CHEM-E1130 Catalysis

Catalysis applications: future research directions

Prof. Riikka Puurunen

27.2.2019

Learning outcomes (modified)After the course the students are able to:

1. give the definition of catalysis and describe concepts related to

heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts

2. explain steps and methods in catalyst preparation

3. describe and apply selected catalyst characterization methods

4. explain why and how catalysts deactivate and how catalyst

deactivation can be postponed or prevented

5. give examples of where catalysts are applied

6. recognize challenges potentially solvable by catalytic reactions

Note, Prof. Puurunen, 7.1.2019: These learning outcomes have not yet been

accepted for the course. Students are welcome to comment on these proposed

learning outcomes. We will in practice follow these in the course in 2018-2019

”It isn’t that they can’t see thesolution. It is that they can’tsee the problem.”

G.K. Chesterton

Via Scott Fogler:

Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering

https://twitter.com/rlpuu/status/684034545637801984

“Words that influenced me strongly in a

chem. kinetics course at HUT, now

@AaltoUniversity #VPHA #ALDep Scott

Fogler” - @rlpuu

What is the problem?

???

Let’s think and discuss

???

Prepared contents - some words

• Introduction

• Climate change

• Green chemistry

• Topic cases

• Carbon dioxide

• Hydrogen

• Use of renewable resources biofuels, …

• Misc materials

• Conclusion Take-home message

Climate change

Anthropocene era

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https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/graphic-the-relentless-rise-of-carbon-

dioxide/, accessed 25.2.2019

“Ancient air bubbles trapped in ice enable us to step back in time and see what Earth's

atmosphere, and climate, were like in the distant past. They tell us that levels of carbon

dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are higher than they have been at any time in the past

400,000 years. During ice ages, CO2 levels were around 200 parts per million (ppm), and

during the warmer interglacial periods, they hovered around 280 ppm (see fluctuations in the

graph). In 2013, CO2 levels surpassed 400 ppm for the first time in recorded history. This

recent relentless rise in CO2 shows a remarkably constant relationship with fossil-fuel

burning, and can be well accounted for based on the simple premise that about 60 percent

of fossil-fuel emissions stay in the air.

Today, we stand on the threshold of a new geologic era, which some term the

"Anthropocene", one where the climate is very different to the one our ancestors

knew.

If fossil-fuel burning continues at a business-as-usual rate, such that humanity

exhausts the reserves over the next few centuries, CO2 will continue to rise to levels of

order of 1500 ppm. The atmosphere would then not return to pre-industrial levels even tens

of thousands of years into the future. This graph not only conveys the scientific

measurements, but it also underscores the fact that humans have a great capacity to change

the climate and planet.”

https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/graphic-the-relentless-rise-of-

carbon-dioxide/, accessed 25.2.2019

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of-change/DecadalTemp, accessed 27.2.2019

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas, accessed 27.2.2019

Greenhouse effect schematic

showing energy flows between space,

the atmosphere, and

Earth's surface. Energy influx and

emittance are expressed

in watts per square meter(W/m2).

Atmospheric absorption and

scattering at

different wavelengths of electroma

gnetic waves. The largest

absorption band of carbon

dioxide is not far from the

maximum in the thermal

emission from ground, and it partly

closes the window of transparency

of water; hence its major effect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G

reenhouse_gas, accessed

27.2.2019

When ranked by their direct contribution to the greenhouse effect, the most important are:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas, accessed 27.2.2019

In addition to the main greenhouse gases listed above, other greenhouse gases include sulfur

hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons (see IPCC list of greenhouse gases). Some

greenhouse gases are not often listed. For example, nitrogen trifluoride has a high global warming

potential (GWP) but is only present in very small quantities.

Global warming potential (GWP)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas, accessed 27.2.2019

Paris agreement December 2015

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https://www.iea.org/w

eo/weomodel/sds/,

accessed 25.2.2019

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/lowcarbon_en, accessed 25.2.2019

https://youtu.be/VFkQSGyeCWg

#SchoolStrike4Climate

HS Mielipide Saska Saarikoski:

https://www.hs.fi/mielipide/art-

2000006012286.html

Flaring (soihdutus)

A gas flare, alternatively

known as a flare stack, is a

gas combustion device used

in industrial plants such as

petroleum refineries, chemical

plants, natural gas processing

plants as well as at oil or gas

production sites having oil

wells, gas wells, offshore oil

and gas rigs and landfills.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_flare, accessed 27.2.2019

Reetta Kaila lecture, 28.1.2019

Green chemistry

Catalysis: tool of Green Chemistry

Anastas et al.

Applied Catalysis A:

General 221 (2001)

3–13,

https://doi.org/10.101

6/S0926-

860X(01)00793-1

Carbon dioxide CO2

The term anthropogenic designates an effect

or object resulting from human activity.

Anthropogenic CO2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_impact_on_the_environment, accessed 25.2.2019

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_footprint, accessed 26.2.2019

https://www.uu.nl/en/news/carbon-to-carbon-chemistry-and-legislation-need-to-work-

together-for-a-true-circular-economy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9grdQk5sBE&feature=youtu.be

Prof Puurunen recommends watching this

CO2: from H2 production (for NH3)

Carbon capture and utilization (CCU)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_capture_and_utilization, accessed 26.2.2019

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_photosynthesis, accessed 25.2.2019

Book source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9783527699827

(One license at a time at Aalto Univ: http://libproxy.aalto.fi/login?url=https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/aalto-

ebooks/detail.action?docID=4901704)

Academy of Finland, call to come:

http://aka.fi/en/research-and-science-policy/academy-

programmes/current-programmes/carbon-capture-and-utilisation-

of-c1-compounds/

…

“C1 compounds (CO2, CO,

CH4, CH3OH) are potential

sources of raw material for the

production of fuels, materials

and chemicals. ”

http://aka.fi/en/res

earch-and-

science-

policy/academy-

programmes/curre

nt-

programmes/carbo

n-capture-and-

utilisation-of-c1-

compounds/

Largest use of CO2 – urea CO(NH2)2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea, accessed 25.2.2019

Ordomsky et al.:

“As in many

industrial

processes,

sustainable

production of

hydrogen is the

main challenge of

urea synthesis.”

HS mielipide 4.2.2019

https://twitter.com/NatureChemistry/status/875306746163736578

https://www.nature.com/articles/nchem.2792

Hydrogen H2

Hydrogen …

… from water?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_splitting, accessed 25.2.2019

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2019/02/24/belgische-wetenschappers-kraken-de-code-voor-

betaalbare-groene-w/

https://www.forbes.co

m/sites/mitsubishihea

vyindustries/2019/01/2

3/how-hydrogen-fuel-

cells-can-power-the-

world/amp/

Liquid organichydrogencarriers

(LOHCs)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2018.04.011

MSc thesis 2018 Aalto CHEM:

https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/bitstream/handle/1234

56789/34676/master_Braunschweiler_Aki_20

18.pdf

H2 generation

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.11.099

Use of renewable resources, biofuels, …

CHEM-E1140

27.2.2019

58

Julian Ross: Heterogeneous Catalysis - Fundamentals and Applications, © Elsevier 2012.

Link to electronic book here.

<an example of

the many schemes

that can be made,

not a complete

representation>

https://www.iea.org/tcep/transport/biofuels/, accessed 25.2019

https://www.iea.org/tcep/transport/biofuels/, accessed 25.2019

” Research efforts on biomass upgrading to transportation

fuels and chemicals have been reported since the late 1980s–early

1990s [10–14], while in the past 15 years there has been an exponential

increase in studies on process development and optimization [2,3,15–

23].

Depending on the operating conditions, the pyrolysis processes can be

classified

into three types: slow pyrolysis (carbonization), fast pyrolysis, and flash

pyrolysis.”

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6488710116680953856/

Kinkkutemppu – ham trick

https://www.neste.com/

ham-trick-campaign-

exceeds-expectations-

over-145000-

households-finland-

recycle-ham-fat-

renewable, accessed

27.2.2019

https://nestemy.fi/, accessed 27.2.2019

https://www.upmbiofuels.com/products/, accessed 27.2.2019

Terminology: Biodiesel vs renewable diesel?

27.2.2019

68

Volkswagen Sharan manual 2016

• Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of

long-chain alkyl (methyl, ethyl, or propyl) esters. Biodiesel is typically made by

chemically reacting lipids (e.g., vegetable oil, soybean oil,[1] animal fat (tallow[2][3]))

with an alcohol producing fatty acid esters. use is tightly regulated.

• Renewable diesel made in Finland at least by Neste and UPM

https://en.wi

kipedia.org/

wiki/Biodies

el, accessed

27.6.2019

Misc materials

Earth-abundantmetalspreferred as catalysts

https://twitter.com/euchems/status/1078217925121605632?s=11

Hot in catalysis:

”one-potprocesses”

http://dx.doi.org/10.103

9/C8CY01857J

Global trend: Rise of China

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6491901028571639808/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/plus-que-jamais-il-faut-

r%C3%AAver-pierre-etienne-franc/

https://www.poyry.com/im-proud-be-working-poyry-who-contributing-more-sustainable-society, accessed 27.2.2019

Aalto CHEM (HUT) graduate

… related to the previousALD lecture…

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1885076/

https://youtu.be/fG5lNC2mdOA

Conclusion /Take-home message

Take-home message

• Future is present every day

• Catalysis in central role to

sustain our planet

• Chemical engineering

education gives a basis to

influence progress: scientific

research, businesses,

legislations

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”What can I / we do?”

https://twitte

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