Tallinn University of Technology

Virumaa College

Table of Contents

Research Groups

Laboratory of Fuels Technology acts as a laboratory of  TalTech Virumaa College Oil Shale Competence Center and is the only one descendant of the wide-ranging scientific activities of the former Institute of Oil Shale.

The area of the laboratory activity: solid and liquid fuels analyses and thermal processing investigations.

The laboratory has got Accreditation Certificate no L059 in the field of liquid and solid fuels analyses. 

Head of the research group: head of laboratory  OLGA PIHL

Read more: Laboratory of Fuel Technology

Head of the research group:

professor ALLAN NIIDU
(phone: +372 5624 1488, allan.niidu@taltech.ee)

Members:

  • Bijan Barghi – PhD student
  • Andrea Casagrande - PhD student
  • Diana Berseneva - PhD student
  • Viktorija Mironova - PhD student
  • Moonika Ferschel – Head of laboratory
  • Anastassia Raag – Chemical engineer
  • Martin Jürisoo – Chemical engineer
  • Tanel Mõistlik – Chemical engineer
  • Estelle Silm – Specialist
  • Jasper Adamson – Specialist

Activities:

Applied chemistry group is engaged in valorisation of CO2 to multicarbon platform chemicals for chemical industry. Additionally, CO2 is used to form porous materials for catalyst and adsorbent production. Produced porous materials are in turn used to extract valuable metals (Ra, Cu, REE-s) from mining tailings or produced water tapping this way into secondary raw materials source for use in magnet and catalyst production and medicine. Solid mining residue is used as an alternative source of porous materials, in this case the produced materials are zeolites and similar structures used as adsorbents or catalysts. Our group is well experienced in characterisation of solid materials via multiple techniques - gas adsorption (specific surface area, pore size distribution), TGA, FTIR and PXRD. In addition to traditional solution phase chemistry our research group is working with mechanochemical induction of various reaction, e.g. in catalyst and adsorbent formation and in catalytical reactions where these catalysts are used.

Recent publications:

  1. Niidu, A. PHENOLS TO PORES TO ADSORPTION: A POTENTIAL ROUTE TOWARDS NEW METHODS FOR EXTRACTING VALUE FROM SHALE OIL SIDE STREAM Oil Shale, 2019, 36(2S), 128-141.
  2. Olga Pihl, Allan Niidu, Nadezda Merkulova, Mihhail Fomitsov, Andres Siirde, Maria Tshepelevitsh, GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHIC DETERMINATION OF SULFUR COMPOUNDS IN THE GASOLINE FRACTIONS OF SHALE OIL AND OIL OBTAINED FROM USED TIRES Oil Shale, 2019, 36(2S), 188-196.
  3. Hernández, J. G.; Halasz, I.; Crawford, D. E.; Krupicka, M.; Baláž, M.; André, V.; Vella-Zarb, L.; Niidu, A.; García, F.; Maini, L.; Colacino, E. European Research in Focus: Mechanochemistry for Sustainable Industry (COST Action MechSustInd ): European Research in Focus: Mechanochemistry for Sustainable Industry (COST Action MechSustInd ). Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2020, 2020 (1), 8–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejoc.201901718.

  4. Parve, J.; Kudryashova, M.; Shalima, T.; Villo, L.; Ferschel, M.; Niidu, A.; Liblikas, I.; Reile, I.; Aav, R.; Gathergood, N.; Vares, L.; Pehk, T.; Parve, O. Stereoselective Synthesis of γ‐(Acyloxy)Carboxylic Acids and γ‐Lactones Features the Switch of Stereopreference of CalB Along Sodium γ‐Hydroxycarboxylate Homologues. European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2023, 26 (3), e202201329. DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202201329

  5. Barghi, Bijan; Jürisoo, Martin ; Volokhova, Maria; Seinberg, Liis; Reile, Indrek; Mikli, Valdek; Niidu, Allan. Process Optimization for Catalytic Oxidation of Dibenzothiophene over UiO-66-NH2 by Using Response Surface Methodology. ACS Omega, 2022, 7 (19), 16288−16297. DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c05965

Academic Development Plan Priorities

  • Synthesis of multicarbon platform chemicals from CO2
  • Synthesis of organic carbonates from carbon dioxide
  • Photocatalysis
  • Synthesis of dicarboxylic acids based on carbon dioxide
  • Sustainable mechanochemical synthesis of framework structures

Projects owned and participated

  • LEVEE20069 Applied research into reduction of sulfur containing compounds in shale oil products.
  • F19044 Valorization of oil shale produkts and widening the scope of activities of Oil Shale Competence Centre.
  • F20057 Startegy of carbon waste utilisation with piloting industriaal symbiosis

Additional activities

Head of the team is active member of COST Action 18112 “Mechanochemistry for sustainable industry” core group and as such, responsible for the industrial relations.

Keywords

Metal-organic framework, CO2 adsorption and utilization (CCSU), heterogeneous catalysis, adsorption, nanomaterials, liquid separation, oil shale as raw material for chemical industry, mechanochemistry.

Projects