About the Authors
J. Richard Elliott is Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Akron in Ohio. He has taught courses ranging from freshman tools to senior process design as well as thermodynamics at every level. His research interests include: thermodynamics of polymer solutions and hydrogen bonding using molecular simulations and perturbation theory; thermodynamics of supercritical fluids and hydrocarbon processing; biorefining pretreatments; and experimental phase equilibrium measurements. He has worked with the NIST lab in Boulder and ChemStations in Houston. He holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Pennsylvania State University.
Carl T. Lira is Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Michigan State University. He teaches thermodynamics at all levels, chemical kinetics, and material and energy balances. His research accomplishments include experimental measurements and modeling for liquid metals, supercritical fluids, adsorptive separations, and liquid-vapor, solid-liquid, and liquid-liquid phase equilibria. Currently, Professor Lira specializes in the study of thermodynamic properties of bio-derived fuels and chemicals via experiments and molecular simulations, and he collaborates in the MSU Reactive Distillation Facility. He has been recognized with the Amoco Excellence in Teaching Award, and multiple presentations of the MSU Withrow Teaching Excellence Award. He holds a B.S. from Kansas State University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, all in chemical engineering.