Biography

Dr. Steven B. Hawthorne, Distinguished Scientist at the EERC, earned his Ph.D. degree in 1984 at the University of Colorado (Boulder campus) in Environmental Analytical Chemistry. He then accepted a position at the Energy & Environmental Research Center and established the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory. His principal areas of interest and expertise include the use of high-pressure (supercritical and superheated) fluids for processes ranging from enhanced oil recovery to environmental analysis and remediation. Recent projects have focused on investigating the chemical behavior of supercritical and superheated fluids, including carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, associated (natural) gas, and water, especially as related to understanding their effects on enhanced oil recovery in unconventional reservoirs and carbon dioxide storage and utilization. Current projects also develop and validate new analytical methods to determine the bioavailability of legacy organic pollutants such as coal tar PAHs and PCBs. The research performed in his laboratory has earned several national and international awards as well as resulted in more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles.