Dr Christopher J. Chuck
Contact details
9 West 2.07
Tel: +44 (0) 1225 383537
Email: C.Chuck@bath.ac.uk
Twitter: @ChuckGroup
Website: The Chuck Group
MChem, PhD
Profile
For his PhD Chris investigated novel catalysts for the production of biodiesel from waste oils. After which Chris switched departments to Mechanical Engineering where he worked closely with the Ford Motor Company and BP on developing renewable biofuel technology, he also oversaw the design and construction of a microalgal bioreactor.
Chris spent the next 18 months running his own consultancy, in which he worked on projects related to renewable bioproducts with a range of companies, the Universities of Exeter, Bath and Bangor and DEFRA.
In September 2010, Chris rejoined the University of Bath as a Knowledge Transfer Fellow, developing catalysts for the production of bioplastics with Purac Biochem. He was awarded a Whorrod Research Fellowship in Sustainable Chemical Technologies in September 2011.
Research
Chris’s group is multidisciplinary and investigates renewable alternative fuels and bioproducts. Within the group both photo-, mixo- and heterotrophic microbes are being investigated for their potential to produce lipids and higher value bioproducts. The aim is to develop this research into a sustainable biorefinery where fuels, chemicals and animal feed can be produced economically without impacting heavily on food and fresh water resources.
Further work is being undertaken into the upgrading of the biomass products by applying alternative chemical methods to fuel synthesis. The resulting liquid fuels address not only the sustainability issues but also the poor performance of current first generation biofuels. The aim of this work is to develop suitable road transportation fuels and biofuels suitable for the aviation industry. To further support this work collaborations are in place with academics in Mechanical Engineering working on fuel combustion and Life Cycle Analysis as well as EADS and the Ford Motor Company.
Further work within the group includes upgrading lignin through catalytic depolymerisation and testing this as a renewable additive.
Publications
Articles
Chuck, C. J., Parker, H. J., Jenkins, R. W. and Donnelly, J., 2013. Renewable biofuel additives from the ozonolysis of lignin. Bioresource Technology, 143, pp. 549-554.
Smith-Badorf, H. D., Chuck, C.J., Mokebo, K.R., MacDonald, H., Davidson, M.G. and Scott, R.J., 2013. Bioprospecting the thermal waters of the Roman baths : Isolation of oleaginous species and analysis of the FAME profile for biodiesel production. AMB Express, 3 (1), 9.
Jenkins, R. W., Munro, M., Nash, S. and Chuck, C. J., 2013. Potential renewable oxygenated biofuels for the aviation and road transport sectors. Fuel, 103, pp. 593-599.
Chuck, C. J., Jenkins, R. W., Bannister, C. D., Han, L. and Lowe, J. P., 2012. Design and preliminary results of an NMR tube reactor to study the oxidative degradation of fatty acid methyl ester. Biomass and Bioenergy, 47, pp. 188-194.
Chuck, C. J., Bannister, C. D., Jenkins, R. W., Lowe, J. P. and Davidson, M. G., 2012. A comparison of analytical techniques and the products formed during the decomposition of biodiesel under accelerated conditions. Fuel, 96, pp. 426-433.
Bannister, C. D., Chuck, C. J., Bounds, M. and Hawley, J. G., 2011. Oxidative stability of biodiesel fuel. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering, 225 (D1), pp. 99-114.
Bannister, C. D., Hawley, J. G., Ali, H. M., Chuck, C. J., Price, P., Chrysafi, S. S., Brown, A. and Pickford, W., 2010. The impact of biodiesel blend ratio on vehicle performance and emissions. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering, 224 (3), pp. 405-421.
Chuck, C. J., Bannister, C. D., Hawley, J. G. and Davidson, M. G., 2010. Spectroscopic sensor techniques applicable to real-time biodiesel determination. Fuel, 89 (2), pp. 457-461.
Bannister, C. D., Chuck, C. J., Hawley, J. G., Price, P. and Chrysafi, S. S., 2010. Factors affecting the decomposition of biodiesel under simulated engine sump oil conditions. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering, 224 (7), pp. 927-940.
Chuck, C. J., Bannister, C. D., Hawley, J. G., Davidson, M. G., La Bruna, I. and Paine, A., 2009. Predictive model to assess the molecular structure of biodiesel fuel. Energy and Fuels, 23 (4), pp. 2290-2294.
Chmura, A. J., Chuck, C. J., Davidson, M. G., Jones, M. D., Lunn, M. D., Bull, S. D. and Mahon, M. F., 2007. A germanium alkoxide supported by a C-3-symmetric ligand for the stereoselective synthesis of highly heterotactic polylactide under solvent-free conditions. Angewandte Chemie-International Edition, 46 (13), pp. 2280-2283.
Chuck, C. J., Davidson, M. G., Jones, M. D., Kociok-Kohn, G., Lunn, M. D. and Wu, S., 2006. Air-stable titanium alkoxide based metal-organic framework as an initiator for ring-opening polymerization of cyclic esters. Inorganic Chemistry, 45 (17), pp. 6595-6597.
Saffarzadeh-matin, S., Chuck, C. J., Kerton, F. M. and Rayner, C. M., 2004. Poly(dimethylsiloxane)-Derived Phosphine and Phosphinite Ligands: Synthesis, Characterization, Solubility in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide, and Sequestration on Silica. Organometallics, 23 (22), pp. 5176-5181.
Conference or Workshop Items
Bannister, C., Hawley, J. G., Ali, H., Chuck, C. and Price, P., 2009. Quantifying the effects of biodiesel blend ratio, at varying ambient temperatures, on vehicle performance and emissions. In: SAE 2009 International Powertrains, Fuels & Lubricants Meeting, 2009-06-15 - 2009-06-17, Florence.
Thesis
Chuck, C. J., 2007. Lewis acid catalyst design for the transesterification of lower quality feedstock for biodiesel production. Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)). University of Bath.
