Catalysis: the essential tool for achieving resilience in a net zero carbon society
Achieving a net zero carbon society is impossible without catalysis; catalysts are central to efficient chemical processes and manufacturing, controlling both the rates and energy demand of chemical reactions. For society, catalysis is essential to deliver the materials, energy vectors, fertilizers, medicines, electronics and products we need. It is also essential to implement and deliver the net zero agenda, from ‘green’ hydrogen, to large-scale energy storage, from a re-imagined fully sustainable chemical industry to green steel – advances in catalysis will deliver these future manufacturing industries.
At present, the UK chemical industry is based on the remnants of a 20th century model, highly dependent on fossil carbon. The basic building blocks are a range of around 20 platform chemicals derived from oil or natural gas (e.g. methanol and ethene) and from these chemicals it is possible to make the multitude of high value chemicals used in pharmaceuticals, fragrances, personal care, home care, food, agriculture, plastics and materials sectors. The current chemical industry is, however, interwoven with fossil fuels supply. The drive to net zero carbon provides the UK with the ideal opportunity to decouple chemicals from fossil energy and to focus on the lower volume, higher value chemicals and sustainable energy storage sectors. With new catalysis, we can develop the clean manufacturing and products of the future: fit for a sustainable and high-tech set of future industries including core industries, such as healthcare products, as well for future sectors such as automation; and to ensure that the electrification of transportation is delivered by polymer materials which also embrace net zero carbon.
A circular economy depends on the development and application of a large variety of new catalytic processes. Innovation in catalysis is key to delivering a sustainable circular economy moving the UK to net zero combined with resilience to achieve clean growth.
Find out more about the ways the UK Catalysis Hub is working to achieve a net zero carbon society below:
It is critical to develop a broad portfolio of affordable and efficient technologies that can manage and ultimately overcome the climate crisis. The burden of developing such technologies to reverse the adverse effects of emissions without compromising the living standards lie with the scientific and engineering community in both academia…
When: 28 April 2023, 15:00 BSTWhere: Online Methanol is an important platform chemical and is made on the industrial scale using heterogeneous catalysts. It is currently made in an extremely unsustainable manner, and new routes are needed, utilising ‘green’ hydrogen. The mechanism of the surface reactions involved and work relating…
When: 22 March 2023, 15:00 – 17:00 GMTWhere: Online The UK Catalysis Hub are hosting a series of seminars for Early Career Researchers on the use of catalysts (bio, hetero- and homo-geneous) towards sustainable solutions in the carbon economy. The next virtual seminar for Early Career Researchers will be on…
Over 10 gigatons of CO2 must be captured every year before 2050 if national and global net-zero pledges are to be met, the vast majority of which will likely be stored underground in geological rock formations. This means that CO2 is not only readily available and cheap, but it can also serve…
Fracking is a controversial technique that involves injecting water, sand and chemicals into shale rock to extract natural gas. One of the main challenges of fracking is how to treat the wastewater that is generated, which contains high concentrations of salt and organic pollutants. A new study conducted by the…
When: 14 November, 14:00 – 16:00 GMTWhere: Online The UK Catalysis Hub held a virtual seminar “Catalysts for Polymer Degradation: Progress and Potential” for early career researchers on Monday the 14th November 2022 to discuss different catalytic solutions to plastic. The meeting hosted a series of talks in four sessions…
A video presentation given by Dr. Josie Goodall at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Engineering Net Zero virtual event June 2022 with an overview of how catalysis is essential to achieve net zero goals.
A video on the sustainable fuels and chemicals from biomass by Dr Christopher M. A. Parlett, University of Manchester – Diamond Light Source Research Fellow in Catalysis Lignocellulosic biomass represents a sustainable feedstock for the production of carbon-based chemicals and fuels, which can function as drop-in replacements for conventional fossil…
Video on Net Zero research work by PhD student James Counter at the B07 beamline, Diamond Light Source Heterogeneous catalysis research has as one of its main objectives the derivation of structure-activity links. These relationships relate catalytic performance, such as reactant conversion, product selectivity, and reaction mechanism, with physical sample…
Dr Yagya Regmi from Manchester Metropolitan University explains how his group is exploring platinum coated titanium dioxide as supports for iridium catalysts to help reduce the amount of iridium in water electrolysers and lower cost of hydrogen from electrolysis. Reducing the amount of iridium in water electrolysers without compromising performance…
