Hilal Ezgi Toraman

Dr. Hilal Ezgi Toraman is an Assistant Professor in Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, with joint appointments in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering. She leads an interdisciplinary research program focused on sustainable reaction engineering and catalysis for valorizing non-traditional carbon feedstocks like plastic waste, biomass, and shale gas. Her lab integrates advanced pyrolysis, GC×GC analytics, kinetic modeling, and data science to develop scalable chemical recycling technologies.

Education includes:

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Ghent University (2016)
• M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, Middle East Technical University (2012)
• B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, Middle East Technical University (2010)

Research focuses on:

• Developing intrinsic kinetic models for plastic pyrolysis
• Designing catalysts for mixed-feedstock upgrading
• Advancing GC×GC analytical methods for complex product characterization
• Building data infrastructure for process optimization

Her work consistently addresses industrial challenges in plastic circularity and sustainable energy.

Toraman's publications demonstrate strong emphasis on pyrolysis reaction engineering, catalytic mechanisms, and analytical innovation. Recent work explores metal-modified zeolites for polypropylene conversion, machine learning for co-pyrolysis optimization, and novel reactor designs for efficient thermochemical synthesis.

Major awards:

• C&EN Talented 12 (2023)
• AIChE Pioneers in Catalysis & Reaction Engineering (2023)
• ACS Energy & Fuels Rising Star (2023)
• Wilson Faculty Fellowship (2023-2026)

She leads the Toraman Lab, advising 8+ graduate students on projects funded by $5M+ grants from REMADE Institute, Dow Chemicals, and others. Current initiatives include catalytic pyrolysis of mixed plastics and development of open-source data platforms for recycling technologies.