The array of state-of-the-art equipment and facilities operated by competent researchers avails an excellent opportunity to carry out various chemical analysis, physical experiments, and process simulations to derive useful information necessary for guiding decision-making in process design and optimization.
The Gas Chromatography (GC) is used to isolate the chemical components of a gas sample mixture and then detect them to ascertain their presence or absence, as well as how much of each component is present. With the addition of an ECD, trace amounts of electron-absorbing species can also be detected. The GC-ECD machines in CETRI include the Agilent Technologies 6890 Series.
Temperature Programmed Reduction, Desorption, and Oxidation (TPR/TPD/TPO) is used to investigate the events that take place at the surface of a solid material while its temperature is changed in a controlled manner, in order to characterize the solid material utilized in a heterogeneous catalytic reaction. At CETRI, we are capable of providing five flow methods of analysis: three temperature-programmed analyses (TPR, TPO and TPD), pulse titration, and physisorption (BET surface area) for maximum flexibility. With a specially designed high-temperature furnace, combined with software control, this equipment ensures linear heating ramps for reliable temperature programmed analysis (TPA) profiles and activation energy calculations. The unique sample cell holder permits both in-situ monitoring of sample temperature and sampling of multiple gas mixtures.
Gas chromatography is a commonly used analytical method for determining the chemical components of a mixture by heating them and eluting them via columns. To be studied, chemicals must be able to vaporize without decomposition under the pressure and temperature of the GC. The FID works by detecting ions that are produced during the combustion of organic compounds in a gas. At CETRI, our GC-FID is the HP 7683 series.
The photochemical reactor is used to carry out a photochemical reaction, water splitting, and photochlorination reaction in the presence of photon and a catalyst. At CETRI, our photochemical reactor complete setup includes triple jacketed immersion well, medium and high-pressure mercury lamp, lamp power supply, a chiller for cold water circulation, safety cabinet, and magnetic stirrer. Our Techinstro photochemical reactor allows up to 1200oC of operating temperature and has three ports for inlet and outlet water circulation while the inner well holds the UV lamp.
The Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) is used to isolate the chemical components of a gas sample mixture and then detect them to ascertain their presence or absence, as well as how much of each component is present. In combination with Mass Spectrometry, it is used for measuring the mass-to-charge ratio of one or more molecules present in a sample, which is also useful in estimating the molecular weights of the sample components. At CETRI our GC-MS is GC-2010 plus model of the Shimadzu Mandel brand of the GC-MS.
Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) is used to separate ions and molecules based on their size charge and electrophoretic mobility with the use of an applied voltage. At CETRI, our The HP 3DCE system is equipped with a UV-VIS DAD with a range from 200 to 600 nm. The HP 3DCE system has a complete pneumatic system, enabling automated flushing of capillaries and replenishment of buffer vials.
High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) equipment is used for separating a mixture of compounds in order to identify, quantify or purify the individual components of the mixture. At CETRI our HPLC is the Agilent 1100 Series with a mass range of 2-3000 amu and mass accuracy of +/- 0.13 u within the calibrated mass range in scan mode.
Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (SEM-EDS) is used for providing detailed high-resolution images of the sample by rastering a focused electron beam across the surface and detecting secondary or backscattered electron signal. The elemental analysis of surfaces in SEM is performed using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), which measures the energy and intensity distribution of X-ray signals generated by the electron beam striking the surface of the specimen.
The X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) is a rapid analytical technique that can provide information on unit cell dimensions and is primarily used for phase identification of crystalline materials and to determine the crystallographic structure of a material. The analyzed material is finely ground, homogenized, and the bulk composition is calculated on an average basis. At CETRI, our XRD machine is the D8 Discover model of the Bruker brand of XRD.
The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a very powerful instrument for the identification of chemical composition and the determination of molecular structures of different compounds. At CETRI, our Oxford NMR is a 900MHz equipment that allows for the study of various nuclei, including 1H, 13C, and 31P, amongst others.
Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy is used to characterize organic, polymeric, and inorganic materials. At CETRI, solid catalyst samples are analyzed using our Bruker Quinox 55 FTIR spectrometer under reaction conditions for gas-phase reactions. It gives vibrational information about chemically bonded surface reaction intermediates, which can reveal catalytic reaction mechanisms. Further, this device is also capable of analyzing samples via diffuse reflectance (DRIFTS) for when diffusive vs. absorptive infrared analysis is desirable.
Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) is used to study the response of different materials while exposed to variable temperature and gas environment. At CETRI, our Shimadzu TGA-50 provides insights into various physical phenomena, including the phase transition absorption, desorption, e.t.c., as well as chemical phenomena such as chemisorption, calcination, oxidation, and reduction.
The 3Flex is one of the most advanced material surface characterization instruments in the field of catalysis. It has become an indispensable tool for obtaining high-resolution adsorption and desorption isotherms, which can be used to advance and verify fundamental understanding in the creation of methodologies and process improvements. At CETRI our Micrometric 3Flex system is operated in both the Physisorption and Chemisorption modes and enables the determination of the catalyst’s Surface area, Mesopore, Micropore, Static Chemisorption, Dynamic Chemisorption, Heat of adsorption, and Vapor adsorption.
Dryers and thermal evaporators are used to remove the moisture and water content from samples being analyzed. This allows for the micro-fabrication of macro-scale products such as metallized plastic film. When high temperatures are required, muffle furnaces allow samples to be held at as high as 800°C (e.g. in sample calcination). At CETRI, we have a number of dryers and evaporators with wide thermal ranges, along with a ThermoFisher Muffle Furnace for high-temperature applications.
For catalytic screening and kinetic studies of different solid catalysts for gas phase reactions, isothermal fixed bed flow reactors are used as laboratory scale reactors. On the other hand, solid catalysts are normally studied in batch reactors in the presence of both gaseous and liquid reactants. These reactors are used to bring catalysts through their paces for the first time and evaluate their efficiency. At CETRI we have a number of fixed-bed and batch gas flow reactors set up on different rig for different experimental setups.
The Hydraulic Press is designed to compact homogeneous power into a usable pellet sample. At CETRI, our full-size 25-ton (22.7 metric ton) Carver® hydraulic laboratory pellet press that accepts 13 mm, 31 mm, 35 mm, and 40 mm pellet die sets. Manually controlled. Ideal for pressing sample pellets for XRF, IR, and other analytical techniques.
The Microviscometer measures the friction experienced by a single particle undergoing diffusion because of its interaction with its environment at the micrometer length scale. At CETRI, our Lovis 2000 M/ME is a rolling-ball viscometer which measures the rolling time of a ball through transparent and opaque liquids based on Hoeppler’s falling ball principle. The instrument is mainly used for viscosity measurements of low viscous liquids for R&D applications. A measurement with Lovis 2000 M/ME can yield dynamic viscosity, intrinsic viscosity, molar mass of a polymer and more.
Our density meter uses the Pulsed Excitation Method developed by Anton Paar, delivering the most stable density results available and resulting in unmatched measuring performance. Our Anton Paar 4500 M digital density meters for liquids, with premium new software and hardware, have a 2x quicker CPU, an 8x quicker OS, and deliver 4-digit results in ultra-fast mode in ~20 secs.
At CETRI, our Bio Rad benchtop shaking incubator has dual functions: incubation of liquid cultures with shaking up from 20–300 rpm, incubation of culture plates with the Petri Dish Shelf accessory and continuous temperature control and/or shaking of any liquid up to 4 liters. Our Benchtop Shaking Incubator can accommodate either 16 x 125 ml, 9 x 250 ml, 5 x 500 ml, 4 x 1,000 ml flasks, or test tube racks. The wide temperature and shaking ranges make it suitable for a variety of experimental applications and research fields.
