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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

Synergizing Bio- and (electro)-chemical conversion for advanced BiO-alkanes production from biOwaSTes (BioBOOST)

UK RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

October 2024 - September 2026

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 - February 2025

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

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