UGent: Industrial Catalysis and Adsorption Technology (INCAT)

General expertise of the research group

The Industrial Catalysis and Adsorption Technology research group (INCAT) focuses mainly on the development of catalysts and adsorbents with a strong focus on renewable resources and environmental management. This involves the catalytic conversion of biomass-derived streams, their upgrading and separation into useful chemicals, with a strong application-oriented goal. This goal is pursued by the many running research projects in collaboration with consortium and industrial partners, including smaller and middle-sized companies in the broader chemical industry.

• Heterogeneous catalysis
• Membrane technologies
• Separation technologies
• Separation and membrane technologies not elsewhere classified
• (Waste)water treatment processes

Specific hydrogen- related expertise & research topics

• Catalyzed sodium borohydride hydrolysis (NaBH4 as storage for hydrogen)

Available equipment/tools:

• Reactors
• Catalyst synthesis
• Characterization

International collaborations:

• H2Fuel: www.H2-fuel.nl
• Bilateral projects with H2CiF, H2Fuel

Main relevant publications

1. B. Van Vaerenbergh, J. Lauwaert, P. Vermeir, J. Thybaut, and J. De Clercq, “Towards highperformance heterogeneous palladium nanoparticle catalysts for sustainable liquid-phase reactions,” REACTION CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING, vol. 5, no. 9, pp. 1556–1618, 2020.