Materials Chemistry and Catalysis

Designing new catalysts to make renewable liquid fuels

For heavy transportation such as air travel, shipping, and heavy trucks, we would like to make the liquid fuels needed from circular carbon sources (such as biomass, or waste) rather than from fossil sources. A challenge is the higher oxygen content in these circular feedstocks, which require the design of new catalysts.^1,2 Bifunctional catalysts (containing both metal particles of (de)hydrogenation and a solid acid for isomerisation and cracking), play a key role to produce liquid fuels with the desired products.³

This research project aims to understand the impact of potential oxygen-containing poisons commonly present in renewable feeds on the activity, selectivity, and stability of bifunctional catalysts during the conversion of n-paraffins, with the goal to design more efficient catalysts. From prior work in the group, the location and particle size of the metal nanoparticles can be important for the selectivity and activity.3 More resilient catalysts might be designed when playing with parameters such as metal loading, particle size and location, as well as the properties of the binders and solid acid structure, for instance considering hierarchical porosity and hydrophilicity.

If you are a student interested to contribute to this exciting topic, do not hesitate to contact me.

This project is conducted in close collaboration with BP.

References

1. N. Clauser, et al. (2021), Sustainability.
2. I. Pieta, et al. (2018), Catalysts
3. L. Smulders, et al. (2023), Chemistry

C.V.

2024 – present

PhD candidate at the Materials Chemistry and Catalysis group at Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Supervised by Prof. dr. Pieter Bruijnincx and Prof. dr. Petra de Jongh.

2021 – 2023

Master’s degree in Nanomaterials Science at Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Master’s research internship at Shell, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

2020-2021

Premaster program Nanomaterials Science at Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

2017 –2021

Bachelor’s degree in Food and pharma at Avans Hogeschool, The Netherlands.

2016-2017

Bachelor Life Sciences & Chemistry at Hogeschool Utrecht, The Netherlands.

2010-2015

Secondary education at St. Gregorius College, The Netherlands.