April 16, 11:15–11:45, University Auditorium UA5
A popular scientific lecture by an international researcher on research at VSB–Technical University of Ostrava (the lecture will be in English)
Speaker: Dr. Malayil Gopalan Sibi, originally from India, currently works as an individual fellow under the Marie Curie Sklodowska Postdoctoral fellowship (MSCA-2023-PF-01) and as a researcher in the Materials-Envi Lab at the Nanotechnology Centre of the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET), VSB–Technical University of Ostrava, under the supervision of Prof. Radek Zbořil.
His research focuses on the Biomass Derived Sustainable fuels and chemicals (Bio2SAF – Biomass-derived Sustainable Fuels by cascade Condensation and hydrodeoxygenation on single atom catalysts.)
Efforts have traditionally concentrated on the use of organic carbon as bioenergy, to produce chemicals and fuels. In the past decade, technologies have been developed to recover high-value commodities from renewable feedstocks. Simultaneously, innovative heterogeneous catalytic processes have been proposed to produce chemicals that can be immediately reused from the biowaste to facilitate a renewable future. Presently he focuses on the synthesis of vanillin, one of the most valuable chemicals in industry.
Vanillin is highly important in industry due to its wide range of applications, especially as a flavoring and fragrance agent. It is widely used in the food industry to create a vanilla flavor in products such as ice cream, chocolate, and baked goods, offering an affordable alternative to natural vanilla. In the cosmetics and perfume industry, vanillin contributes a pleasant scent and helps stabilize fragrances. Moreover, it plays a role in the pharmaceutical sector by masking unpleasant tastes in medicines and improving patient acceptance.
In addition to these applications, vanillin also serves as an intermediate in the chemical industry for the production of various compounds. Its versatility, availability, and high demand make it a valuable industrial compound. This research breakthrough helps industry to develop new methods for vanillin synthesis and understand the importance of heterogeneous catalysts in the large-scale production of chemicals from renewable resources.
Sibi Malayil Gopalan gratefully acknowledges the support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe project Bio2SAF (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01: 101151653). Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
