Characterization of nanocatalysts for CO hydrogenation and kinetics

• Grant number: 24/00852-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: July 01, 2024
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Reinaldo Giudici
• Grantee: Thaieny Zucolotto
• Supervisor: Jan-Dierk Grunwaldt
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/05469-6 - Synthesis and characterization of nanocatalysts for CO hydrogenation, kinetics and modeling, BP.DR

Abstract

The incessant and majority use of fossil fuels has generated undeniable consequences for the environment, especially with the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. The aviation sector growth has influenced social and commercial relations worldwide. Given this context, there has been an increasing demand for improvements in the efficiency of the processes for obtaining hydrocarbon-based fuels capable of supplying the air fleet. Therefore, the search for alternatives to the excess CO2 produced, and often discarded into the atmosphere, still remains. A solution that seeks to encompass both problems is addressed by the international project 4AirCRAFT, through which it allows the contribution of knowledge and scientific material between scientists from 7 countries. The alternative created is the production of hydrocarbons through the transformation of CO2 in a multi-catalytic process, one of the stages being marked by the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). The problem to be solved is to develop a cheap, efficient and industrially viable catalyst for this transformation, while avoiding its deterioration and deactivation. To this end, this PhD work has been dedicated to the development of catalytic materials. The BEPE exchange project, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Grunwaldt, will be essential to investigate characteristics such as the structure and morphology of the synthesized materials. To this end, advanced techniques for characterizing materials, such as XAS, XRD, XPS, TEM, XRD, DRIFTS, are to be explored. Additionally, a conceptual simulation of the reaction via kinetics and modeling approach will be developed.