Unlocking the Future of Renewable Energy and Chemistry through Catalysis. Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis

Table of Contents

Part 1 The transformative scenario and S&T backgrounds
Section 1.1: The Changing Scenario for Energy and Chemistry and its Impact on Catalysis
a. Introductory paper addressing (among other aspects): the energy-chemistry nexus, drivers for a new sustainable energy scenario, a new vision for refineries, the role of chemical energy storage, enabling a fossil-free chemical production
b. An industrial-oriented perspective (opportunities and challenges for companies by energy and chemistry transition)
c. New trends and challenges for catalysis
d. Fundamental aspects of catalysis to address the challenges and open new perspectives

Section 1.2: Sustainable Energy, Policy, Societal and Educational Aspects
a. Emerging Sustainable Technologies to reach carbon neutrality
b. Transition governance and socio-technical system innovation for the circular economy and energy/chemistry transition
c. The EU innovation framework to accelerate the transition
d. Policy and large initiatives on renewable energy and chemistry
e. The climate mitigation potential of CO2 Capture and Utilisation (CCU) technologies
f. The roadmaps for innovation and the stakeholder community
g. The challenge of energy transition for chemical industries, the case example of Casale SA
h. Opening new possibilities for startup, the case of Sypox

Part 2 The science and technology advances
Section 2.1: Catalysis and Technologies for Decarbonisation and Closing the Carbon Cycle
a. Chemical engineering advances to decarbonise and close the carbon cycle in industrial processes
b. Catalysis in process electrification
c. Sustainable catalytic processes based on renewable energy
d. From nanoscale to single atoms in CO2 catalytic conversion
e. Operando methods to study CO2 conversion driven by renewable energy sources
f. Unlocking the potential of plasma catalysis
g. Fundamental challenges for zeolite to address decarbonisation

Section 2.2: Catalysis for harvesting solar energy
a. From lab to large-scale devices for producing solar fuels
b. Water Splitting Using Semiconductor Photocatalysts
c. Molecular Chemistry for Solar Fuels: From Natural to Artificial Photosynthesis
d. Connecting dots between natural and artificial Photosynthesis
e. Photo(electro)catalytic devices for solar fuels
f. Emerging material engineering strategies for photothermal catalysis
g. Metal-organic framework materials in photo (electro) catalytic applications

Authors

Vasile I. Parvulescu Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania.

Vasile I. Parvulescu is Founder and director of the Catalysts and Catalytic Processes Research Center in Romania and Professor at Bucharest University, he is an internationally well-known expert in catalysts and catalytic processes, particularly for environmental protection and green chemistry. He was an "Alexander von Humboldt" fellowship in 1997 and a visiting professor at several educational institutions worldwide. He is a member of the SUNERGY/SUNER-C Board and of several Permanent International Conferences and catalysis associations. He made many plenary and keynote lectures worldwide. He authorises several books, over 400 publications, and various patents.

Bert M. Weckhuysen Institute for Sustainable and Circular Chemistry, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Bert M. Weckhuysen is Distinguished University Professor at Utrecht University (The Netherlands) and Director of the national Gravitation research program on Multiscale Catalytic Energy Conversions, he is a worldwide known expert in operando and advanced characterisation of the catalysts. He is the author of over 700 publications and a member of the editorial advisory boards of several journals on catalysis, also an editor of some of them. He received many international awards. He was the former President of the European Federation of Catalysis Societies and President of the SUNERGY/SUNER-C large-scale initiative. He is the editor of three books and many special issues of journals. He holds several patents.

Gabriele Centi Professor of Industrial Chemistry, University of Messina, Italy. Gabriele Centi is full professor of Industrial Chemistry at the University of Messina, Italy, and President of the European Research Institute of Catalysis (ERIC). Research interests are in the areas of applied heterogeneous catalysis, sustainable energy and chemical processes, biomass conversion and environment protection.
He was coordinator of the EU Network of Excellence IDECAT, and is actually President of IACS (International Association of Catalysis Societies) and vice-President of the InterUniversity Consortium on the Science and Technology of Materials (INSTM). He was coordinator or PI in over twenty EU projects, besides many other national and industrial projects. He received several awards, and is involved in various editorial activities, between which chairing the editorial board of ChemSusChem and be co-editor in chief of Journal of Energy Chemistry. He is chair of the Elsevier Book Series Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis. He was chairperson of many international conferences (the last one Europacat 2017 in Florence) and also chaired the 1st World Congress on Environmental Catalysis in Pisa (Italy) on May 1995. He is author of over 450 scientific publications, 12 books and editor of various special issues. Current h-index is 76 with about 21.000 citations (Google Scholar). Siglinda Perathoner Professor of Industrial Chemistry, University of Messina, Italy. Siglinda PERATHONER is Professor of Industrial Chemistry at the University of Messina, Italy. She was coordinator of the large EU project INCAS, and has coordinated or was scientific responsible in various other EU projects. She is active from over 30 years in the field of catalysis and author of about 250 publications, including various top 1% papers, and several communications at International Congresses, as well as co-Editor of books or special issues of international journals of catalysis. Furthermore, she is co-author of several reviews on International Journals and was chairperson of various international conferences, workshops and symposia on catalysis. She is editor of the Wiley VCH book " Sustainable Industrial Chemistry" and Wiley & Soon book " Green Carbon Dioxide: Advances in CO2 Utilization". She is co-chair of Europacat 2017, a major event in catalysis community. Current h-index is 55, about 11.500 citations (Google Scholar).