Utrecht University Orders Avantium's Flowrence Technology

    AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, March 03, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Utrecht University and Avantium announced the deployment of Avantium's Flowrence technology for the research of synthesis gas conversion at the department of Inorganic Chemistry & Catalysis of Professor Krijn de Jong and Professor Bert Weckhuysen.

Tom van Aken (CEO Avantium):"We are very proud to collaborate with Utrecht University. Their groundbreaking research and leading position in the area of catalysis is valued highly in the international catalysis community."

Professor Krijn de Jong comments:"Conversion of Synthesis gas requires nanostructured catalysts with control over particle size and particle distribution in order to arrive at more active, selective and stable performance. We will use the parallel fixed bed 16-reactor based on Avantium's Flowrence technology to further accelerate our fundamental studies on catalyst performance related to catalyst structure.

The ability to test multiple catalysts in parallel, either as powder or extrudates, will enable the researchers to increase output and accelerate catalyst research, life time studies and kinetic modeling work. We based our choice for the Flowrence technology on Avantium's wide experience in trickle-flow applications as well as syngas chemistry."

About Utrecht University
The inorganic chemistry and catalysis group constitutes a large interdisciplinary research team involved in teaching and research on solid-gas, solid-liquid, and solid-solid surface chemistry and spectroscopy. The group has gained international recognition, envisages being a centre of excellence for research and teaching of inorganic chemistry and heterogeneous catalysis at Utrecht University and promotes catalysis research at European and international levels. The group is active in many aspects of heterogeneous catalysis. For more information about Utrecht University, visit the corporate website: www.uu.nl or www.anorg.chem.uu.nl.

About Flowrence Technology
Avantium's latest FlowrenceTM technology platform enables customers to accurately evaluate crushed catalysts and extrudates quickly at 0.2 - 1 ml scale, correlating perfectly with micro reactor and pilot plant. The parallel fixed-bed technology based on FlowrenceTM technology has proven to be leading for refinery, syngas, green chemistry and many other applications. Broad knowledge of these applications at Avantium together with the smart design guarantees high utilization of the equipment in R&D labs all over the world.

About Avantium
Avantium is an independent leading technology company specialized in the area of advanced catalysis R&D and process development. Avantium has demonstrated the value and commercial potential of its unique technology and knowledge by collaborating worldwide with leading companies and institutes in the energy and chemical industries. In over 10 years Avantium has built up a global customer base for its successful R&D services and systems offering, including market leaders such as BP, Shell, IFPEN and Sasol. Avantium offices and headquarters are based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

For more information about Avantium, please contact Janine Kostermann Dohmen at +31 20 5868132, [email protected], or visit the corporate website: www.avantium.com

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