Prof. Guangru Zhang
College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, China
Title: Catalytic Membrane Reactors for CO2 Splitting
Abstract:
The catalytic splitting of CO₂ into CO and O₂ is an attractive pathway for carbon-neutral energy conversion but remains challenged by poor reaction kinetics and thermodynamic equilibrium constraints. Catalytic membrane reactors provide a unique platform to address these limitations through the integration of catalytic reaction and selective oxygen separation.
This presentation focuses on perovskite-based mixed ionic–electronic conducting oxides as multifunctional materials that simultaneously enable oxygen transport and catalytic CO₂ activation. Strategies including composition engineering and surface reconstruction are employed to enhance catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability. Furthermore, advanced membrane architectures such as hollow-fiber and multichannel designs facilitate efficient reaction–separation coupling, enabling continuous oxygen extraction and equilibrium shifting for enhanced CO₂ conversion.
The combination of catalyst design and process intensification offers new opportunities for high-efficiency CO₂ utilization and provides a promising route toward industrial implementation of catalytic membrane reactor technologies.
Biography:
Prof. Guangru Zhang is a Professor at the College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, China. He is a recipient of the National High-Level Young Talent Program (Ministry of Education of China), Chief Scientist of the Young Scientists Project under the National Key R&D Program of China, Academic Leader of the Qinglan Project of Jiangsu Province, and Taishan Industrial Leading Talent of Shandong Province.
His research focuses on membrane separation and membrane catalysis. He has led more than 10 national and provincial research projects, including the Young Scientists Project of the National Key R&D Program of China and Key Projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Prof. Zhang has published more than 60 SCI-indexed papers in leading international journals, including Energy & Environmental Science, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Journal of Membrane Science, and AIChE Journal. He holds 6 granted Chinese invention patents and contributed to the second edition of the Membrane Technology Handbook.