Led by Ulrich Hintermair (University of Bath)
This project will be pioneering a new generation of intelligent reactor systems that place the catalyst itself at the heart of autonomous process optimisation.
While digital process analytical technologies are increasingly used for self-optimising reactors that maximise productivity, they typically rely on reaction output data and do not account for catalyst stability. This project addresses that gap by integrating advanced operando catalyst characterisation—specifically multi-nuclear high resolution FlowNMR spectroscopy at Bath’s Dynamic Reaction Monitoring (DReaM) facility—with autonomous optimisation algorithms developed in collaboration with the Institute of Process Research and Development (iPRD) at Leeds.
By simultaneously tracking product formation and catalyst speciation in real time, the team will develop reactors that can adapt conditions to maintain catalysts in their optimal working state, balancing activity and long-term stability. This catalyst-centred, “TON-over-TOF” approach represents a step change in digital catalysis and directly advances the Hub’s Digital and Characterisation themes.
The project brings together complementary, leading expertise in operando reaction monitoring, data-driven self-optimisation, and digital process analytical technologies in collaboration with an engaged industrial partner who will support translation of the new technology into industrial practice. The work builds on a prior Hub-supported collaboration with Evonik, and the results will be disseminated through industrial and academic Hub networks.
By developing adaptive, catalyst-aware reactors capable of maximising productivity while minimising waste and deactivation, the project aims to accelerate translation from early-stage discovery to robust industrial application—strengthening the UK’s leadership in digitally enabled catalysis.
