Accessibility statement

Facilities

 ‌‌GCCE building

The Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence (GCCE) houses state-of-the-art laboratories and a bespoke Industrial Engagement Facility, part-funded by the ERDF, with a capacity of over 100 personnel.

Our dedicated research facilities include both extensive state of the art analytical instruments and a number of specialised reactors utilising latest developments in reactor technology. The GCCE has state-of-the-art equipment for microwave chemistry, supercritical fluid extraction, preparation and characterisation of biomaterials and heterogeneous catalysts as well as small molecule identification. 

The Green Chemistry Group has strong collaborations with a number of other research centres giving it access to a wider range of analytical and laboratory equipment. The Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC) is a joint venture between the GCCE and its sister organisation in the Department of Biology, the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP). The BDC has larger scale versions of equipment used in the GCCE including a 10 litre CO2 extractor/reactor, 30 Kgh-1 microwave processor, associated large scale chemistry equipment and pre-treatment facilities such as maceration, milling, fibre explosion and pelletisation.

Analytical Facilities

The GCCE has access to extensive analytical facilities in our laboratory as well as in the Department of Chemistry and throughout the whole University. These facilities include a wide range of instruments which enable a variety of measurements and test for fully comprehensive characterisation of compounds and processes:

  • X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy
  • UV-visible Spectroscopy
  • Thermal Analysis
  • IR Spectroscopy
  • Porosimetry
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
  • High Performance Liquid Chromatography
  • Gas Chromatography
  • Mass spectrometry
  • Powder and crystal X-ray diffraction
  • TGA-MS

Specialist Reactors

The design and operation of chemical reactors are vital elements in every manufacturing process. The design process governs the efficiency and performance of a reactor and as such is an important aspect of chemical engineering which can contribute to lower energy costs and lower amounts of waste. The GCCE explores the use of novel reaction technology to benefit reaction efficiency through improved yields and material utilisation and minimised energy consumption. We have a number of specialist reactors, including:

  • High pressure reactor
  • Supercritical carbon dioxide reactor
  • Microwave reactor
  • Membrane reactor
  • Multipoint reactor