Catalytic upgrading of bio-oils: from molecular approach to catalyst design
Direction Catalyse, Biocatalyse et Séparation

IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) est un acteur majeur de la recherche et de la formation dans les domaines de l’énergie, du transport et de l’environnement. De la recherche à l’industrie, l’innovation technologique est au cœur de son action, articulée autour de quatre priorités stratégiques : Mobilité Durable, Energies Nouvelles, Climat / Environnement / Economie circulaire et Hydrocarbures Responsables.

Dans le cadre de la mission d’intérêt général confiée par les pouvoirs publics, IFPEN concentre ses efforts sur :

• l’apport de solutions aux défis sociétaux de l’énergie et du climat, en favorisant la transition vers une mobilité durable et l’émergence d’un mix énergétique plus diversifié ;
• la création de richesse et d’emplois, en soutenant l’activité économique française et européenne et la compétitivité des filières industrielles associées.

Partie intégrante d’IFPEN, l’école d’ingénieurs IFP School prépare les générations futures à relever ces défis.

Catalytic upgrading of bio-oils: from molecular approach to catalyst design

Fast pyrolysis is regarded as one of the most promising thermochemical conversion technologies for the production of liquid biofuels. However, the poor quality of the crude bio-oils produced, including high oxygen (5–50% by weight) and water (15–30% by weight) contents, low thermal stability and high corrosivity, limits their direct use as alternative transport fuels.

To make them compatible with standard fuel bases, the bio-oils are stabilized via a mild hydrodeoxygenation step using sulfide catalysts. The search for active, selective and stable catalysts for these reactions is currently a key challenge, requiring a preliminary understanding of the relationship between the properties of the sulfide phases and their catalytic performance in the hydrodeoxygenation reaction.

Description : 

The primary objective will be to establish a batch testing methodology for the hydrodeoxygenation of model molecules representative of pyrolysis oil. An initial literature review will focus on selecting model oxygenated compounds, defining the test conditions and the analytical setup to be implemented during the internship.

Following initial on-the-job training with a technician specialized in catalytic testing, the chosen methodology will be implemented on a pilot batch reactor with a reference catalyst to identify the critical test parameters and elucidate the reaction mechanisms involved in the conversion of the oxygen-containing compounds.

The internship will then focus on synthesizing and characterizing coherent series of mono- or bimetallic dispersed catalysts with controlled size, morphology and crystallographic phase, using colloidal synthesis methods developed in-house as part of a PhD project.

The catalytic performance of the materials will be correlated with catalyst descriptors measured through pre- and post-test characterizations.

Required profile : 

Master’s degree in (Green) Chemistry or Chemical Engineering, with a strong interest in catalytic materials (synthesis, characterization) and their experimental application.