Washington State University

Voiland School Magazine, Fall 2023

Fall 2023

With gratitude

The Voiland School is celebrating many exciting accomplishments in 2023, and we look forward to a great year to come.

Research highlights

Fischer Tropsch discovery
As reported in Science, researchers have discovered previously unknown self-sustained oscillations in the Fischer Tropsch process.

Controlling methane emissions
A catalyst using a single or just a few palladium atoms removed 90% of unburned methane from natural gas engine exhaust at low temperatures in a recent study in Nature Catalysis.

Decoding electrochemical soil signals
Researchers are studying electric signals that bounce between plants and the underworld community of microbes.

Turning wheat straw into gold
WSU researchers extracted up to 93% lignin with up to 98% purity from wheat straw, producing a significant amount of material in a uniform way that could make it more attractive for industry use.

Reducing methane from cows
Baby kangaroo feces might provide an unlikely solution to the environmental problem of cow-produced methane.

Sustainable fertilizer production
WSU research shows the cost of ammonia sustainably produced was comparable to methods using natural gas or coal.

Understanding rat movement to help people
A three-year, NSF grant will allow researchers to explore the complexities of kangaroo rats, small rodents that have impressive hopping and maneuvering abilities.The findings could be used to improve robots that move in unpredictable environments.

Ensor Lecture
Thanks to Northwestern University’s Linda Broadbelt who gave the Voiland School’s Ensor Lecture. She spoke on developing strategies for polymer redesign and recycling using reaction pathway analysis.