Millennium Nucleus on Catalytic Processes towards Sustainable Chemistry, CSC

Oil has been the world´s engine for many decades. However, it is also a non-renewable resource with increasing costs and the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions, a key greenhouse gas that drives global warming.

The Millennium Nucleus on Catalytic Processes towards Sustainable Chemistry (CSC) studies the catalytic transformation of biomass derivatives into value-added products in order to generate a sustainable alternative to oil in the production of liquid fuels and high-value chemicals.

In contrast to oil, biomass is a renewable source of energy, carbon neutral and extensively distributed in forest, agricultural and household waste. For this reason, it is estimated that by 2030, 20% of transport fuel and 35% of chemical products will be produced from biomass.

The Nucleus CSC focuses on generating fundamental knowledge on the use of biomass derivatives as raw materials for the synthesis of oil and chemicals, in order to secure the sustainability of the chemical industry in a context of climate change and global transition towards a resource efficient circular economy.

Our research strategy involves processes of catalytic hydrogenation and partial oxidation. In particular, the synthesis of heterogenous catalysts specially designed, based on oxides, carbides, perovskites, hybrid materials and Metal–organic frameworks (MOF). These catalysts will be evaluated in various catalytic and photocatalytic reactors using different model molecules derived from biomass.

The Nucleus CSC gathers researchers and students from the areas of inorganic, physical and theoretical chemistry, as well as engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, University of Concepción, Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception, Autonomous University of Chile, The CSIC Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry, University of Oklahoma and University of Notre Dame.