Restoration Ecology (2008)

Additional Publications

  1. Determination of Total Carbohydrates in Algal Biomass, NREL Technical Report (2013)

  2. Determination of Total Lipids as Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) by in situ Transesterification, NREL Technical Report (2013)

  3. Determination of Total Solids and Ash in Algal Biomass, NREL Technical Report (2013)

  4. "Nitrates in soil and plant systems across site-specific management zones," presented at American Society of Agronomy (2005)

  5. "Quantifying nitrate leaching below root zone across site specific management zones," presented at Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Meetings (2005)

  6. "Characterization of a recently drained agricultural soil after forty years of flooding and its influence on the restoration to native Wisconsin prairie," presented at the Annual meeting of the American Society of Agronomy (2004)

View all NREL Publications for Stefanie Van Wychen.

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