We are always looking for bright and talented Postdocs and PhD students. If you feel thrilled to work on the development of new catalysts and processes with applications in emerging sustainable technologies, please write to us.
Postdoc candidates:
Motivated and independent individuals with passion for research and proven track record in their PhD research with Chemical engineering/ Material Science/ Chemistry background and previous experience in catalysis are welcome.
1. Catalyst and process development for Plasma-catalytic conversion of Methane to C2 hydrocarbons.
We have open positions for one PhD student & one Research staff/ Post-doctoral fellow for this project. The project is funded through collaborations with BPCL & GAIL.
Write to sonali.das@iitb.ac.in with your CV.
Project Description:
The objective of this project is to develop a lab-scale Plasma-Catalytic Reactor system using Non-thermal Plasma (NTP) and novel Catalysts for direct conversion of Methane to C2 hydrocarbons (ethane/ ethylene). Selective conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbons is a highly sought after goal, and non-thermal plasma is an emerging technology that can be used to convert methane in one step, at low operating temperature, by using renewable energy sources.
The work will involve the development of a lab-scale plasma-catalytic reactor, synthesis and characterization of novel catalysts to increase plasma-catalytic methane conversion and C2 selectivity, testing of developed catalysts, operating parameter optimization, and process modelling/ techno-economic analysis.
Desired Expertise:
· Research experience in non-thermal (Dielectric Barrier Discharge) plasma systems.
· Experience in experimental catalysis - catalyst synthesis and characterization.
· Experience of working with reactors for gas-phase reactions (thermal catalysis).