Email: aihua@peer.caltech.edu

Education:
-Ph.D., Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Japan
-M.S., Physical Chemistry, Nankai University, China
-B.S., Chemistry, Xiaman University, China

Research Interests:
Dr. Zhang's main research interest now is on oil upgrading to improve the quality of crude oil. She is currently involved in a DOE funded project to develop advanced processes to remove naphthenic acid via catalytic decarboxylation and solid adsorption approaches. Dr. Zhang's research interests also include energy science and atmospheric environmental chemistry, especially on clean coal technology and hazardous air pollutant chemical processing.
Dr. Zhang has broad experience in conducting study of heterogeneous catalysis; nonthermal plasma chemical processing for hazardous air pollutants and other issues related to atmospheric environment chemistry. She has first hand experience with R&D of coal gasification technology as well as waste plastic and biomass materials treatment. She has strong skills in detecting and analyzing chemical species with various chemical and spectroscopic methods.

Patents:
-Shigeru Futamura, Aihua Zhang, Nihon Kokai Tokkyo, Hydrogen Recovery Method from Aliphatic Amine Compounds, No.1934861 (1999).

Selected Publications:
Aihua Zhang, Mamoru Kaiho, Hajime Yasuda, Mokhtar Zabat, K. Nakano and Osamu Yamada, Fundamental studies on hydrogasification of Taiheiyo coal, Energy, 2005, Vol. 30(11-12), 2243-2250.

Hajime Yasuda, Osamu Yamada, Aihua Zhang, Kaoru Nakano and Mamoru Kaiho, Hydrogasification of coal and polyethylene mixture, Fuel, Vol. 83, 2251-2254 (2004)

Aihua Zhang, Mamoru Kaiho, Hajime Yasuda, Mokhtar Zabat and Osamu Yamada, Investigation on initial stage of rapid pyrolysis at high pressure using Taiheiyo coal in dense phase, Fuel, Vol 81, 1189-1197 (2002)

Shigeru Futamura and Aihua Zhang, Hisahiro Einaga and Hajime Kabashima, Involvement of catalyst materials in nonthermal plasma chemical processing of hazardous air pollutants, Catalysis Today, 2614 (2002) 1-7

Shigeru Futamura and Aihua Zhang, Carbon materials-catalyzed hydroliquefaction of flame-retardant plastics in organic solvents, J. Mater. Cycles Waste Manage. Vol 3, pp. 8-13 (2001)

Shigeru Futamura, Hisahiro Einaga and Aihua Zhang, Comparison of reactor performance in the nonthermal plasma processing of hazardous air pollutants, IEEE Trans. Ind. Applicat., Vol 37(4), 978-985, July/Aug. (2001)

Shigeru Futamura, Aihua Zhang and Toshiaki Yamamoto, Behavior of N2 and nitrogen oxides in nonthermal plasma chemical processing of hazardous air pollutants, IEEE Trans. Ind. Applicat., Vol 36(6), pp. 1507-1514, Nov./Dec. (2000)

Shigeru Futamura, Aihua Zhang and Hisahiro Einaga, Effect of plasma generating methods on the decomposition of halogenated HAPs, J. Inst. Electrostat. Jpn., (Japanese), Vol. 24, No. 4, pp. 220-221 (2000)

Aihua Zhang, Shigeru Futamura and Toshiaki Yamamoto, Nonthermal plasma chemical processing of bromomethane, J. Air & Waste Manage. Assoc., Vol 49, pp. 1442-1448, (1999)

Shigeru Futamura, Aihua Zhang and Toshiaki Yamamoto, Mechanisms for formation of inorganic byproducts in plasma chemical processing of hazardous air pollutants, IEEE Trans. Ind. Applicat., Vol 35(4), pp. 760-766, July/Aug. (1999)

Shigeru Futamura, Aihua Zhang, Graciela Prieto and Toshiaki Yamamoto, Factors and intermediates governing byproduct distribution for decomposition of butane in nonthermal plasma, IEEE Trans. Ind. Applicat., Vol 34(5), pp. 967-974, Sept./Oct. (1998) " Shigeru Futamura, Aihua Zhang and Toshiaki Yamamoto. The dependence of nonthermal plasma behavior of VOCs on their chemical structures, J. Electrostatics, Vol 42, pp. 51-62 (1997)

Aihua Zhang, Ikusei Nakamura and Kaoru Fujimoto, A new probe reaction to study hydrogen spillover phenomenon Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis (Elsevier), Vol. 112, pp. 391-400 (1997)

Ikusei Nakamura, Aihua Zhang, Yining Fan and Kaoru Fujimoto, Interparticle migration of hydrogen on zeolite and their participation in the hydrogenation of adsorbed species and catalytic reaction, Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis (Elsevier), Vol 109, pp. 325-332 (1997)

Aihua Zhang, Ikusei Nakamura and Kaoru Fujimoto, A new probe reaction to study hydrogen spillover phenomenon, J. Catal., Vol 168(2), pp. 328-333 (1997)

Nakamura I, Zhang A, Fujimoto K, Selective synthesis of methyl cyclopentane from cyclohexane using Pt-zeolite hybrid catalyst, Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis (Elsevier), Vol 106, pp.561-566 (1997)

Ikusei Nakamura, Aihua Zhang and Kaoru Fujimoto, Hydroisomerization of n-pentane over hybrid catalysts. New concept and design of hybrid catalyst, Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis (Elsevier), Vol 94, pp. 464-471 (1995)

Aihua Zhang, Ikusei Nakamura, Kouichiro Aimoto and Kaoru Fujimoto, Isomerization of n-pentane and other light hydrocarbons on hybrid catalyst. Effect of hydrogen spillover, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol 34 (4), pp. 1074-1080 (1995)