The Heterogeneous Catalysis group is made up of professors from the Department of Chemical Engineering of the University of Valencia with extensive experience in research. Within the broad field of heterogeneous catalysis, this research group develops very varied reactions, among which, the reactions related to environmental catalysis stand out. Historically, this group has focused on reactions related to the valorization of oil and natural gas. However, without stopping working with the aforementioned reactions, its work is currently more focused on the elimination of volatile organic compounds and the valorization of biomass.
This research group collaborates with many national and foreign research groups. Among the national groups, its continuous collaboration for more than 25 years with the Instituto de Tecnología Química (UPV-CSIC) stands out, which is reflected in numerous publications, patents and joint projects. Among foreign groups, the close relationship with the Catalysis Cardiff Institute stands out (extensive collaboration over the past 15 years).
The scientific and technical objectives of the Heterogeneous Catalysis group are:
- Develop highly stable catalysts that allow the elimination of polluting compounds at low temperatures
- Use of biomass to obtain energy and non-energy products
- Transform oil and natural gas more effectively by developing more efficient and cleaner processes
- Use of CO2
Research lines of the group:
Research Line 1. Catalytic removal of pollutants from the environment
In this research line, catalytic and photoelectrocatalytic reactions to eliminate toxic compounds through their transformation are studied. Attempts to efficiently remove highly toxic compounds such as simple aromatic compounds, benzene and toluene, by oxidation are conducted. The elimination of saturated hydrocarbons is also analyzed. The use of mixtures of pollutants as well as the influence of the presence of steam and CO2 in the streams are also evaluated. CO removal at very low temperatures, including ambient and sub-ambient temperatures, has been also addressed. Additionally, the N2O/CO2 assisted oxidative dehydrogenation of short chain alkanes to produce olefins is also studied. The research group is also working on the photoelectrochemical removal of emerging pollutants through the use of photocatalysts based on nanostructured metal oxides. Currently, we are starting the study of the photoelectroreduction of greenhouse gases (N2O and CO2).
Research Line 2. Synthesis of new catalysts
New techniques are developed for the synthesis of catalysts and photoelectrocatalysts from metals and metal oxides in order to obtain materials with high surface areas and high efficiency for catalytic processes. Among the synthesis routes, the sol-gel, hydrothermal, anodized, etc. methods stand out. The catalysts are characterized from the morphological (FE-SEM, HR-TEM), structural (BET, FTIR, Raman, XRD…), chemical (TPR, TPD, XPS…) and electrochemical (EIS, Capacitance measurements, Voltammetries…) point of view.
Research Line 3. Valorization of biomass through heterogeneous catalysis
In this research line, heterogeneous catalytic processes of valorization of biomass into added-value products are studied. This research line corresponds to the novel concept of bio-refinery, in which biomass acts as an alternative to oil as a possible producer of fuels or as a possible generator of chemical products of interest analogous to those of the petrochemical industry.
Research Line 4. Unconventional processes for hydrogen production: photoelectrochemical water splitting
IQCATAL has a wide experience in the synthesis of nanostructured catalysts and photocatalysts of semiconductor metal oxides from metals. These catalysts are used to produce hydrogen by photoelectrochemical water splitting. Additionally, the group has experience in unconventional processes for obtaining hydrogen, such as obtaining hydrogen from hydrocarbons through complex processes that combine catalytic dehydrogenation with water gas shift reactions. Besides, work has been done on obtaining hydrogen from metals and water. Recently, good results have been obtained for the production of hydrogen from its reaction with metallic zinc.
Research Line 5. Transformation of oil/natural gas into non-fuel compounds through heterogeneous catalysis
The main objective of this research line is the transformation of oil and natural gas derivatives into chemical products of interest through the use of solid catalysts based on metal oxides. Thus, available fossil resources can be used in a more rational way and contribute to a more sustainable chemical industry. We propose the use of oil and natural gas for applications other than the classic production of fuels, that lead to massive emissions of CO2. Initially, in this research line, catalytic cracking and hydrocracking reactions, alkylation with solid catalysts and disproportionation of aromatics were studied. As these reactions are related to the production of fuels, they have been abandoned and replaced by other reactions in which different chemical compounds of interest are obtained. Some of these reactions are: selective oxidation of hydrocarbons, and dehydrogenation of saturated hydrocarbons.
Research group members:
- Solsona Espriu, Benjamín Eduardo (Head)
- Da Silva Marín, Elianny Yessibete
- Dejoz García, Ana María
- Erans Moreno, María
- Fernández Domene, Ramón
- García Moreno, Adrián
- González Alfaro, María Vicenta
- Llopis Alonso, Francisco
- Miguel Dolz, Pablo Joaquín
- Orchillés Balbastre, Antoni Vicent
- Sánchez García, Ginebra
- Sánchez Tovar, Rita
- Sanchis Martínez, Rut
- Vázquez Navarro, María Isabel
More details: https://iqcatal.blogs.uv.es/
