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

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:

Simulated conformality of atomic layer deposition in lateral channels: the impact of the Knudsen number on the saturation profile characteristics

Christine Gonsalves, Jorge A. Velasco, Jihong Yim, Jänis Järvilehto, Ville Vuorinen, Riikka L. Puurunen 2024 Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

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

Computational insight into the selectivity of γ-valerolactone hydrodeoxygenation over Rh(111) and Ru(0001)

Minttu M. Kauppinen, Ewa N. Słapa, José Luis González Escobedo, Riikka L. Puurunen, Karoliina Honkala 2024 Surface Science

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

Leaching of NMC industrial black mass in the presence of LFP

Yuanmin Zou, Alexander Chernyaev, Muhammad Ossama, Sipi Seisko, Mari Lundström 2024 Scientific Reports
More information on our research in the Aalto research portal.
Research portal
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