Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry

Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry
Name	Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry
Native name	Instituto de Catálisis y Petroquímica
Established	1979
Type	Research institute
Headquarters	Madrid, Spain
Parent organization	Spanish National Research Council

Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry is a Madrid-based research institute focused on catalysis and petrochemistry within the Spanish National Research Council. The institute conducts applied and fundamental investigations that intersect with industrial partners such as Repsol, technical standards from AENOR, and European programs administered by the European Commission. It contributes to projects linked with the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and international collaborations involving organizations like the Max Planck Society and the CNRS.

History

The institute traces origins to research groups active during the later Franco era that cooperated with the Instituto Nacional de Industria, the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, evolving through Spain's accession to the European Union and participation in framework programmes managed by the European Commission and the European Research Council. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s it expanded ties with industrial entities such as Petronor, Técnicas Reunidas, and ENI, while engaging with academic networks including the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, the Universidad de Alcalá, and the Universidad de Zaragoza. In the 21st century the institute integrated contemporary agendas from projects funded by Horizon 2020, ERC grants, and bilateral agreements with institutions like the Max Planck Society, the CNRS, and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.

Research Areas

Research emphasizes heterogeneous catalysis, homogeneous catalysis, and photocatalysis with links to energy conversion topics explored by researchers associated with the European Research Council, the International Energy Agency, and the Joint Research Centre. Work spans Fischer–Tropsch synthesis connected to historical studies such as the Manhattan Project-era process innovations, methanol-to-olefins pathways relevant to Shell and BASF industrial chemistry, and selective oxidation processes tied to Dow Chemical and DuPont reaction engineering. Additional themes include zeolite synthesis resonant with discoveries at the University of California, Berkeley, perovskite catalysis informed by collaborations with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and ionic liquid catalysis overlapping studies from the University of Cambridge. Projects intersect with carbon capture initiatives linked to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, fuel reforming approaches paralleling research at the California Institute of Technology, and green chemistry principles promoted by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Facilities and Infrastructure

Facilities include pilot-scale reactors comparable to those used by research centers at Imperial College London and the Technical University of Munich, surface characterization laboratories equipped with instrumentation similar to setups at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and the Paul Scherrer Institute, and spectroscopy suites drawing on methods used at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids. The institute maintains electron microscopy platforms reflective of standards at the National Center for Electron Microscopy and gas chromatography and mass spectrometry systems akin to those at the Scripps Research Institute. Computational clusters support modeling strategies employed by groups at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center.

Collaborations and Partnerships

The institute sustains partnerships with multinational corporations such as Repsol, Cepsa, and Indra, and with strategic laboratories including the CNRS, the Max Planck Society, and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, while participating in consortia funded by the European Commission, the European Research Council, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. It collaborates with universities including Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and the University of Oxford on joint projects and doctoral training agreements, and engages in technology transfer with entities like CDTI and EUREKA networks. International research links extend to institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the California Institute of Technology, and Tsinghua University through exchange programs and coordinated calls under Horizon Europe.

Education and Training

The institute supervises doctoral candidates enrolled at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad de Alcalá, and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and hosts postdoctoral researchers supported by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and Ramón y Cajal Fellowships. Training activities include short courses and workshops modeled after programs at the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Chemical Society, and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, as well as summer schools in collaboration with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the Institut Pasteur. It contributes to curriculum development for master's programs associated with the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and offers internships coordinated with companies like Repsol and Técnicas Reunidas.

Awards and Recognitions

Researchers affiliated with the institute have received honors and competitive grants from organizations such as the European Research Council, the Spanish Ministry of Science, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the American Chemical Society, and have been presenters at conferences including the International Congress of Catalysis, the American Chemical Society national meetings, and the Gordon Research Conferences. The institute's teams have been acknowledged in national awards administered by the Spanish Ministry of Industry and international prizes linked to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

Category:Research institutes in Spain Category:Catalysis