While pursuing my doctoral studies at Lodz University of Technology in Poland, I have the privilege of engaging in a collaborative project with the prestigious UCT Prague. The primary objective of my Ph.D. dissertation is to unlock the potential of biomass-derived compounds and convert them into valuable chemicals using Ru-based catalysts in the process of catalytic hydrodeoxygenation.

Over the course of two enriching months in Prague, I had the opportunity to work closely with the renowned GreenCats group. This experience was invaluable in enhancing my understanding of catalyst characterization through advanced analytical techniques and the optimization of catalyst performance for industrial applications using flow reactors. These skills and insights have undoubtedly contributed significantly to my professional growth and expertise in the intricate field of catalysis and biomass conversion.

Apart from the academic and research experiences, my time in Prague was equally enriched by the city's unmatched beauty. From the enchanting old town with cobblestone streets to the iconic Prague Castle, every corner holds a unique charm. The Charles Bridge, Vltava River, Astronomical Clock, and vibrant markets create a fusion of history, culture, and architectural splendour that continues to captivate me. Without a doubt, I am looking forward to visiting this remarkable city again in the future.

New topics and challenges were discussed with prof. Joris Thybaut from Ghent University during his two-day visit at the university. First, he delivered an open lecture to employees and students followed by a discussion. The lecture was about sustainable research that he does and about his touch with the industry that has to implement new green solutions. This perfectly matched with the GreenCats strategy as both research groups – it is not secret – are involved in the Green-Chem association. Based on this platform it is possible to collaborate, exchange students and share practical knowledge. Therefore, despite his expertise which is not only in the field of chemical engineering or reaction kinetics, we met on a couple of topics for future collaboration. We were happy to invite Joris at our university.

After more than 10 years, Bogdan has decided to close his chapter at UCT and start writing the new one in the private sector. First of all, we would like to congratulate him on his new job and also say thank him for what he did for us. 

Bogdan started to work with David Kubička during his Master's thesis as a part of the European project Biomates. Since the collaboration was successful, he decided to study PhD to extend his understanding in the field of bio-oil processing. In April 2022 he successfully defended his PhD thesis. Since that time he tried to get as much as possible of his experience to his PhD student. Both were working on the anisole valorisation. During those many years, Bogdan has collaborated on 13 published manuscripts which makes his contribution remarkable. Therefore, we are losing young and ambitious researcher. Personally, I am losing a great friend sitting next to me for more than five years having all the time very cheerful mood. I and the whole GreenCats group wish you many successful steps in your career.

PS. Everyone will remember your Algerian coffee Bog ;-)

A way how to maximize the retention of biogenic carbon in the pool of liquid fuels is a step closer to advanced biofuels to mitigate climate change.

Our recent work was dedicated to the integration of biofeedstock (pyrolysis bio-oil) into the crude-oil refinery streams in the way to maximize the conversion of biocarbon to the fuels. This work demonstrates the novelty of how to preserve almost 90% of bio-carbon from feed (hydrogenated bio-oil distillation residue) and convert it to liquid fuels in the hydrocracking process under conventional reaction conditions. Compared to other solutions, such a process generally preserves 2-3 times more bio-carbon in liquid products, which benefits in atom economy.

Read the whole paper here.

Jarda departed for France in June. One year later when Jarda was awarded by French Embassy in Prague he decided to valorise his one-month stipend in UCCS Lille. Under new supervision by prof. Jean-Francois Lamonier and prof. Sebastien Royer, he will characterize novel TiO₂-coated silica materials. Using XPS, TEM or TOF-SIMS he will try to analyze the catalyst surface. Good luck!

My name is Gonçalo, and I am a student at the Catholic University of Portugal, Porto. I am currently in the third and final year of my bachelor in bioengineering study, in which I had the opportunity to opt for the field of environmental engineering.

I found out about the UCT Prague in 2022 when my university presented me with the list of possible university partnerships to carry out my final project in an Erasmus mobility regime. After some research, I discovered the GreenCats group, which got my interest right from the start, and I have been following their work ever since.

Now, I arrived in Prague 4 weeks ago and I am enjoying it a lot. The city is amazing and full of history, there are a lot of places to visit and learn about. For the coming months of my stay, I look forward to exploring not only Prague but also the hidden gems in the Czech Republic.

The 11^th Czech-Polish catalytic symposium (CzePoCat) was held in February at IET VSB-TU in Ostrava. Many researchers (PhD students included) participated in the seminar from different universities and research institutes of Czech Republic, Poland and France. Our group was represented by Jarda, Babar and Snehasis. Our PhD student, Babar presented his PhD progress on "Ru-based catalysts for selective conversion of HMF into furan diols", while Snehasis presented his work "Understanding anisole hydrodeoxygenation reaction pathway over nickel catalyst". Jarda gave an interesting talk on "Looking for sustainable hydrogenolysis catalyst- green chemistry perspective" in the evening session of the day. The series of talks were accompanied by lunch and dinner, which enabled us to interact with everyone. The seminar was supported by Czech Chemical Society – branch in Ostrava. 

At the beginning of February, David accepted the kind invitation of Marcelo Domine (ITQ, Valencia, Spain) to deliver a lecture on perspectives of biofuels in a workshop under the auspices of EERA (European Energy Research Association), specifically the joint research program Bioenergy. The workshop entitled “Biofuels and Biochemicals: Initiatives and Perspectives” took place in Valencia on February 9^th 2023 and was attended by academic and industrial stakeholders.

Unsurprisingly, it was a great event with many excellent insightful talks and vivid interactions. The talks covered nicely the alternative pathways to produce different types of biofuels as well as the complete value chain from lignocellulosic biomass via important intermediates to final biofuels. Besides biofuels, the importance of chemicals derived from biomass was also addressed. David’s talk called “Advanced biofuels for future” covered the GreenCats research strategy and was very well received. The complementarity of the delivered presentations highlighted very interesting cooperation potential. Hopefully, this potential will materialize in near future in new collaborations. Importantly, the scientific meetings (no matter how exciting) are not only about science. Thus, there was time to meet with Agustín Martínez, an excellent friend and collaborator, over a dinner at the Valencian seaside and to enjoy the traditional cuisine. Although the trip was very intense - squeezed in less than 48 hours, it brought new ideas and opened up many future collaborative research opportunities. It was definitely worth it!

The GreenCats group is looking for new PhD students. Currently, we have two open positions. Both theses focus on catalyst development in the field of the valorization of biomass-derived compounds. Furanics and phenolics are two major groups of chemicals produced from biomass. Their future valorization will produce interesting monomers or a component of aviation fuels. Therefore, our goal is to develop an effective catalyst for that.

If you are interested contact us soon with your motivation letter and CV. Read more information here. Deadline on 15th April 2023.

PhD topic #1 - Innovative hydrogenation catalysts for the valorization of phenolic compounds

Phenolic compounds are key intermediates in the chemical utilization of lignin from the processing of lignocellulosic biomass. Their conversion affords most importantly valuable monomers as well as components of aviation fuels. The dissertation will focus on the development of heterogeneous catalysts that will facilitate the conversion of phenolic compounds into desired products in accordance with green chemistry principles.

PhD topic #2 - Environmentally friendly catalysts for the valorization of furanic compounds

Furanic compounds are key intermediates in the chemical utilization of cellulose and hemicellulose from the processing of lignocellulosic biomass. Their conversion affords most importantly valuable monomers as well as components of aviation fuels. The dissertation will focus on the development of heterogeneous catalysts that will facilitate the conversion of furanic compounds into desired products in accordance with green chemistry principles.

I am a PhD student at both the INCAT (Industrial Catalysis and Adsorption Technology) and LCT (Laboratory for Chemical Technology) groups at Ghent University in Belgium. The general objective of my project is to valorize biomass-based streams into high-quality fuels and chemicals using NiCu catalysts in catalytic hydrodeoxygenation.

I first learned about the GreenCats group in 2019 at the very start of my project, and I have been following their work ever since. The scientific work published by the group has made significant contributions to the field of biomass valorization, including hydrodeoxygenation, and served as one of the key starting points and guidelines during my PhD. I am excited to have now the opportunity to work with this leading group.

At the time of writing, I have been in Prague for 3 weeks. The city’s stunning architecture, rich history and vibrant culture stand out for me. With so much still to do and see, I look forward to the coming weeks of my research stay.

It has been 24 years since Paul Anastas and John Warner formulated the Twelve principles of Green Chemistry. Those principles should be considered in every chemical laboratory or company because implementing them will make technologies and processes more sustainable. I have read those principles a hundred times, but now, I had the great opportunity to attend Anastas’es lecture in person at the 9th IUPAC International Conference on Green Chemistry in Athens. It was an excellent talk that encouraged me in the work we do. I got a strong feeling that Green Chemistry will be the key direction in the chemical industry in the following years. The reason is easy. Life conditions are getting worse and our society is challenged with large waste production or increasing CO₂ emissions. But there, I felt a huge passion from many researchers across the World to deal with those issues. I saw new concepts on biomass and waste valorizations, and new approaches that would remove unnecessary solvents from chemical synthesis or transformation of CO₂ or plastics into valuable chemicals. In all of those topics, the catalyst played a key role. I am happy I could be part of a chemical society that wants to change our life environment. I contributed to the discussion with my lecture called “Development of Cr-free hydrogenolysis catalyst” which also solves a particular problem by replacing the toxic catalyst.