The Guerbet reaction is over a hundred years’ old but is finding renewed interest as a method to upgrade bio aclcohols into advanced fuel molecules. In this talk, two new directions will be described. Firstly, the design of mixed P-N ligand ruthenium complexes which are able to switch selectivity between fuel-relevent butanol products in ethanol upgrading. Secondly, the use of a tandem hydrogenation-Guerbet reaction to convert FAME-type (Fatty Acid Methyl Esters) molecules into Diesel-type fuels with improved low temperature performance.
Biography
Duncan Wass is Director of the Cardiff Catalysis Institute and Co-Director of the Net Zero Innovation Institute at Cardiff University. Prior to this, he was Professor of Catalysis at the University of Bristol and worked for several years in industry with bp. His research interests are in the field of homogeneous catalysis relevant to sustainability.
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