Cost-effective Catalysts for CH4 Remediation

Περίληψη

Natural gas has garnered attention as a cleaner alternative fuel for vehicles compared to gasoline or diesel. The main component of natural gas is methane (CH4) and is 25 times more potent than CO2 in impact to global warming over a 100-year period. This talk will focus on the design of cost-effective metal/metal oxide-based catalysts for natural gas vehicles emissions control without compromising the catalytic low-temperature activity and hydrothermal stability. The potential of non-precious Ni/CeO2-based catalysts for CH4 oxidation will be initially discussed. Particularly, the redox properties and CH4 oxidation activity of Ni/CeO2-based catalysts, followed by a CH4 oxidation rigorous kinetic study by combining experimental and computational methods. Apart from Ni/CeO2-based catalysts, Pd/zeolite-based catalysts will be also examined for the CH4 oxidation reaction. Finally, dry reforming of methane (DRM) has been attracting increased attention due to its ability to convert two prominent greenhouse gases into syngas (H2 and CO). Herein, sandwiched structured SiO2@Ni@ZrO2 materials will be reported. The results indicate that adding 3 wt.% ZrO2 to SiO2@Ni improved the stability of the catalyst while also maintaining its performance compared to SiO2@Ni for the DRM reaction.

Σύντομο Βιογραφικό Ομιλητή

Dr. Eleni Kyriakidou received her BSc and MSc degrees in Chemical Engineering in 2007 from the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, where her interest in catalysis was sparked while performing research under Prof. Michael Stoukides. She continued to earn a full graduate fellowship from the State Scholarships Foundation of Greece and pursue and complete her Ph.D. in Heterogeneous Catalysis under the supervision of Prof. Michael D. Amiridis at the University of South Carolina in 2014 (Chemical Engineering). During her graduate studies she developed an expertise in the synthesis and characterization of highly dispersed silver, rhodium and gold supported metal catalysts. In her postdoctoral research in Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Dr. Kyriakidou advanced her catalyst synthesis skills and she developed catalytic methods to treat automobile exhausts from cold-starting engines. She started her independent scientific career at the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department at the University at Buffalo (SUNY) in January 2017, and received early promotion to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure in 2023. She leads a research group that is recognized for the production of cutting-edge catalytic materials that meet the strict emission control regulations by utilizing common pollutants from internal combustion engines and marine vessels.