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Abstract: In-situ characterization has become an indispensable tool in catalysis research as it allows to link catalyst performance to material changes and establish structure-sensitivity relationships. Magnetometry allows a unique way of monitoring ferromagnetic materials such as cobalt, iron and nickel bearing ones, which are often employed in catalytic materials. UCT, in collaboration with Sasol, has developed a unique in-situ magnetometer which can be operated at fully industrially relevant conditions and give unique insight into changes of crystallite size and phase of the magnetic material. In this lecture the working principles of the magnetometer will be briefly introduced and examples of its application with emphasis on catalyst deactivation will be discussed.

Biography: Professor Claeys obtained his PhD (with distinction) in Fischer-Tropsch catalysis at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1997 and then joined the Catalysis Institute at the University of Cape Town (UCT) as a post-doctoral fellow, then Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor and now full Professor (since 2010). Here he was instrumental in establishing a large research activity with focus on Fischer-Tropsch catalysis, a technology, which lies at the heart of South Africa’s synthetic fuels and chemicals industry and which is playing an increasingly important role in the production of green future fuels via Power-to-X processes. Other research interests include the preparation and characterisation of nano materials and their use in catalytic applications, as well as the development of catalysts and novel instrumentation for characterisation of catalysts at working conditions. Professor Claeys has published extensively on these topics, he holds a number of patents and he has been awarded an A-rating (‘leading international researcher’) by the National Research Foundation of South Africa.   A large portion of his research is conducted in conjunction with industrial partners, in particular a longstanding industrial collaboration with Sasol R&D. Professor Claeys is the Director of the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Catalysis, c*change, a large virtual and multidisciplinary Centre, where he also acts as the Manager of the Scientific Synthesis Gas Programme, which includes processes of catalytic valorization of CO2. This national Centre, which is hosted by UCT, involves 11 higher education institutions in South Africa and supports more than 60 postgraduate students, 15 post-doctoral fellows and some 25 academics and professional researchers. 

Professor Claeys serves/has served on numerous Boards and Committees, including the IACS and EFCATS Councils, the Committee of the Catalysis Society of South Africa (former Chairperson), the Advisory Board of the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis in Dalian, the State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion in Taiyuan, the Natural Gas Conversion Board and the Technical Steering Committee of Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) Catalysis. Moreover, he is an Honorary Visiting Professor of Cardiff University, and he is the founding Chairperson of the Syngas Convention, a triennial international meeting on synthesis gas technologies held in Cape Town.