Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Group
Group Director: Professor Stan Kolaczkowski
Throughout industry, the reactor is seen as the central part of the chemical process, where raw materials are transformed into useful products. This is therefore one of the most important operations, where improvements in selectivity, yield and conversion all have a major impact on the commercial viability of a process. Ideas that may well look interesting in a chemist's laboratory, need to be evaluated in a reactor, and reaction engineers play the key role in the translation of a good idea into a viable process.
Current trends towards Sustainable Development require the development of more efficient processes and novel multifunctional materials to support these processes. Our research includes microreactors, microporous and mesoporous materials, heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis.
Our current activities are in the areas:
- improved oil recovery processes;
- compact intensive reactors, process intensification;
- catalytic membranes and membrane reactors;
- reaction kinetics and catalyst characterisation;
- reactive separations;
- novel materials for reactive separations and catalysis, nanomaterials;
- production and storage of hydrogen;
- novel microreactors;
- biocatalysis;
- waste remediation (waste water, advanced oxidation processes), etc.
Current research projects:
- Feasibility of hydrogen storage on TiO2 nanotubes;
- High-temperature capture of carbon dioxide;
- Kinetics of double bond migration and telomerisation reactions;
- Development of nanomagnetic catalysts;
- Investigation of acidity in working bifunctional zeolite catalysts used for conversion of light alkanes;
- New oxide-based materials for catalytic applications;
- Coking under supercritical conditions;
- Downhole gasification for Improved Oil Recovery;
- Combining bio and chemical catalysis;
- Singlet oxygen photochemistry etc.
Academic staff:
Professor Malcolm Greaves: Improved Oil Recovery: air injection into heavy oil and light oil reservoirs; THAI - Toe-to-Heel Air Injection; downhole catalytic upgrading of heavy oil; horizontal wells; reservoir simulation; downhole gasification.
Professor Stan Kolaczkowski: catalytic combustion; steam reforming/partial oxidation to make hydrogen for fuel cells; formulation of mathematical models of catalytic reactors; gas/liquid phase reactions; compact reactors; methanol fuel cells; measurement of effective diffusivity in catalysts.
Dr Dmitry Lukyanov: dehydrogenation and aromatisation of light alkanes; selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with hydrocarbons; development of mechanistic models; combined kinetic and FTIR characterisation of catalysts.
Dr Pawel Plucinski: hollow fibre modules; stirred tank and tubular reactors; micellar extraction for removal of environmental contaminants and process solutes (enzymes, metal cations, amino acids); polyelectrolytes; compact micro reactors; catalytic wet air oxidation.
Dr Sean Rigby: characterisation of porous catalyst structures; NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance); modelling/visualisation of pore diffusion; pore network models; mercury porosimetry and nitrogen sorption.
Postdoctoral researchers:
Dr Serpil Awdry: application of numerical methods to the solution of mathematical models of chemical reactors using: MATLAB, FLUENT, NAG routines, Fortran.
Dr Judy Hart: hydrogen storage.
Our laboratories
Catalysis Laboratory: in a well-serviced laboratory, fundamental experiments are performed on powdered catalysts to assess the characteristics of the catalysts, reactions mechanisms, number and location of active sites, etc.
Reaction Engineering Laboratories: experiments are performed in autoclaves (batch, semibatch) and continuous single/multi-channel reactors under reaction operating conditions resembling the commercial process. The apparatus is mounted on benches, or purpose built frames, with the exhaust from each rig connected to a local fume extract duct. This creates a truly professional working environment. Larger pieces of kit are placed in a full-height walk-in fume cupboards.
Catalytic Combustion & Reaction Engineering Laboratory: this contains three modern purpose built walk-in fume cupboards, in which the apparatus is constructed and operated. When performing experiments at elevated temperatures fugitive emissions arise from metal surfaces as they are heated, and the products of the combustion reaction need to be removed. These emissions are contained within the fume cupboard and then extracted by the ventilation system.
Two High Pressure Test Cells: these modern facilities include a separate control room. The cells are suitable for experiments where there is a risk that a rupture could occur, or an explosive atmosphere arise e.g. high pressure experiments using hydrogen. Currently housing a high pressure porous wall liquid recirculating reactor.
Improved Oil Recovery Laboratory: this contains two walk-in, enclosed safety areas in which 3-D combustion cells and gasification reactors are operated. A special separated laboratory area is devoted to high pressure accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC). Extensive open laboratory area is available for small experiments and analytical work.
Delegation of Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Group on Taylor Conference in Belfast, September 2004