Wrocław, Poland, April 29-30, 2025
Rafael L. Oliveira has been an assistant professor at the Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences since 2021. He specializes in designing porous materials for catalysis, such as silica, zeolites, and carbonaceous materials. These solids are commonly applied selective hydrogenation and oxidation reactions under the liquid phase or gas phase reactions. He has also been involved in adsorption studies aimed at water purification processes. His research integrates computational and experimental approaches combined with advanced spectroscopy methods such as XAS (X-ray absorption spectroscopy). He has been laureated from multiple funding agencies such as FAPESP (Brazil), NAWA (Poland), and the Humboldt Foundation.
Lecture title:
Designing catalysts based on porous carbonaceous material for selective
oxidations and hydrogenations
oxidations and hydrogenations
Hydrogenation and oxidation of organic compounds are essential reactions in the chemical industry. Traditionally, these reactions are done by stoichiometric amounts (or excess) of toxic reagents such as sodium borohydride, and potassium permanganate, resulting in processes with low selectivity and the generation of a lot of waste. Thus, these traditional processes are environmentally and economically unsuitable. The current ecological standards increase the pressure on the development of environmentally benign methods. The use of supported catalysts emerged as an alternative for producing valuable chemicals more sustainably.
Most of the studies about the development of catalysts for hydrogenation and oxidation of organic compounds in the last decades have been based on noble metals that are expensive and rare.[1,2] The price of these noble metals fluctuates considerably, depending on the economic scenario, making the application very limited for large-scale chemical production. Earth-abundant metals (such as Ni, Fe, Cu, and Co) have become an option as active phases in some catalytic processes. However, they are less active and require harsher conditions of working (reaction time, temperature, and pressure). Thus, controlling the particle size, and their distribution on supports is extremely important for improving their performance and stability.
In this lecture, we will present a group of our recent publications related to the synthesis of a group of porous carbonaceous materials using different precursors such as glycerol (a residual chemical in the production of biodiesel), chitosan, and carbohydrates. These materials were applied as a catalyst support or catalyst itself in the selective oxidation of alcohols[2,3], imine synthesis,[1] and catalytic dehydrogenation of formic acid.
Most of the studies about the development of catalysts for hydrogenation and oxidation of organic compounds in the last decades have been based on noble metals that are expensive and rare.[1,2] The price of these noble metals fluctuates considerably, depending on the economic scenario, making the application very limited for large-scale chemical production. Earth-abundant metals (such as Ni, Fe, Cu, and Co) have become an option as active phases in some catalytic processes. However, they are less active and require harsher conditions of working (reaction time, temperature, and pressure). Thus, controlling the particle size, and their distribution on supports is extremely important for improving their performance and stability.
In this lecture, we will present a group of our recent publications related to the synthesis of a group of porous carbonaceous materials using different precursors such as glycerol (a residual chemical in the production of biodiesel), chitosan, and carbohydrates. These materials were applied as a catalyst support or catalyst itself in the selective oxidation of alcohols[2,3], imine synthesis,[1] and catalytic dehydrogenation of formic acid.
References
- R. L. Oliveira, K. Nicinski, M. Pisarek, A. Kaminska, A. Thomas, G. Pasternak and J. C. Colmenares, ChemCatChem, 2022, 14, e202200787.
- R. Lima Oliveira, K. A. Ledwa, O. Chernyayeva, S. Praetz, C. Schlesiger and L. Kepinski, Inorg Chem, 2023, 62, 13554–13565
- R. L. Oliveira, M. Pisarek, K. A. Ledwa, G. Pasternak and L. Kepinski, React Chem Eng, 2023, 8, 1061–1071.
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