Stefan Hollak, PhD at the Wageningen UR, Food & Biobased Research (in collaboration with Utrecht University)
working on CatchBio project:
Aliphatic olefins from fatty acids
project leader:
Dr. Daan van Es
cluster: Energy
Short CV
Stefan Hollak was born at the 9th of July 1985. After spending his youth in Maarssen, he moved to Utrecht in 2003 as he started his undergraduate study in chemical sciences. After obtaining a Bachelor degree in 2006, he started a graduate study in ‘Chemistry and Physics’, also at Utrecht University. In that time he also lived in California for 8 months during an internship at the department of Chemical Engineering (LSAC-group) at the University of Berkeley. In 2009 he obtained a Master degree in Chemistry and started as a PhD student in Wageningen on the CatchBio project currently working on.
Please describe your project?
The utilization of renewable raw materials for the production of biodiesels is an important research area due to rising energy consumption and rapid decrease of Earth’s fossil reserves. In this project we are aiming to set-up a structure activity relationship for the catalytic decarboxylation of fatty acids towards aliphatic olefins using various metal supported oxidic materials. Such an improved production method for 2nd generation biodiesel, where double bond functionalities are retained, would render a product which is more optimally suited to serve as transportation bio-fuel and could also serve as feedstock for high value chemicals production.
What is the biggest challenge, or what fascinates you the most about this project?
What fascinates me most about this research project is the great feeling that your work really matters. It’s not that I think that after my work here all cars are using fatty acid derived fuels, but I know that this research for sure is contributing in the process towards the use of renewable resources. Above, I think that the intense collaboration with industrial partners also contributes a lot in making this investigation so interesting and useful.
What is your future career ambition?
Although I really like the researching field, eventually my wish is to work at a place where social and organizing activities are more prominent. I’m not quite sure if my ambition is more towards teaching or managing. Either way, I would also like to somehow remain connected to scientific research in my future job.
How do you like to spend your time when not working on your research?
In leisure activities I’m active in various committees of my students’ union (Navigators Studentenvereniging Utrecht). It’s mainly here where I found out that I have this affection with social and organizing activities. Further I like long distance running, squash and travelling a lot.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I would just like to finish with a motto that I think is nice to keep in mind: “People rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it.”