Catalysis

Replacing crude oil with local plants to make chemicals  

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In this episode of Innovate and React, I welcome my former PhD mentor, Dr. Thomas Seidensticker from TU Dortmund, to explore how oleochemistry can provide a sustainable, locally grown alternative to crude oil for the chemical industry. While the traditional chemical sector relies heavily on cheap fossil fuels, plant oils naturally offer closely related hydrocarbon chains that can be functionalized for everyday products like surfactants, cosmetics, and polymers. However, shifting away from crude oil presents the unique challenge of dealing with complex, inhomogeneous fatty acid profiles that constantly vary by plant origin and season. We discuss the strategic importance of feedstock sovereignty and how diverting plant oils from low-value biodiesel combustion into long-lasting chemical products can create vital carbon sinks to help meet future renewable carbon targets.
How do you transform these varied plant oils into the standardized building blocks the conventional industry demands? Thomas explains the breakthrough potential of utilizing the unsaturated carbon-carbon double bonds in plant oils, highlighting technologies like cross-metathesis and his own university spinoff, Simplyfined. We also dive into the historical 1938 roots of homogeneous catalysis, the logistical hurdles of scaling pilot volumes, and why agile startups are essential for taking the disruptive technological risks that large, slow-moving chemical corporations currently avoid.

Defying Markovnikov: A New Spin on the Wacker Oxidation

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In this episode of Innovate and React, I welcome back Thomas Bouveyron from and TH Köln to explore how we can make conventional petrochemical pathways more sustainable. We look into the synthesis of n-decanal, which is a crucial molecule in the fragrance industry and a key scent in Chanel No. 5. Thomas’ gaol is to shift from crude oil- to bio-based building blocks. How do you bend the rules of classical Wacker oxidation to favor the usually unfavored anti-Markovnikov product? Thomas shares his methodology, combining statistical Design of Experiments (DOE) and computational Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to unravel more of the catalytic mechanism. We also discuss the practical engineering hurdles of catalyst fatigue, solvent participation, and the tricky business of separating decanal from decanone.

The Perfect Compromise: Unlocking the Future of Green Hydrogen with AEM

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In this episode of Innovate and React, I met with Miriam Hesse and Bastian Kaufmann, researchers at the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Center (ZBT) to discuss the rising potential of Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) water electrolysis. We explore how AEM serves as the perfect compromise between traditional alkaline systems and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis, offering high efficiency without the reliance on expensive precious metals like platinum and iridium. Miriam and Bastian share their journey into hydrogen research and how ZBT acts as a crucial bridge between fundamental chemistry and applied industrial engineering across the entire hydrogen value chain.

The conversation dives deep into the specific challenges and innovations within AEM technology, from navigating the historical bottlenecks of polymer membrane stability to the intricate process of fabricating homogeneous catalyst layers directly onto porous transport layers (PTLs). We discuss the promising use of nickel-based catalysts to optimize the oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions. Furthermore, we examine the complexities of scaling this technology for industry, emphasizing the need for long-term degradation data, accelerated stress tests, and advanced analytical methods like electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and the distribution of relaxation times (DRT) to pinpoint exactly where performance losses occur in real-world systems.

Why Reversing the Haber-Bosch Process Requires a New Catalyst

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In this episode of Innovate and React, I met with Malte Behrens, a professor of inorganic solid-state chemistry at the University of Kiel, to discuss ammonia as a vital carrier for the hydrogen economy. We explore the challenges of transporting pure hydrogen and how converting it into ammonia offers a more practical, carbon-free solution due to its ease of liquefaction and higher volumetric energy density. Malte shares his journey from solid-state chemistry to heterogeneous catalysis. The conversation dives deep into the necessity of discovering effective and scalable catalysts to decompose, or “crack” ammonia back into hydrogen gas for energy use and nitrogen.
The discussion highlights the limitations of using traditional iron catalysts, as well as the economic barriers of using highly active but expensive ruthenium. To solve this, Malte’s research focuses on alloying iron with cobalt to prevent bulk nitridation, effectively finding the optimal balance of binding energy on the Sabatier volcano curve. The episode concludes with a look at the future of green ammonia, emphasizing the need for renewable energy-driven electrolysis to power a sustainable global energy trade.

Safe Hydrogen Storage with Salts: Alternative to Pressure Tanks and Ammonia

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In this episode of Innovate and React, host I sit down with Jonas Massa, co-founder of AKROS Energy, to tackle the pressing challenges of hydrogen storage and transportation. While green hydrogen is a promising energy carrier for fluctuating renewables, its highly flammable nature poses significant safety and regulatory hurdles, especially for decentralized applications involving non-specialist personnel. Jonas breaks down why conventional storage methods, like highly pressurized vessels or toxic ammonia, fall short for widespread, small-scale use.
To solve this, AKROS Energy is developing a revolutionary method that stores hydrogen in everyday, non-toxic salts, namely potassium bicarbonate and potassium formate. Jonas explains their streamlined, low-temperature catalytic process and they want to scale it up. A great alternative to Ammonia and LOHC.

Turning Methane into Value-Chemicals via Photocatalysis

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In this episode we discuss a novel and sustainable approach to converting methane into valuable chemicals. Currently light hydrocarbons like methane are often simply burned for energy, despite their potential as a carbon source for the chemical industry. Traditional conversion methods like natural gas cracking are energy-intensive, and other functionalization routes require harsh conditions and often toxic chemicals. Dr. Andrés Constantino sharess his research focusing on photocatalysis to achieve the direct functionalization of methane under milder conditions.
The key to this method is a supramolecular catalytic system using FeCl3•6H2O and collidine. When irradiated, the catalyst generates a highly active chlorine radical that efficiently abstracts hydrogen from the inert alkane (methane) to form an alkyl radical. The collidine plays a crucial dual role, acting as a base to quench the resulting HCl and as a ligand that stabilizes the iron tetrachloride core. The radicals were used for allylation chemistry, which retains a useful olefin group in the product.

Sustainable Chemistry and Advances in Catalysis

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In this episode we discuss sustainable chemistry and the replacement of critical materials like platinum group elements with guest Dr. Soumyadeep Chakrabortty from the Max-Planck-Institute for Kohlenforschung. We delve into the importance of sustainability in chemical reactions, the role of catalysis, and the development of more benign and cost-effective catalysts. Soumyadeep shares his experiences with asymmetric hydrogenation and the creation of a new ligands for pharmaceutical applications. The conversation also touches on collaboration between academia and industry and the impact of high-throughput screening and AI on future catalysis research.

New breakthroughs in oxygen evolution reaction for water electrolysis 

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In this episode of Innovate and React, we dive into the world of water electrolysis and how theoretical chemistry can help design better catalysts for clean hydrogen production. Mohammad Usama, a PhD researcher at the University of Duisburg-Essen, shares his unconventional journey from mechatronics and automotive engineering to electrochemistry and catalysis.
We discuss his work on iridium dioxide surfaces for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER)—the bottleneck in water electrolysis—and the discovery of a novel Walden-type pathway. This finding helps us to better understand the reaction mechanism and could lead to the discovery of enhanced catalysts. We also touch on how AI and data-driven approaches are transforming catalyst discovery, from nitrogen oxidation research to the future of digital twins and automated labs.

Reducing shipping emissions to thin air using catalysis

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In this episode of Innovate and React, we discuss how catalysis can be utilized for water treatment and reducing pollution from shipping. Janek Betting, a PhD researcher from the University of Twente, shares his current research on nitrate and nitrite reduction in wastewater using heterogeneous bimetallic catalysts. We delve into the sources of these pollutants, primarily from agriculture, industrial processes as well as shipping, and explore an innovative project aimed at reducing emissions from cargo ships by using LNG and advanced catalytic processes for emission control. Janek explains the challenges and advancements in designing catalytic reactors and the discovery of hydroxyl amine as an so far overlooked intermediate in this reaction. The conversation also covers the potential applications of this research and the broader impact on both industrial and environmental scales.

Fischer-Tropsch: From Waste to Fuel

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In this episode of Innovate and React, Theresa Köffler from BEST – Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies in Vienna is talking about how to turn waste into fuel. We explore the fascinating role of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis for producing sustainable fuels. From the development of demonstration plants to the integration of syngas from biogenic feedstocks, Theresa shares insights into the future of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and decentralized energy systems. The episode covers both the technical challenges and the broader implications for climate-friendly energy independence.

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