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Current projects
SolarMethaCell
Methane conversion into platform molecules over solar cells under ambient conditions
ANR-22-CE05-0019
The goal of this proposal is to elaborate a new energy-efficient solar-driven chemical processes for conversion of abundant renewable and alternative methane reserves into chemicals under ambient conditions. Recent advances in solar cells and photocatalysis open up new possibilities to combine these two technologies for the development of sustainable and eco-friendly photocatalytic systems utilizing solar radiation and operating at room temperature and moderate pressure. A strong focus will be on the design and elaboration of photocatalysts showing higher product yields as well as the understanding of the photo-induced processes at the interface between solar materials and methane and elucidation of catalytic mechanisms of the methane selective chemical conversion. The target products of methane photocatalytic conversion are ethane or carbon monoxide. Ethane is a feedstock for industrial synthesis of light olefins, while carbon monoxide is an important platform molecule for manufacturing a large variety of chemicals such as acids, esters and alcohols.
Le consortium SolarMethaCell est composé de deux équipes de recherche ayant compétences complémentaires dans la conception, la synthèse et la caractérisation des cellules solaires, ainsi que dans la catalyse, la chimie des molécules C1 et les mécanismes d'activation du méthane.
DEZECO
Development of Embryonic Zeolites for Efficient Conversion of CO2 to Dimethyl Ether and Light Olefins
ANR-22-CE05-0005
CO2 hydrogenation is one of the most interesting reactions to fight against the greenhouse effect because it allows the synthesis of renewable fuels, such as dimethyl ether (DME), and base chemicals, such as light olefins. Typical bifunctional catalysts for these reactions are mostly based on zeolites mixed with a metal or metal oxide to transform CO2 via the intermediate formation of methanol. Unfortunately the use of crystalline microporous zeolites induces strong transport limitations between the active (metal and acid) sites, leading to low productivity and the synthesis of undesirable side products on the strong acid sites. The objective of the present project is to solve this problem by using embryonic nanozeolites of very small size (3-5 nm) with scalable porosity and acid site properties, which will then be combined with a metal to form a new type of composite catalyst. The improved accessibility of these catalysts as well as the synergy created between the metal and acid sites with optimized acidity will allow a more efficient and effective transformation of CO2 into DME and light olefins.
PulseCOMeth
Femtocatalytic Photoconversion of Methane
ANR-22-CE50-0018
The conversion of Methane into more valuable chemicals and fuels has been identified as a win-win strategy towards a decarbonated industry and for the reduction of the green-house-gas. Methane is an abundant compound, that is considered as a climate bomb but, fortunately, that also constitutes a huge reserve of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The direct thermal conversion routes of methane are suffering from high energetical cost and low selectivity. Thus developing low temperature strategies is of great importance. The photo-assisted conversion of methane offers a promising approach to directly transform methane to valuable energy sources under mild conditions, but these researches are still at an early stage, and the catalytic performances achieved experimentally are still far below the requirements for industrial production.
PulseCoMeth aims to go beyond the state of the art by investigating an innovative strategy for the photoconversion of methane based on a synergetic thermo-catalytic activation using ultrashort laser pulses. Toward this aim, an interdisciplinary consortium of chemists and physicists is built by gathering the expertise of LASIRE (femtochemistry), UCCS (methane photocatalysis), LCS (porous material chemistry) and IPR (material multiscale photodynamics). The main goals of PulseCoMeth are (i) the elaboration of multifunctional nanomaterials with dual photocatalytic and photothermal activities (ii) the investigation of photoactivation and photothermal processes by ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy, and (iii) the establishment of the catalytic performances (selectivity and efficiency) of this femto-catalytic solutions for the photoconversion of methane.
SYNFLUX-LUMICALS, PEPR LUMA
Synchronization of photon, charge and molecule flows molecules for optimized conversion of sunlight into fuels and chemicals
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SYNFLUX-LUMICALS aims to develop innovative strategies for more efficient harvesting and utilization of light in solar fuel production devices. It is based on a nature-inspired approach to better understand, control, and synchronize spatial and temporal aspects ranging from photon absorption to charge generation, transport, and utilization through hybrid interfaces. It builds on advances in photovoltaics and multi-electronic redox catalysis to promote the emergence and scale-up of photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic devices composed exclusively of abundant elements, particularly molecular dyes. SYNFLUX-LUMICALS is structured in three parts, supported by a wide range of state-of-the-art characterization techniques.
LIZA (ANR Project 2025)
Liquid Metals for Stable Zeolite Catalysis
Nowadays, several important processes used for the production of platform molecules, such as methanol-to-olefins (MTO), cracking, and aromatization, are performed over zeolite catalysts at high temperatures (400-700°C). These processes face rapid deactivation due to coke deposition, necessitating frequentregeneration of the catalysts, which increases process costs and leads to CO2 emissions. In this project, LIZA, we propose an innovative approach to improve catalyst stability by combining zeolite catalysts with liquid metals (LM).
Metals or alloys with low melting points (e.g., Ga, Bi, In) have been widely used as dopants for supported metal catalysts to enhance activity and stability. However, no studies to date have focused on the modification of non-metallic catalysts using liquid metals.
Recently, at the UCCS laboratory in Lille, it has been demonstrated that liquid Ga with ZSM-5 can significantly improve the stability of the catalyst in methanol-to-hydrocarbons reactions, increasing its lifetime up to 14 times. Detailed characterization suggests that liquid Ga coats the zeolite crystals, modifying them and facilitating the desorption of coke species from the acid sites. However, due to the limited access of liquid metals into the zeolite pores, this effect is primarily restricted to acid sites in the intercrystalline regions.
This effect can be further enhanced by using large-pore and mesoporous zeolite materials, recently developed by the LCS group in Caen, which provide greater access for liquid metal to the active sites. Additionally, the removal of coke using LM will be studied through in-situ environmental TEM in collaboration with the IPCMS group at Strasbourg University.
The synergy of three groups in Lille, Caen and Strasbourg, nodes of excellence in the synthesis of zeolites, liquid metal assisted catalysis and in-situ study is expected to result in new extremely efficient materials for stable catalytic performance.
OBIWAN
From organic waste to chemical building blocks via biogas: An integrated (bio)chemical carbon cycle with CO2 recovery
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OBIWAN aims at converting organic waste streams into advanced chemicals and sustainable aviation fuels. After an initial anaerobic digestion for biogas production, a mixture of CH4 and CO2, the further chemical conversion will harness the CO2 in the final products. Excess carbon is then captured as solid carbon with applications in, e.g., gas cleaning and tires. In this manner, OBIWAN will generate technology to mitigate climate change, not only by avoiding greenhouse gas emissions but also by turning such gases into valuable products.
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