Contact Information

Katherine's Lab

Biography

Dr. Katherine Hornbostel's research expertise is in modeling carbon capture technologies like solid sorbents and membranes. Her research team has developed multiphysics mass transport models to complement her experimental collaborators' work and accelerate carbon capture technology development. Dr. Hornbostel was an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh from 2017-2024 and did a postdoctoral fellowship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from 2016-2017. In addition to research, she especially loves teaching courses in thermal-fluids (e.g. fluid mechanics, heat transfer, thermodynamics). Dr. Hornbostel also loves mentoring and leadership and is excited to launch the new Mechanical Engineering department at Duquesne.

Education

  • Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech
  • B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech

Research Interests

  • Carbon capture technology
  • Membranes
  • Solid sorbents
  • Direct air capture
  • Multiphysics simulations

School

Publications, Awards & Grants

  1. Habib, M., Soepyan, B., Esquino, A., Matuszewski, M., Hughes, R., Zhang, Z., Haque, M., Bhattacharyya, D., Nemetz, L., Lipscomb, G., Luebke, D., Kim, E., Long, J., Hornbostel, K. Flexible Carbon Capture Using MOF Fixed Bed Adsorbers at an NGCC Plant. CARBON CAPTURE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, March 2024, 100170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccst.2023.100170
  2. Lieber, A., He, Y., Boone, P., Steckel, J., Wilmer, C., Rosi, N., Hornbostel, K. Parametric Simulations of Hierarchical Core-shell MOF Materials for Direct Air Capture. SEPARATION & PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY. Volume 322, 1 October 2023, 124180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2023.124180
  3. Lieber, A., Hildebrandt, D., Rivero, J., Davidson, S., Usman, H., Snodgrass, C., Niepa, T., Hornbostel, K. Demonstration of direct ocean carbon capture using encapsulated solvents. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL. Volume 470, 15 August 2023, 144140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2023.144140
  4. Rivero, J., Lieber, A., Snodgrass, C., Neal, Z., Hildebrandt, M., Gamble, W., Hornbostel, K. Demonstration of direct ocean carbon capture using hollow fiber membrane contactors. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL. Volume 470, 15 August 2023, 143868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2023.143868
  5. Rivero, J., Nemetz, L., Da Conceicao, M., Lipscomb, G., Hornbostel, K., Modeling the Impact of Channel Size Variation on CO2 Separation in Flat Sheet Membranes. Carbon Capture Science & Technology (CCS&T), Volume 6, March 2023, 100093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccst.2022.100093

  6. Habib, M., Lantgios, I., Hornbostel, K. (2022). A Review of Ceramic, Polymer and Composite Piezoelectric Materials. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D: APPLIED PHYSICS, 55, 423002. DOI: 10.1088/1361-6463/ac8687
  7. Rivero, J.R.; Panagakos, G.; Lieber, A.; Hornbostel, K (2020). Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactors for Post-Combustion Carbon Capture: A Review of Modeling Approaches. MEMBRANES, 10, 382. https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10120382
  8. Hornbostel, K., Nguyen, D., Bourcier, W., Knipe, J., Worthington, M., McCoy, S., and Stolaroff, J. (2019). Packed and fluidized bed absorber modeling for carbon capture with micro-encapsulated sodium carbonate solution. APPLIED ENERGY, 235(1), 1192-1204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.11.027
  1. Carbon Capture Future Star Award by the Carbon Capture Science & Technology (CCS&T) journal in June 2022. This award is only given to one early-career carbon capture researcher annually.
  2. Fellow for Scialog: Negative Emissions Science, an initiative co-sponsored by RCSA and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation that brings together early career scientists to take on the challenge of CO2 accumulation in the environment.
  3. Pitt STRIVE Outstanding Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Service Award in August 2021. This award is only given to one faculty member in the Pitt Swanson School of Engineering each year to recognize efforts to improve diversity & inclusion among our students and faculty.
  1. "mCDR 2023: Coupling Desalination with Novel mCDR Membranes," funded by ONR. Dr. Hornbostel is PI; co-PI's: Dr. Benny Freeman (UT Austin), Dr. Matt Green (ASU), Dr. Jenny Yang (UC Irvine). $1.4M total for 2-year period (Jan 2024-Dec 2025).
  2. "Modeling membranes for cement carbon capture," funded by NETL through the CCSI2 program. Latest contract renewal was $96,688 to cover April 2024-March 2025.