Materials Chemistry and Catalysis

Influence of water concentration on the stability of supported metal hydrodeoxygenation catalysts

Biomass and waste are promising feedstocks for the synthesis of renewable fuels.¹ Compared to fossil feedstocks, biomass and waste have a significantly higher oxygen content. To synthesise suitable transportation fuels, hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), the removal of oxygen, is a key process.² During the HDO reaction, among others, water is synthesised as a stoichiometric product.³

Water is known to accelerate catalyst deactivation.⁴ However, the underlying mechanism by which water induces changes in metal-supported catalysts is not yet understood. In this project we aim to understand the influence of water on the catalyst performance, most notably its stability. Catalysts are designed, synthesized, characterized, and tested. Various methods are employed to obtain catalysts with defined structural properties (e.g., surface area and particle size). Catalysts are tested under industrially relevant pressure and temperature, and under H₂O containing atmosphere using high-thruput catalytic testing with an Avantium Flowrence. Important research questions relate for instance to the influence of metal particle size and atomic composition, metal-support interaction and catalyst hydrophilicity on the catalyst stability.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to learn more about my research or discuss potential student projects.

This project is in collaboration with an industrial partner.

References

[1] International Energy Agency. Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector. 70 (2021).

[2] Twigg, M. V & Spencer, M. S. Deactivation of supported copper metal catalysts for hydrogenation reactions. 212, 161–174 (2001).

[3] Thakur, D. S. & Kundu, A. Catalysts for Fatty Alcohol Production from Renewable Resources. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 93, 1575–1593 (2016).

[4] Huo, J., Tessonnier, J. P. & Shanks, B. H. Improving hydrothermal stability of supported metal catalysts for biomass conversions: A review. ACS Catal. 11, 5248–5270 (2021).

C.V.

2024-Present

PhD candidate the Materials Chemistry and Catalysis group, Utrecht University, the Netherlands, under supervision of Petra de Jongh.

2021 – 2024

MSc. Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University

2018 – 2021

BSc. Molecular Life Science, Wageningen University and Research