Dr Theodoros Papalas

Thodoris' research interests include chemical reaction engineering and process intensification, targeting to the development of novel materials and processes for heavy industry decarbonisation, high-value chemicals production and energy storage. During his PhD thesis, Thodoris focused on the carbonate looping technology and its application for the decrease of the carbon footprint of cement manufacturing, the intensification of natural gas reforming for high-purity H2 production and the demonstration of integrated CO2 capture and utilization. His experimental work consisted of the synthesis of CO2 capture materials and oxygen carriers/catalysts and the in-depth investigation of their activity under fixed or fluidised bed reactor experiments. His work is complemented with detailed thermodynamic and exergy analysis, process design, technoeconomics and life-cycle assessment of intensified CO2 capture processes. In his current study as postdoctoral researcher, Thodoris focuses on the sustainable use of ammonia as an energy vector. Despite the absence of carbon emissions, harnessing the hydrogen and energy content of ammonia can lead to the generation of NOx emissions, posing significant environmental challenges. Through his research, Theodoros aims to identify and optimise selective catalytic reduction technologies to deal with NOx emissions, thereby promoting the use of ammonia as a green energy source.