Catalysis for Energy and Circularity

Unlock the enabling role of catalysis for the sustainability and energy transition. This course offers an in-depth exploration of catalysis, a cornerstone of modern chemical engineering, focusing on its critical role for the circular economy and advancing sustainable energy and chemical technologies.

Starting with a historical perspective, you'll delve into the relevance of catalysis today, exploring how it underpins the shift towards more sustainable practices. The course covers fundamental principles of catalysis chemistry and engineering, guiding you through the fundamentals and practice of catalyst preparation, performance testing, and mechanistic studies. Special focus will be on such topics as structure-activity relationships in catalysis, reaction kinetics, advanced characterization, and catalyst design.

We will discuss the principles of catalytic chemistry and engineering with the examples from the industrially-relevant chemical processes. We will demonstrate how an insight into the nature of catalytic sites and the reaction mechanism can help guide the design and optimization of new and improved catalysts. In this context, we will introduce and discuss application of such physical chemical characterization techniques as infrared spectroscopy, temperature programmed techniques, X-ray diffraction, electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for understanding and optimizing the catalyst function and behavior. We will discuss the practical application of these methods and the scientific challenges facing the field, highlighting established and emerging catalytic applications that are crucial for the development of circular and sustainable energy technologies, preparing you to contribute to the next generation of chemical engineering solutions.