Professor Xin Tu PhD
Chair in Plasma Catalysis Electrical Engineering and Electronics
- +44 (0)151 794 4513
- Work email Xin.Tu@liverpool.ac.uk
- Personal Websitehttp://www.liv.ac.uk/electrical-engineering-and-electronics/staff/xin-tu/
Research
Plasma-catalytic electrification technologies for decentralised Power-to-X processes
- Hydrogen production (e.g. methane cracking, ammonia cracking, biogas reforming)
- CO2 conversion and utilisation (e.g., CO2 splitting to CO, CO2 hydrogenation to CO, CO2 methanation and CO2 hydrogenation to methanol)
- CH4 activation (e.g., biogas reforming to syngas, CH4 oxidation to methanol, single-step biogas to liquid fuels and chemicals such as methanol, ethanol and acetic acid, CH4 cracking to H2 and carbon nanomaterials)
- Nitrogen fixation (e.g., NOx synthesis from the air, NH3 synthesis from N2 and H2)
- Syngas cleaning and removal of tars from biomass gasification to deliver clean syngas
- Biomass/plastics waste to fuels and chemicals
- Cracking of heavy oils to fuels and chemicals
Plasma technology for environmental pollution control
- Plasma catalysis for the removal of environmental pollutants such as VOCs, PAHs, PM, and NOx.
- Plasma treatment of organic solvents from the nuclear industry
- Thermal plasma vitrification of nuclear waste
Breakthrough in direct activation of CO2 and CH4 into liquid fuels and chemicals
Our latest pioneering work published in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2017 (DOI: 10.1002/ange.201707131) has been reported by a number of media and trade magazines including The Engineer, The Chemical Engineer, phys.org, ChemEurope and Science Daily, and has attracted significant interests from the industry.
Breakthrough in direct activation of CO2 and CH4 into liquid fuels and chemicals
https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2017/10/06/breakthrough-in-direct-activation-of-co2-and-ch4-into-liquid-fuels-and-chemicals-2
Low-energy carbon activation process could replace methane flaring
https://www.theengineer.co.uk/349252-2
Plasma synthesis turns CO2 and CH4 into fuels and chemicals
https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/plasma-synthesis-turns-co2-and-ch4-into-fuels-and-chemicals/
Breakthrough in direct activation of CO2 and CH4 into liquid fuels and chemicals
https://phys.org/news/2017-10-breakthrough-co2-ch4-liquid-fuels.html
Direct activation of CO2 and CH4 into liquid fuels and chemicals
http://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/165192/direct-activation-of-co2-and-ch4-into-liquid-fuels-and-chemicals.html
Research Grants
Development of functional porous particulates for green ammonia production
ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
April 2023 - June 2024
Decentralised Ammonia from Renewable Energy utilising novel sorption-enhanced plasma-catalytic Power-to-X technology (DARE2X )
UK RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
September 2022 - September 2025
Coldspark driven energy and cost-efficient methane cracking for hydrogen production (COLDSPARK)
UK RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
June 2022 - December 2025
Plasma-Assisted Thermo-CHemical energy storage for Carnot batteries (PATCH)
ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
November 2022 - August 2025
Pyrolysis-plasma-catalysis of MSW for upgraded biofuels
ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
October 2021 - September 2022
Novel Low-Temperature Plasma-Catalyst Control of Dioxins Emissions from Waste Incinerators
ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
September 2021 - August 2024
Biomass Conversion and Utilisation
BRITISH COUNCIL (UK)
February 2021 - December 2021
Integrated biomass gasification and plasma-catalytic tar reforming
BRITISH COUNCIL (UK)
February 2021 - February 2023
Plasma catalysis for CO2 recycling and green chemistry - PIONEER
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
January 2019 - December 2022
Biomass gasification with negative carbon emission through innovative CO2 capture and utilisation and integration with energy storage
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
January 2019 - December 2023
The Extensive and Ubiquitous Role of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Space - Europah
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
October 2016 - March 2021
Atomic scale insights into the mobility of radionuclides in the plasma vitrification of simulant plutonium contaminated materials
NATIONAL NUCLEAR LABORATORY LTD (UK)
October 2018 - October 2023
Development of an integrated biomass pyrolysis/gasification - plasma-catalytic gas cleaning process for cogeneration of high quality syngas and value-added char
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY (BEIS) (UK)
March 2018 - August 2022
Novel and integrated low carbon process combining the gasification of waste biomass and plasma-catalytic reforming for the production of sustainable aviation biofuels
UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER (UK)
January 2018 - June 2018
Novel low energy plasma/catalytic gas cleaning process to deliver high quality syngas from the gasification of waste biomass.
ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
January 2015 - August 2018
Novel plasma-catalytic process for the conversion of biogas into hydrogen
ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
June 2015 - April 2017
Impact Acceleration Account - University of Liverpool 2012
ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
October 2012 - March 2017
Plasma-catalytic reduction of CO2 into valuable chemicals.
ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
June 2014 - February 2015
Small items of Research Equipment at the University of Liverpool
ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
November 2012 - March 2013
Decompostition of tars from the gasification of municipal solid waste by rotating gliding arc warm plasma
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS (UK)
September 2016 - August 2017
Novel nanosecond-pulsed plasma/catalysis process for the conversion of methane into value-added fuels
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS (UK)
March 2015 - February 2019
Plasma-catalysis for NOx storage and reduction at ambient temperature
ROYAL SOCIETY (CHARITABLE)
March 2013 - February 2014
Plasma-catalysis for the conversion of tar from biomass gasification into clean fuels
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING (UK)
June 2013 - August 2014