Axelbaum studies combustion phenomena, ranging from oxy-coal combustion to flame synthesis of nanotubes. His studies of fossil fuel combustion focus on understanding the formation of pollutants, such as soot, in order to develop novel approaches to eliminating them. In response to global concerns over carbon dioxide emissions he has begun developing approaches to carbon capture and storage (CCS).
Axelbaum’s research has also yielded methods of synthesizing stable metal nanoparticles and single-walled carbon nanotubes in flames.His present efforts in synthesis are directed towards producing next-generation battery materials.
The federal Office of Fossil Energy has granted researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering nearly $7 million to refine a new power plant that’s suitable for fossil fuels and renewables — and will emit almost no carbon.
Aerosol research at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis is working at breakneck speed to understand the novel coronavirus and its effects at scales ranging from ecosystems to virus particles suspended in droplets.
A new, joint master’s degree program and shared aerosol science research facility is the latest collaboration in a long history of partnerships between the McKelvey School of Engineering and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
Astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station have begun an experiment that will allow them to ignite a flame and observe and study its properties. If the experiments — directed by a McKelvey School of Engineering faculty member — show what researchers expect they will, they could lead to a new, fundamental understanding of the properties of combustion.
Since the industrial revolution, coal, oil and natural gas have driven unprecedented growth in life span, population, income, education and quality of life. They have done so by providing us with energy 24/7/365, and the International Energy Agency projects that fossil fuels will account for a whopping 77 percent of our energy use in 2040.
