New doctoral thesis at the University of Lille

On 1 October, a new researcher, Ahmad ABO RAJAB, began a PhD thesis at the University of Lille as part of the CleanAirBouw project. The whole team welcomes him!

Funding: 50% U Lille, 50% Interreg CleanAirBouw

His research will focus on advanced spectroscopic studies of simple and mixed manganese oxides to better understand the catalytic mechanisms involved in the total oxidation of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

Thesis supervisors : Jean-François Lamonier (PR ULille, UCCS), Eric Marceau (MCF ULille, UCCS)

Supervisor : Asma Tougerti (MCF ULille, UCCS)

To find out more about this project :

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) present in the air represent a major public health problem, responsible for numerous respiratory pathologies. The aim of this thesis is to study the catalysis mechanisms involved in the total oxidation of VOCs using manganese and copper oxides, with a view to replacing noble metal catalysts, which are critical resources, with more economical and sustainable catalysts.

This thesis will be divided into three main areas. The first will focus on the synthesis of manganese- and copper-based catalyst materials, exploring the optimum conditions for obtaining the desired structures. The second area will be devoted to evaluating the performance of the various oxides, in terms of activity, selectivity and durability, by means of catalytic tests. This stage will enable us to select the most promising materials, which will then undergo in-depth physico-chemical characterization. Finally, the third stage will focus on the use of advanced characterization techniques such as operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy with excitation modulation, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy under near-ambient pressure, and energy-resolved XAS spectroscopy using partial fluorescence detection. The aim will be to identify the active species present on the catalysts and to gain a better understanding of the synergy between copper and manganese.