6 EC
Semester 1, period 3
5254HECA6Y
The lectures will cover in detail methods for catalyst preparation, characterisation (surface and spectroscopic methods) and application, with illustrations from current industrial processes. We will focus on practical aspects, petrochemistry and the synthesis of bulk chemicals, which make up more than 90% by volume of the chemical industry worldwide. Special attention will be given to zeolites and other solid acids and bases, as well as to structure/activity relationships and mechanisms of gas/solid and liquid/solid catalytic reactions.
The lectures will be interspaced with a work assignment in which groups of students will be assigned a case study of an industrial catalytic process. They will prepare a short written overview of the chemistry and the industrial implications, as well as a 15-minute presentation.
The course will include several guest lectures on specialised subjects: Fuel cells, Spectroscopy, Industrial catalyst design, Scale-up, Reactor design, and Industrial catalysis R&D.
G. Rothenberg, 'Catalysis: Concepts and Green Applications' 2nd edition, (mainly Chapter 4 and parts of Chapter 1), Wiley-VCH, 2017, ISBN 978-3-527-34305-8.
Gaining in-depth knowledge on the synthesis, characterisation and main industrial applications of solid catalysts, as well as the challenges that face researchers in the field today.
Lectures and self-study, group work assignment in writing plus presentation.
Activity | Number of hours |
Zelfstudie | 168 |
The programme does not have requirements concerning attendance (OER-B).
| Item and weight | Details | Remarks |
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Final grade | ||
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20% Group written assignment plus presentation | All members of a given group receive the same score. It is up to the group members themselves to organise and divide the workload for preparing the written assignment and the presentation. | |
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70% Final written exam | The final exam tests your knowledge and understanding of heterogeneous catalysis. You may use only paper, pen/pencil and a calculator. Several exam papers from previous years are available on Bb, you are encouraged to try and solve those. | |
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10% Attendance and participation in lectures | Active participation in lectures is an important part of this MSc course. The course alternates between frontal lectures and self-study sessions | |
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70% Final written exam |
The exam tests not only what people remember but also what they understand about real-life problem solving in catalysis (see also the test matrix above). Exams from previous years are available on Blackboard/Canvas and students are strongly encouraged to try and solve these in order to test their own preparedness.
The lectures are interactive and encourage student participation, with questions and discussion.
A report prepared by a group of students (typically 4-6 students per group) dealing with a pertinent problem in heterogeneous catalysis, often with an industrial application. This report is delivered by each group in writing at the end of the course.
A short presentation of 15-20 min followed by a public discussion of the subject challenge (same as the report) by the groups during a symposium at the end of the course.
The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl
The content of the lectures varies per week, but in general the course covers in weeks 1 and 2 catalyst synthesis and characterisation and in weeks 3 and 4 industrial applications and case studies. Guest lectures are interspaced throughout the course (mostly on Fridays but also on other days depending on the availability of the lecturers). Several of the lecturers are industrial experts whose lectures are highly prized by the students, but it also means that we have to fix each year the times according to the lecturers' busy agendas.
The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.