Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering

Catalysis Research Group

The Catalysis group, lead by Prof. Puurunen, develops new types of solid heterogeneous catalysts and evaluates their performance, aiming for fundamental understanding and structure-activity relationships.
Catalysis Group picture

Focus areas:

  1. Sustainable catalytic processes from renewable resources
  2. Preparation of solid heterogeneous catalysts e.g. by atomic layer deposition
  3. Characterization of solid heterogeneous catalysts

Catalysts are at the core of chemical industry and are expected to enable a sustainable biobased economy of the future. Catalysts are made self by conventional methods such as impregnation and also by advanced methods such as atomic layer deposition (ALD). Catalysts are characterized for example by adsorption methods (chemisorption, physisorption, temperature-programmed methods), in situ spectroscopy with probe molecules (IR) and activity measurements, also in high-pressure reactors.

The Catalysis group, lead by Prof. Puurunen and founded in 2017, develops new types of solid heterogeneous catalysts and evaluates their performance, aiming for fundamental understanding and structure-activity relationships.

As of October 2020, the group’s project base is formed by the HDN cat project (Neste) for catalytic hydrodenitrogenation, the COOLCAT project for carbon dioxide activation to valuable chemicals (Academy of Finland, introduction in Youtube) and the ALDI project related to atomic layer deposition development (Academy of Finland).

Catalysis group, lab work

Notes on our research group:

The CHEM-E1130 Catalysis course is among our core teaching responsibilities.

The group aims for a healthy, constructively critical research environment that supports the personal development & well-being of all members. The group strives towards more openness in science and teaching.

To learn more of the activities of the group and life at Aalto University, please have a look at our Twitter and Instagram accounts, the recent publications, and the group leader’s blog Catalysis Professor’s Open. Evolving group presentation can be found in this link

Research group members

Ellen Lovisa Järvinen

Research Assistant (preparing for doctoral thesis work)

Muhammad Ossama

Research Assistant

Riikka Puurunen

Associate Professor
T106 Chemical and Metallurgical Eng

For questions, please contact Riikka Puurunen ([email protected]).

Related content:

Teaching Achievement of the Year awarded to lecture recordings

On 12 December, the staff of the School of Chemical Engineering gathered at the Dean's mulled wine event, which has already become a tradition, to enjoy good company and hear the announcements for this year's Achievements in Teaching, Research and Service.

Lauri Partanen ja Riikka Puurunen

Berzelius Prize for Professor Riikka Puurunen

The Swedish Catalysis Society presented the prize to Professor Puurunen in Copenhagen on 27 August 2018.

Riikka Puurunen. Kuva: Erkki Pöytäniemi.

Latest publications:

An atomic layer deposition diffusion-reaction model for porous media with different particle geometries

Niko Heikkinen, Juha Lehtonen, Riikka L. Puurunen 2024 Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

Hydrodeoxygenation and hydrodenitrogenation of n-hexadecanamide over Pt catalysts : effect of the support

Emma Verkama, Sylvia Albersberger, Aitor Arandia, Kristoffer Meinander, Marja Tiitta, Reetta Karinen, Riikka L. Puurunen 2024 Catalysis Science and Technology

Hydrodeoxygenation and hydrodenitrogenation of n-hexadecanamide to n-paraffins: Bimetallic catalysts supported on ceria-zirconia

Emma Verkama, Ellen Järvinen, Sylvia Albersberger, Kristoffer Meinander, Hua Jiang, Marja Tiitta, Reetta Karinen, Riikka L. Puurunen 2024 Applied Catalysis A: General

Zirconia-Supported Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, and Ni Catalysts in the Hydrotreatment of Fatty Amides and Amines

Emma Verkama, Sylvia Albersberger, Kristoffer Meinander, Marja Tiitta, Reetta Karinen, Riikka L. Puurunen 2024 Energy and Fuels

Effect of atomic layer deposited zinc promoter on the activity of copper-on-zirconia catalysts in the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to methanol

Aitor Arandia, Jihong Yim, Hassaan Warraich, Emilia Leppäkangas, René Bes, Aku Lempelto, Lars Gell, Hua Jiang, Kristoffer Meinander, Tiia Viinikainen, Simo Huotari, Karoliina Honkala, Riikka L. Puurunen 2023 Applied Catalysis B: Environmental

Computational fluid dynamics study of the atomic layer deposition process around cylindrical and planar configurations

Gizem Ersavas Isitman, Daulet Izbassarov, Riikka L. Puurunen, Ville Vuorinen 2023 Chemical Engineering Science

Simulation of conformality of ALD growth inside lateral channels: comparison between a diffusion-reaction model and a ballistic transport-reaction model

Jänis Järvilehto, Jorge A. Velasco, Jihong Yim, Christine Gonsalves, Riikka L. Puurunen 2023 Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

Preface to Special Issue of the 19th Nordic Symposium on Catalysis 2022

Riikka Puurunen, Henrik Grénman, Karoliina Honkala 2023 Topics in Catalysis

Special Issue: 19th Nordic Symposium on Catalysis

Riikka Puurunen, Henrik Grénman, Karoliina Honkala 2023 Topics in Catalysis

Competitive Hydrodeoxygenation and Hydrodenitrogenation Reactions in the Hydrotreatment of Fatty Acid and Amine Mixtures

Emma Verkama, Paavo Auvinen, Sylvia Albersberger, Marja Tiitta, Reetta Karinen, Riikka L. Puurunen 2023 Topics in Catalysis
More information on our research in the Aalto research portal.
Research portal
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