The areas of interest of the Group are mainly focused on the application of catalytic processes, chemical reactors, and the simulation and automatic control of processes to solve problems in the chemical industry and the protection of the environment.
Lines of investigation
Catalytic processes: The Group’s interest in this line of research is focused on the development of catalysts and reactors for different processes:
Environmental (decontamination processes): Treatment of halogenated waste, water contaminated with chlorinated compounds, and gaseous emissions by catalytic combustion.
Industrial: Hydrotreating and hydrogenation of coal and oil fractions. Selective oxidation reactions (maleic anhydride, acrylic acid). Valorization of biomass derivatives (bioethanol, acetone, furfural, carboxylic acids) through carbon-carbon bond formation reactions (aldol, decarboxylate condensations). Hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation of oxygenated organic compounds present in biomass processing streams.
Chemical reactors: Development of innovative reactors for different applications in the field of chemical and environmental processes:
Forced non-stationary state operating reactors (reverse flow reactors, simulated moving bed reactors), for applications such as: Energy use of streams with low concentrations of hydrocarbon (coal mine vent gases). Improved yields in reactions limited by equilibrium, such as the processes for obtaining hydrogen by reforming. Improvement of reagent utilization in selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides
Catalytic membrane reactors: Improvement of the performance of reactions of industrial interest through the use of membrane reactors (inert or reactive): Use of membranes selective for hydrogen permeation for reforming and water gas displacement (WGS) reactions. Use of porous membranes for partial oxidation reactions.
Circulating fluidized bed reactors for partial oxidation reactions
Structured bed drip reactors (foams) for catalytic wet oxidation (CWAO) processes of contaminants in the aqueous phase.
Sorption processes: We work on different adsorption processes, such as
Selective adsorption of CO2 in combustion gases.
Hydrogen adsorption in gas streams.
Elimination of volatile organic compounds in gaseous streams.
Removal of organochlorine compounds and micropollutants (emerging pollutants, trace pollutants) in aqueous streams.
Simulation and control of processes. The Group’s interest in this line of research focuses on.
Simulation of chemical processes: Conventional and extractive distillation, discontinuous crystallization with programmed cooling, and adiabatic reverse flow reactor
Design of automatic control systems for industry and research: Control systems for the production of acetylsalicylic acid for the production of Clotrimazole (QF Bayer SA), automatic sowing detection in crystallizers (QF Bayer SA), for reverse flow reactor, for multiple packed bed reactor
Stalwart International – One of the best Chemical process equipment manufacturer and Chemical reactor manufacturer in Vadodara
By Riddhi Sagar
