Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

The Autochem 2950 chemisorption analyzer requested in this proposal will provide a highly automated platform for catalyst preparation and characterizations including pulse chemisorption, BET (Brunauer, Emmett and Teller) surface area, temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), desorption (TPD), oxidation (TPO), and reaction (TPRxn). In addition, such instrument will act as a stand-alone micro-activity reactor system to acclerate catalyst screening process, leading to reduced catalyst development timeframe and cost. Its unique wide operation environment with temperature ranging from -100 to 1100 oC and pressure up to 1000 psia can accommodate majority of the reactions potentially conducted in our laboratories. The required equipment will be primarily employed to support a research program aiming to develop a series of catalyst systems and associated processes which can efficiently utilize the abundant natural gas for upgrading low cost carbon sources widely available in Canada including unconventional heavy crude, light crude, and organic municipal, agricultural, and forestry solid wastes to various valuable products such as synthetic crude oil, versatile liquid chemicals, syngas stream for liquid chemical or fuel production, and high-quality bio-char useful as sorbent for pollutants cleanup and fuel for power generation. The researches being undertaken in this program targets at optimizing the utilization of Canada's hydrocarbon resources, while reducing the accompanying environmental impact. The abundance of natural gas and heavy crude oil resources coupled with the demand on liquid fuel for transportation and chemical intermediates for daily consumables production are key motivators for the mentioned research project. Moreover, upgrading through the use of natural gas is a relatively new field of research. Advances in this field should put Canada at the forefront and generate considerable economic benefit, especially in a field of study much needed for Canada, due to availability/demand issues. The requested instrument should also contribute to the training of many experts from both industry and academia in cutting-edge research. The engaged HQP can be exposed to an unique multidisciplinary environment and gain precious hands-on experiences, which will definitely benefit them being employed in academia or industry in Canada and overseas in the fields of chemical engineering, material science and engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering. The outcomes derived from this research program will thus not only further solidify the leading position of Canada in energy research and innovation through more efficient and cleaner utilization of low cost carbon resources and natural gas which are abundant natural resources in Canada, but also make Canada an even better place to live by taking into consideration the potential economic, environmental, and social benefits this proposed study could bring to Canada.