Net Zero
We focus on ways to sustainably use energy to maintain the environment and investigate cleaner, more efficient ways to use fossil fuels. We look at how we can reduce emissions through catalysis, and examine the use of renewable and sustainable resources such as solar, wind, and wave energy through photo-electro-chemistry.
Whilst interpretations of what net zero means are debatable, our net zero research area focuses on ways to efficiently use energy and maintain the environment. We investigate cleaner, more efficient ways to use fossil fuels, look at how we can reduce emissions through catalysis, and examine how we can use renewable and sustainable resources such as solar, wind, and wave energy through photo-electro-chemistry.
Researchers in this area are on the cutting edge of renewable technologies and are continually focussing on key issues relevant to the 21st century. For example, sustainable green hydrogen production from seawater splitting, advanced fuel cells, carbon dioxide capture and conversion to high-value platform molecules.
We investigate the development of technologies to produce low-carbon clean fuels from biomass, seawater, wastewater, and renewable electricity. We undertake externally funded projects related to efficient green hydrogen production, storage, and application via fuel cells for net zero transportation and we look at the application of plasma and electrochemical technologies for the treatment of emerging pollutants in water.
Research in this area covers a wide range of topics including green hydrogen production via water and seawater electrolysis powered by renewable energy, storage and use of hydrogen for transportation, building, heating and cooking, as well as green synthesis for net-zero chemicals; fuel cells; batteries; water and air pollution control technologies; CO2 utilisation, sequestration and monitoring; multiscale modelling of catalyst materials, interfaces, reaction mechanisms and processes; and life cycle analysis.
Activities we address include but are not limited to:
- Biofuels
- Low-temperature PEM and alkaline fuel cells
- Direct alcohol fuel cells
- Metal-air batteries
- Lithium-ion and hybrid batteries
- Redox flow batteries
- Supercapacitors
- Photo-electro-chemical hydrogen production
- CO2 conversion to liquid fuels
- Production of solar fuels from the reduction of CO2
- Green H2 and electricity from photo and microbial fuel cells, combined with solar detoxification
- Water Detoxification Reuse and Disinfection
- Process Intensification and Photoreaction Engineering
- Filtration
- Fluid Mixing
- Dispersion of nanomaterials in liquids
- Process design and scale-up