RESERCH LINE 1: Catalytic removal of pollutants from the environment
In the catalytic removal of pollutants, catalytic and photoelectrocatalytic reactions are carried out for the removal of toxic compounds through their transformation.
The volatile organic compounds studied exhibit different characteristics, resulting in very different reactivity. Thus, the aim is to remove highly toxic compounds such as simple aromatic compounds, benzene, and toluene. Another group of hydrocarbons studied is that of low molecular weight alkanes. This group exhibits low reactivity, so catalysts with highly active catalytic centers are required, especially in the case of the lightest alkane (methane). The effect of hydrocarbon mixtures, as well as the effect on their reactivity of the presence of compounds such as water or CO2, has also been studied.
Aside from work focused on hydrocarbon removal, the removal of CO at very low temperatures, even at ambient and sub-ambient temperatures, has also been addressed. The interest in this reaction stems from the high toxicity of CO. Furthermore, work is underway on capturing CO2 to be transformed, through thermocatalytic or photoelectrocatalytic reactions, into compounds of industrial interest such as ethylene, styrene, methanol, etc. The transformation or removal of the greenhouse gas N2O is also being carried out.
Recently, water treatment plant and wastewater treatment plant sludge (whose massive generation is a waste product that currently concerns society and whose treatment requires the consumption of a large number of resources) has been used as a catalyst for the catalytic transformation of CO2 into compounds of industrial interest, obtaining very interesting results.
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RESERCH LINE 2: Synthesis of new catalysts
New techniques are developed for the synthesis of catalysts and photoelectrocatalysts from metals and metal oxides in order to obtain materials with high surface areas and high efficiency for catalytic processes.
Among the synthesis routes, the sol-gel, hydrothermal, anodized, etc. methods stand out. The catalysts are characterized from the morphological (FE-SEM, HR-TEM), structural (BET, FTIR, Raman, XRD…), chemical (TPR, TPD, XPS…) and electrochemical (EIS, Capacitance measurements, Voltammetries…) point of view. The development of catalysts for energy storage applications is also carried out.
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RESERCH LINE 3: Valorization of biomass through heterogeneous catalysis
In this research line, heterogeneous catalytic processes of valorization of biomass into added-value products are studied.
This research line corresponds to the novel concept of bio-refinery, in which biomass acts as an alternative to oil as a possible producer of fuels or as a possible generator of chemical products of interest analogous to those of the petrochemical industry.
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RESERCH LINE 4: Unconventional processes for hydrogen production
IQCATAL has a wide experience in the synthesis of nanostructured catalysts and photocatalysts of semiconductor metal oxides from metals. These catalysts are used to produce hydrogen by photoelectrochemical water splitting.
Additionally, the group has experience in unconventional processes for obtaining hydrogen, such as obtaining hydrogen from hydrocarbons through complex processes that combine catalytic dehydrogenation with water gas shift reactions. Besides, work has been done on obtaining hydrogen from metals and water. Recently, good results have been obtained for the production of hydrogen from its reaction with metallic zinc.
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RESERCH LINE 5: New sustainable caralytic processes for functionalizing hydrocarbons
The main objective of this research line is to transform petroleum and natural gas derivatives into chemical products of interest using solid catalysts based on metal oxides, in order to demonstrate that available fossil resources can be used more rationally and contribute to a more sustainable chemical industry. This line proposes the use of petroleum and natural gas for applications other than the traditional direct energy production by combustion, with the consequent CO2 emissions.
Initially, this research line studied catalytic cracking and hydrocracking reactions, alkylation with solid catalysts, and aromatic disproportionation. Since these reactions are related to fuel production, they have been gradually abandoned and replaced by other reactions that yield different chemical compounds of interest. Some of these reactions are: selective oxidation of hydrocarbons and dehydrogenation of saturated hydrocarbons.
Recently, this line of research has evaluated the use of porphyrins derived from the petrochemical industry, which are petroleum contaminants to be removed, for photoelectrocatalytic applications.