Department of Sustainable Fuels and Green Chemistry

Granting Departments:	Department of Sustainable Fuels and Green Chemistry
Study Programme/Specialization:	Energy and Fuels ( in English language )
Supervisor:	prof. Ing. David Kubička, Ph.D., MBA

Annotation

Biooils are in important source of compounds that can be key intermediates in chemical utilization of lignocellulosic biomass. Their conversion affords most importantly valuable monomers as well as component of aviation fuels. The dissertation will focus on the development of heterogeneous catalysts that will facilitate the conversion of phenolic and/or furanic compounds into desired valuable products in accordance with green chemistry principles.

Granting Departments:	Department of Sustainable Fuels and Green Chemistry
Study Programme/Specialization:	Energy and Fuels ( in English language )
Supervisor:	doc. Ing. Pavel Šimáček, Ph.D.

Annotation

The PhD thesis will be focused on maximizing the yield of naphtha hydrocarbons in the existing refinery technology scheme. It will assess the distribution of all naphtha hydrocarbons to the existing refinery technologies, i.e., naphtha hydrotreater, naphtha isomerization, and catalytic reforming. The effect of the composition of the processed crude oils on this distribution will be investigated. It will analyze bottlenecks in the current refinery technological scheme for the processing of naphtha fractions and propose a feasible way for removing them. With the aid of modern analytical methods and knowledge concerning naphtha fractions analysis and with the aid of modern simulation methods, it will propose optimization of current naphtha distribution scheme based on the application of a break-through concept of “placing each naphtha molecule in the right place”. Using this concept, it will suggest the possible addition of new naphtha processing technologies to the current refinery scheme allowing both the optimization and the maximizing motor gasoline production in the refinery.

Granting Departments:	Department of Sustainable Fuels and Green Chemistry
Study Programme/Specialization:	Energy and Fuels ( in English language )
Supervisor:	prof. Ing. David Kubička, Ph.D., MBA

Annotation

Hydrogenolysis is an important reaction for selective valorization of renewable feedstocks. Besides hydrogenolysis of ester to alcohols that is already a mature industrial process, which, however, needs new more environmentally-friendly catalysts, the attention has been also recently directed at hydrogenolysis of ethers as a key reaction for efficient valorization of lignin. The aim of the dissertation is to identify and describe the fundamental parameters of hydrogenolysis catalysts. The ambition it to reveal both common as well as specific requirements on the composition and properties of catalysts for hydrogenolysis of esters and ethers. The dissertation will focus on the synthesis and characterization of catalysts that will be studied in hydrogenolysis of model esters and ethers to determine their activity, selectivity and stability.

Granting Departments:	Department of Sustainable Fuels and Green Chemistry
Study Programme/Specialization:	Energy and Fuels ( in English language )
Supervisor:	prof. Ing. David Kubička, Ph.D., MBA

Annotation

Hydrogenation-dehydrogenation reactions are essential for the chemical valorization lignocellulosic biomass. The aim of the dissertation will be the design and study of new types of CuZnAl catalysts with a controlled distribution of copper for efficient hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol and of cyclohexanone to cyclohexanol and for dehydrogenation of these alcohols to the respective aldehydes and ketones. Thanks to studying both hydrogenation and dehydrogenation it will be possible to reveal the effect of catalyst structures on their on their activity. Therefore, the dissertation will focus on the synthesis of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation catalysts to maximize their activity, characterization of active catalyst centers, testing of activity, selectivity and stability of the developed catalysts, and finding and understanding the relationships between synthesis and activity parameters of developed catalysts in the aforementioned reactions.