UNN joins a consortium to produce carboxylic acids from petrochemical raw materials
Based on the results of an expert review by the Russian Academy of Sciences, the project "Medium- and small-scale production of valuable products from cheap and available raw materials using modern catalytic methods" was declared the winner of the grant competition for major scientific projects of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation in 2024. The funding over three years will amount to 300 million roubles.
This interdisciplinary project will be implemented by a consortium of leading Russian universities and research institutes: Lomonosov Moscow State University, Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Chemical Physics Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Research Institute of Chemistry of Lobachevsky University.
"It is remarkable that representatives of the Nizhny Novgorod region will be part of such a strong team, which will be engaged in scientific research of great applied importance. This work will be useful in the future for our core industrial sector, one of the strongest in the country," said Gleb Nikitin, Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region.
The aim of the experts in the field of petrochemistry, homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis and photocatalysis, organic synthesis, high-molecular compounds, membrane processes and materials, chemical technology is to develop rational and energy-saving catalytic methods for the synthesis of valuable aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids, cyclic and linear carbonates and polymers on their basis from cheap and available petrochemical raw materials and carbon dioxide.
"The consortium will have to bring advanced fundamental research into real production, and this will be the main task of UNN scientists, who have extensive experience in implementing technological and engineering tasks, including those related to the processing of carbon dioxide", said Andrey Vorotyntsev, project leader from Lobachevsky University, head of the laboratory at the UNN Research Institute of Chemistry.
He added that the project will be based on the results of the work that Lobachevsky University started in 2023 together with its partners: JSC Itkul Distillery, Real Invest Group of Companies, and Mendeleev Russian Chemical Technology University.
According to UNN Rector Oleg Trofimov, the fact that our scientists have joined the consortium of leading research organisations and won the competition organised by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science demonstrates the University's leadership in the field of chemistry.
"Research and development in the field of chemistry is an absolute priority and one of the three strategic focus areas of Nizhny Novgorod State University, and we rely on this as a participant of the Priority 2030 programme. This work should result in launching the production of new materials for the chemical and microelectronic industries," emphasised Oleg Trofimov.
