The vast majority of chemical processes rely on the use of catalysts. Heterogeneous catalysts are solids working in a fluid phase (gas or liquid) and are therefore separable and usually recyclable. The development of active, selective and stable heterogeneous catalysts is a prerequisite for the development of more sustainable chemical processes. The group is active in the three main pillars of catalysis science: (i) development of new heterogeneous catalysts through innovative preparation methods, (ii) understanding of their physico-chemical characterization through advanced characterization tools and (iii) evaluation of their performance in lab-scale reactors. The goal is to identify the decisive factors that dictate the catalytic behaviour and performance, and from that point on, to improve catalyst preparation and obtain new catalysts with higher performance.
A strong focus is on the development of bottom up and relatively green routes for the preparation of heterogeneous catalysts using sol-gel chemistry or involving immobilized enzymes as active entities. Applications include biomass valorisation, CO2 activation, fine chemistry, hydrocarbon upgrading, pollutant destruction, etc. Processes are envisaged with the green chemistry principles in mind, favouring cascade reactions in the single reactors over multi-reactor processes, flow processes over batch processes, mild conditions over harsh ones, etc.