Title: Development of Innovative Catalysts and Methods for Highly Efficient Hydrogenation of Bio-Oil Derivatives

Professor：Mingwu Tan  (Institute of Sustainability for chemicals, Energy and Environment, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A⁎STAR), 1 Pesek Road, Jurong Island, 627833, Singapore)

Time：June 13, 2024 (Thursday) 10:00

Address：Conference Room S213, Xinhua Hall, Slender West Lake Campus

Organizer：School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (Institute of Innovative Materials and Energy)

Short Bio：

Dr. Tan Mingwu is a Senior Scientist of the Institute of sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE²) at A*STAR, and he is group leader of CO₂ Conversion and Future Energy Carries division. His research focusing on CO₂ hydrogenation, Bio-Oil derivative hydrogenation, and hydrocarbon steam& Biomass reforming reactions. Dr. Tan currently lead a A*STAR career development funding, and two GAP projects (1 million SGD per year for each) on aqueous phase reforming for hydrogen production, he also collaborated with ExxoonMobil for an industrial collaborate project (ICP) for the higher temperature material test. Dr. Tan earned his Ph.D. from Shanghai University in 2016 and subsequently conducted two years of postdoctoral research at Xiamen University under the guidance of Prof. Yong Wang, who is also a Lab Fellow at PNNL. Following that, he joined Prof. Johannes A. Lecher’s group as a postdoctoral fellow at the Technical University of Munich. He held a position as an associate research professor at Shenzhen University from 2020 to 2021. In 2021, Dr. Tan joined Cambridge CARES as a research fellow affiliated with NTU. To date, Dir. Tan has Published 30 papers in reputable journals such as Nature Communications, Applied Catalyst B: Environments, Chemical Engineering Journal, Journal of Catalysis, ACS Catalysis, and ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

Abstract：

Enhancing the stability of iron-based catalysts through the incorporation of noble metals has been previously explored. In our study, we aimed to delve deeper into the efficacy of precious metals in preventing surface oxidation of iron. To achieve this, we synthesized a series of Pt-doped Fe catalysts with precise control over Pt decoration on the Fe surface using a one-pot hydrolysis and co-condensation method of inorganic salts. These catalysts were then evaluated in the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of m-cresol. Our research highlights the potential for improving the activity and stability of iron-based catalysts, which are abundant in the Earth's crust, by incorporating minute amounts of precious metals. Additionally, we investigated the phenomenon of hydrogen spillover, wherein atomic hydrogen species migrate from metal particles to the surface of their support, playing a crucial role in catalytic processes involving hydrogen. Traditionally observed on reducible oxide supports, hydrogen spillover onto non-reducible oxides poses a challenge. We introduced a novel approach to facilitate effective hydrogen spillover on non-reducible SiO₂ with the assistance of gaseous organic molecules containing a carbonyl group. By employing hierarchically-porous-SiO₂-supported bimetallic Pt-Fe catalysts with Pt nanoparticles selectively deposited into micropores, we demonstrated the transportation of activated hydrogen species generated on Pt sites within micropores by oxygenate molecules to Fe sites in macropores. This resulted in significantly accelerated hydrodeoxygenation rates on Fe sites. Our findings offer a promising strategy for the rational design and optimization of multifunctional heterogeneous catalysts, akin to the role of molecular coenzymes in bio-catalysis.