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Reference Number EP/Y037294/1
Title Plasmonic Mg-based catalysts for low temperature sunlight-assisted CO2 activation (MgCatCO2Act)
Status Started
Energy Categories Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research 20%;
Not Energy Related 80%;
Research Types Applied Research and Development 100%
Science and Technology Fields PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry) 100%
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator Dr E Ringe
Earth Sciences
University of Cambridge
Award Type Standard
Funding Source EPSRC
Start Date 01 March 2025
End Date 31 August 2026
Duration 18 months
Total Grant Value £127,041
Industrial Sectors Catalysis & surfaces
Region East of England
Programme Frontier Grants Proof of Concept
 
Investigators Principal Investigator Dr E Ringe , Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) account for over 90% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in CO2 equivalent, making them driving factors for global warming and consequently for shaping current environmental policies. To meet environmental targets, society needs to concurrently emit less and capture more greenhouse gases. Dry reforming of methane (DRM), where CO2 and CH4 are converted into H2 and CO (syngas), is a commercially attractive way to produce syngas from abundant feedstock including industrial and agricultural waste while capturing harmful greenhouse gases. However, in the case of DRM, conventional methods relying on thermally driven catalysis suffer from high energy requirements which render the reaction costly and environmentally unsustainable. Here, we propose to use a sunlight-assisted approach to drive the reaction at substantially lower temperatures. Mg has been recently discovered as a sustainable plasmonic metal with the best match to the solar spectrum. Our recent work pioneered catalytically active plasmonic nanoparticles based on cheap and earth-abundant Mg and demonstrated their excellent light-enhanced catalytic performance, making Mg an ideal candidate for application in sunlight-assisted low-temperature DRM. The objective of this proposal is to explore the pathway from ground-breaking research on Mg-based catalytically active plasmonic nanoparticles towards commercially viable innovation in low temperature gas-phase transformation of stable molecules, using DRM as the model reaction. To achieve this ambitious goal, this project will advance the technical understanding and capabilities that will underpin the target market, develop our business strategy, and forge links with industrial partners. The outcomes will set the path towards commercial scale, sustainable, low-cost and low-emission conversion of greenhouse gases into high value-added chemical building blocks
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Added to Database 12/06/25