About the laboratory
The Laboratory of Hydrocarbon Reactivity, Biomass and Catalysis (LARHCO) is located in the Shale Chemistry Hub of the Institute of Chemistry of UFRJ. Founded in 1997 and coordinated by Professor Claudio Jose de Araujo Mota, the group carries out research on heterogeneous catalysis and materials applied to energy and environment.
Mission
Train high-level human resources and carry out scientific-technological research in the areas of catalysis and materials applied to energy and the environment, contributing to the advancement of science, economic development and the well-being of the society.
Vision
To be a laboratory of excellence in research, recognized nationally and internationally, in the areas of energy and environment, disseminating knowledge and developing technologies to be used by the industrial sector.
Values
Integration between all parties involved in the research
Efficiency and reliability of analyzes
Innovation and scientific and technological competence
Research areas
CO2 Capture and Conversion
CO2 is the great villain of the climate changes, being emitted upon the burning of fossil fuels. The capture and conversion of CO2 is an issue of great scientific and technological relevance.
In the area of CO2 capture, the group develops functionalized adsorbents for the capture of CO2 from gaseous streams, including the direct air capture (DAC). The studies are focused on materials based on biomass, which can perform equal to or better than conventional materials based on fossil sources.
LARHCO develops studies on CO2 hydrogenation to hydrocarbons, aiming at optimizing the formation of aviation fuel. In this line, supported metallic catalysts are used, which allow the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) and the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) to be carried out in a single step.
There are also studies on the hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol and dimethyl ether (DME). The group develops copper/zinc oxide catalysts, with different catalytic promoters, aiming at increasing activity and selectivity. In the production of dimethyl ether, the focus is on the development of bifunctional catalysts, based on copper/zinc oxide supported on acidic materials, to dehydrate the methanol formed to dimethyl ether.
Yet in the area of CO2 conversion, there are studies on the production of organic carbonates, which are chemicals with numerous industrial applications. The group develops heterogeneous catalysts based on metal oxides for the production of dimethyl carbonate. Zeolites and mesoporous oxides are studied as catalysts for the production of cyclic organic carbonates, such as propylene carbonate.
Production of Renewable Hydrogen
The hydrogen economy should dominate the second half of the 21st century, either through its direct use for energy generation or the industrial utilization in the production of renewable fuels and chemical products.
More recently, LARHCO began studies on the production of hydrogen via the photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic decomposition of water. The studies focus on the development of plasmonic photocatalysts that allow the use of visible light for the production of H2.
Another line of research involves the production of formic acid by the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 in aqueous solution. Formic acid has immense potential for use as a liquid hydrogen carrier.
Biomass Conversion
The use of biomass for the production of fuels and chemicals is a topic of great interest today, given the need to reduce carbon emissions from fossil sources.
Studies in this line are currently centered on the conversion of ethanol, production and use of levulinates and the use of glycerol from biodiesel production.
In the area of ethanol conversion the studies are focused on the development of bifunctional catalysts for its direct conversion into ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol. This route would open up the possibility of obtaining several renewable polymers, including PET, at significantly lower costs.
In the area of levulinates, the studies aims at the production of ethyl levulinate directly from sugars using acid catalysts, as well as the use of inorganic levulinates as preservatives.
Finally, studies with glycerol are currently focused on the development of derivatives that have applications as antioxidant and antifreeze additives, especially for the fuel sector.
Fundaments of Catalysis
Studies in this area aim to develop innovative methods for studying the acidity and the mechanism of catalytic reactions on zeolites and other heterogeneous catalysts, in order to elucidate the catalytic processes.
Current studies are mainly focused on theoretical calculations to understand the structure and energy of reaction intermediates and transition states of CO2 conversion reactions and biomass transformation. Methods of molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics are also used to simulate the CO2 capture on functionalized materials. The studies aim to correlate theoretical and experimental data to help in the development of better catalytic systems.
