Researcher Arno Förster from the Department of Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences wins TKI Green Chemistry funding to reduce the energy-demand by chemical industries. This funding is provided by the Topsector ChemistryNL.
Current computational methods for studying how metals catalyse chemical reactions are either time-consuming and inaccurate or accurate but slow. Through a partnership with the Amsterdam-based company SCM, Arno Förster will develop a more efficient computer algorithm which aims to bridge the gap between speed and accuracy – a project about so-called heterogenous catalysis.
Arno Förster explains:
“Heterogeneous catalysis can lower energy demand by enabling chemical reactions to proceed more efficiently at lower temperatures, reducing the energy required for industrial processes like fuel production and chemical synthesis.
Research on improved catalysis can profit from computational modellings, but the presently available algorithm are often not accurate enough. The development of a novel and efficient algorithm will enable researchers to improve energy efficiency, support cleaner technologies, and help transition to sustainable energy systems with reduced reliance on fossil fuels.”
Go-to-contact for public-private partnerships at VU
Paul de Vries, from IXA-GO, helped the project in the partnering and proposal preparation process If you are interested in any future opportunities within ChemistryNL, or some of the other Topsectoren, feel free to reach out to Paul de Vries: p.m.de.vries@vu.nl