Magnesium chloride (MgCI 2) is a commercial catalyst important for the production of polyolefin material. Although magnesium chloride has been used for over 50 years, the active site is still not entirely known. This research aims to learn more about the active site. The formation of defective magnesium chloride surfaces acts with Ziegler-Natta catalysts and […]

Ethanol has gained much attention as a potential fuel alternative or additive due to its environmental and long-term economic advantages. Recently, a method for synthesis of ethanol from syngas has been proposed. The purpose of this research is to explore the effects of Cu on the synthesis process, in order to find the most efficient […]

The proposed summer exchange program is to perform experimental study of droplet generation and mixing droplets in droplet-based microreactors. The droplets are generated by feeding substrate into a tube and letting the substrate form drops from the other side of the tube. Each individual droplet acts as a small reactor under confined conditions. Accordingly, the […]

Fast pyrolysis followed by hydrodeoxygenation upgrading is the most popular way to produce bio-oil from biomass. A two-step process can be combined together as hydropyrolysis treatment. This approach usually involves continuous hydrogen flow and high operation pressure (15~100 atm), resulting in significantly increased capital and operational costs. Compared to hydrogen, which is not naturally available […]

Organocatalysis is a method used where the rate of reaction is increased by an organic catalyst, referred to an an organocatalyst. The use of an organic compound eliminates the need to use a metal catalyst, deeming the project as “green”. The absence of the metal catalyst means there is no need for the expensive recovery […]

DMF is a toxic organic compound used in various industrial processes. It has been linked to causing cancer and assorted birth defects, and therefore is a dangerous compound to have in wastewater. The process of nitrosation is simply the conversion an organic molecule into a nitroso derivative, essentially a molecule with a nitrogenoxygen functional group. […]

The research project I will be working on at Tianjin University is called the “in situ synthesis and characterization of cellulose Ag/AgCl composite photocatalyst.” During this project, we will be working with lignocellulosic-based composites, which have many applications in biology, medicine, dirt degradation, and wastewater treatment. A composite is defined as a material made of […]

More and more attention is being paid to the sequestration of CO2. The proposed methods for CO2 sequestration include geological sequestration, ocean sequestration, mineral sequestration, and so on. Among them, saline aquifers in geological sequestration can store the largest amount of CO2, and is the most promising method. At present, the study of CO2 sequestration […]

Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil or animal fat based diesel fuel consisting of saturated and unsaturated long-chain alkyl esters. Low value biodiesel has been developed on a commercial scale, however the application is limited. The conversion of biodiesel to high value C8-16 n-alkanes currently uses metal catalysts (Pt/C), which is an expensive technique. Designing […]

The alkylation of benzene is receiving increased attention in petrochemical industry. This is because it is potentially an alternative to produce xylene (used in production of polyester and plastic water bottles) from coal and natural gas. It is expected that changing the acidity of the reaction catalyst would improve the utilization of methanol in the […]

C2+ oxygenates synthesis directly from syngas is one of the most promising processes for utilizing non-oil fossil fuels cleanly and efficiently. Through previous experiments, it has been found that the reaction rates and selectivity of C2+ oxygenates increases remarkably with the addition of MnOx. However, the detailed mechanism for the promotional effect of MnOx on […]

Radiolysis of water produces hydrogen, oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, which can be deleterious to system components. The radiolytic production of these species can be mitigated through appropriate chemical dosing with small amounts of dissolved hydrogen or oxygen-scavenging chemicals such as hydrazine. Corrosion of carbon steel components in the End Shield Cooling system of a CANDU […]