Improving quality of life demands the supply of increasing amounts of energy and consumer chemicals, whilst at the same time global warming has become a major cause for concern. The Energy research theme addresses the challenges of introducing the hydrogen economy to replace the current reliance on carbon-based fuels.
Fuel cells, hydrogen generation, storage and use are being investigated. The production of chemicals such as pharmaceuticals, vitamins, personal and household products is the traditional business of the chemical industry, but new challenges are being addressed to manufacture such products more efficiently.
Novel production routes using catalysis or supercritical fluids, reduction of waste by-products, and control of product formulation are some of the key challenges which are being addressed within the Chemical Industries theme.
Theme Research Areas
Research Groups
Staff involved in this theme
- Dr Bushra Al-Duri
- Professor Mostafa Barigou
- Dr Andy Ingram
- Professor Kevin Kendall - Fluid mechanics, Multiphase flows, Rheology, Mixing, Computational Fluid Dynamics
- Dr Gary Leeke
- Dr Paula Mendes - Nano-Electrocatalysts for Fuel Cells
- Professor Andrzej Pacek
- Prof. Robert Steinberger-Wilckens - Head of The Centre for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Research
- Dr Regina Santos
- Professor Mark Simmons - Chemistry-chem eng interface, reaction engineering of enantioselective reactions
- ProfessorJoe Wood - Catalysis, reaction engineering, hydrogenation, carbon capture and storage, heavy oil upgrading, reaction kinetics.