Description of the institution
Queen’s University Belfast is a public UK university and a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities. In the UK research assessment exercise QUB was recognised as internationally leading in catalysis and materials research. QUB is home of the world’s leading research centre for ionic liquids QUILL, two of the staff of QUILL were in the Thomson Reuters world’s top 100 chemists over the past 11 years as ranked by the impact of their published research.
Role in the project
Extraction from fermentation broths with task specific solvents. JDH has 16 years experience in synthesis and application of designer solvents.
Green Synthesis of new chemical products derived from bio-glycerol. ACM has 17 years experience in chemo and bio-catalysis for green and sustainable transformations.
PCM has 14 years experience in materials methods for improving separations and operation of bio and chemocatalysis; including EU FP-4 project SUPERPRO (1998 – 2001) separation of proteins for biocatalysis.
Key personnel
John D. Holbrey: lecturer; ionic liquids and green solvents. His interests centre on the development and exploitation of new green solvents for the dissolution, extraction and processing of materials. He has extensive experience in designing ionic liquids and aqueous biphasic systems for dissolution and extraction technologies (including processing of cellulosic biomass, desulfurisation of diesel fuels, and removal of mercury from natural gas) highlighted by the award of the US EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (2005) and commercialisation, by PETRONAS, of the HycaPure HgTM ionic liquid process to remove mercury during natural gas production. Ranked #23 chemist in the world on citation impact over the period 2000-2010. Over 100 refereed papers and articles, 15 patents.
Andrew C. Marr: lecturer; green and sustainable chemical transformations. Studying the combination of whole cell catalysis and chemocatalysis in order to achieve the preparation
and isolation of high value products from fermentations. The sustainable chemical transformation of fermentation-derived alcohols, acids and esters are of pivotal importance to the exploitation of bio-renewable feedstocks, and ACM is developing new highly efficient chemical transformations and designing new catalysts that promote reactions including dehydrations, condensations, aminations, amidations and esterifications; UK expert on the exploitation of biomass-based platform chemicals; Gordon Green “Rising Star” 2010; editorial board of PLoS one. 26 publications, 2 patents.
Patricia C. Marr: fellow, 17 years experience in soft matter and gel chemistry; porous hybrid materials for entrapping bio- and chemo-catalysts; technological polymers; sol-gel and organogels; researcher on FP4 SUPERPRO applying polymer, surfactant and supercritical fluid technologies to biological and biocatalytic separations; developed ionic-liquid gel hybrids for catalysis ‘catalytic ionogels’; RCUK invited panel member and EPSRC expert referee for energy and materials. 17 papers.