George Fulham, (2021, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology) recently had the opportunity to visit the Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore (CARES) for a month for some experimental work in collaboration with Prof. Paul Liu and Xianyue Wu.
George says 'My work is currently investigating carbon dioxide hydrogenation to methanol, in the context of carbon capture and utilisation (CCU). Given methanol's stability as a liquid at ambient conditions, it is easier to transport from remote carbon capture locations than gaseous carbon dioxide. Moreover, the widespread downstream uses of methanol (e.g. as a precursor to high-performance plastics or as a fuel) provide further motivation for hydrogenating captured carbon dioxide to methanol. However, the catalysts for methanol synthesis from carbon dioxide are non-optimal, and a clear picture to understand catalyst activity remains lacking.
My experimental work investigates catalysts for methanol synthesis which combine copper with three different metal oxide supports - zinc oxide, zirconia, or ceria - for which the experimental capabilities at CARES were invaluable. I was able to use the in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy equipment to probe the reactive intermediates on the catalysts through their vibrational responses to infrared irradiation, and I was able to use the chemisorption analyser to study the capacity and strength of hydrogen and carbon dioxide adsorption upon the catalysts. These results have yielded interesting new insights and allowed me to develop a clearer explanation for the activity results I have previously measured in Cambridge'.
George found his visit to CARES invaluable for discussing his research with academics working in Singapore. The results collected in Singapore will allow him to complete a paper on his experimental work.