| Project Id
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BITSRMIT024B001207
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| Project Detail
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| Project Title
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Catalytic membrane reactor for onboard hydrogen production and separation from liquid biofuels (e.g., ethanol and butanol).
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| Senior Supervision Team (BITS)
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| Supervisor name and Title
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Prof. Bhanu Vardhan Reddy Kuncharam
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School or Department (or company, if applicable)
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BITS PILANI, PILANI CAMPUS
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|
|
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Email ID
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bhanu.vardhan@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in
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| URL for more info
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https://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/pilani/bhanu-vardhan-reddy-kuncharam/
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| a) Are you currently supervising a BITS or RMIT HDR student?
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YES
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| Please comment how many you are supervising
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2
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| b) Have you supervised an offshore candidate before?
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NO
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| If no, what support structures do you have in place?
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|
| If yes, please elaborate
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N
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| Senior Supervision Team (RMIT)
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| Supervisor name and Title
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Prof. Ken Chiang
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School or Department (or company, if applicable)
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STEM
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|
|
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Email ID
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ken.chiang@rmit.edu.au
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| URL for more info
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https://www.rmit.edu.au/contact/staff-contacts/academic-staff/c/chiang-dr-ken
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| a) Are you currently supervising a BITS or RMIT HDR student?
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YES
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| Please comment how many you are supervising
|
14
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| b) Have you supervised an offshore candidate before?
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NO
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| If no, what support structures do you have in place?
|
|
| If yes, please elaborate
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| Other Supervisors (BITS)
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| Supervisor name and Title
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Prof. Satyapaul A. Singh
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School or Department (or company, if applicable)
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BITS PILANI, HYDERABAD CAMPUS
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| Phone Number (Optional)
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8762774508
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Email ID
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satyapaul@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in
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| URL for more info
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https://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/hyderabad/satyapaul-singh-amarthaluri/
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| Other Supervisors (BITS)
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| Supervisor name and Title
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Prof. Kalpit Shah
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School or Department (or company, if applicable)
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STEM
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| Phone Number (Optional)
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399251109
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Email ID
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kalpit.shah@rmit.edu.au
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| URL for more info
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https://www.rmit.edu.au/contact/staff-contacts/academic-staff/s/shah-kalpit
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| Field of Research (For Codes)
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| 400408 | Reaction engineering (excl. nuclear reactions) | 40.00 |
| 400409 | Separation technologies | 20.00 |
| 401807 | Nanomaterials | 40.00 |
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| Project Description
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|
Hydrogen is a critical commodity chemical in various industrial applications such as ammonia production, petrochemical processing, metallurgical processing, and electronics manufacturing. Hydrogen is a clean energy source for energy production in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. There is considerable interest in renewable and sustainable hydrogen production. Towards this end, hydrogen can be produced by reforming liquid fuels such as bioethanol or butanol, which are renewable, biodegradable, easy to transport, and low toxicity, and can be produced from the fermentation of agricultural waste products. Bioethanol reforming produces hydrogen and by-products such as carbon dioxide, methane, and carbon monoxide. Therefore, there is a need for the separation of hydrogen from the reformate gas mixture. At large-scale or industrially pressure swing adsorption (PSA), cryogenic distillation is used. However, at a portable scale, membrane systems are more attractive given the continuous operation, low capital costs, and lower energy consumption. Membrane systems can be used as separate unit operations or in tandem with the catalytic reactor (catalytic membrane reactor) and employ permselective materials such as palladium or its alloys for selective separation. Catalytic membrane reactors (CMR) are attractive since they integrate the reaction and separation in a single unit, thus overcoming the thermodynamic equilibrium conversion. This project aims to develop catalyst systems for ethanol/butanol reforming and then incorporate permselective materials for simultaneous hydrogen production and separation. The catalyst and membrane will be integrated either by tubular or hollow fiber structure for a small form factor and portable applications. The project objectives are (i) Synthesis and testing of catalyst for ethanol/butanol reforming, (ii) Development of novel mixed matrix membrane materials for separation of hydrogen from the ethanol reforming, (iii) Fabrication of tubular or hollow fiber structures for integration of ethanol/butanol reforming and simultaneous hydrogen separation, and (iv) techno-economic analysis of the integrated system for hydrogen production and separation.
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| Project Deliverable/Outcomes
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Sustainable hydrogen production is of great importance to achieving clean energy. The project outcomes align with sustainable development goals (SDG-7 affordable and clean energy). The project will have impact on several sectors such as agricultural sector (where income can be generated for waste products), energy sector (portable and clean energy sources), and gas separation industry (contribution to the knowledge of membrane based hydrogen separation). The project deliverables are, (i) a catalyst system for ethanol/butanol reforming, (ii) mixed matrix membrane materials for high flux hydrogen separation, (iii) integration of catalyst and membrane system in small form factor such as tubular or hollow fibers, and (iv) a comprehensive techno economic analysis of the integrated system.
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| Research Impact Themes
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| SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT
| CIRCULAR ECONOMY, CLIMATE CHANGE AND DECREASED URBAN POLLUTION |
| SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT
| CLEAN ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES |
| ADVANCED MATERIALS, MANUFACTURING AND FABRICATION | NOVEL MATERIALS |
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| Which RMIT Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) does your project align to
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AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
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| Which RMIT Enabling Impact Platform (EIP) does your project align to
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SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES AND SYSTEMS PLATFORM
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| Which RMIT Program code will this project sit under?
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DR217 (CHEMICAL)
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| Student Capabilities and Qualifications
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Experimental oriented, trouble shooter, analytical, communication skills, problem solving, analytically minded
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Familiarity with material synthesis, basic knowledge on material characterization techniques, background knowledge on membrane separation
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MSc or MTech
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| Preferred discipline of Student
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| Chemical Engineering, Production Engineering, Thermal Eng, Separation Tech, Reaction Engineering, Powder and Particle Technology |
| Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Coputational Chemistry, Colloids, Surface Chemistry, Catalysis |
| Materials Engineering |
| Materials Science |
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