Halocycles aims at developing disruptive concepts for a circular economy revolving around halogenated organic compounds. To achieve these ambitious goals, Halocycles brings together a diverse group of researchers with expertise spanning from materials design and organic electrosynthesis to inorganic and macromolecular chemistry, analytics, toxicology, chemical engineering, and economics. Our team is centred in Rhineland-Palatinate with major hubs at Mainz (Johannes Gutenberg University and Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research) as well as Kaiserslautern (RPTU and Leibniz-Institute for Composite materials). Halocycles will collaborate with industrial partners who bring additional expertise and economic interests to the field of electrosynthetic dehalogenation chemistry.
In the fields of materials design and materials chemistry, Halocycles will develop new classes of electrodes and electrode modification which are suitable to catalyse selective dehalogenation reactions while withstanding the harsh conditions expected during these processes.
In the fields of organic electrosynthesis and electrocatalysis, Halocycles will develop new approaches to combine electrodes, redox mediators, and reactors to allow the batch or continuously operated dehalogenated of industrially important halogenated compounds.
Novel analytical tools using machine learning algorithms will be employed to interpret spectroscopic data from complex feed-streams or product mixtures.
Halocycles will utilise advanced concepts from chemical engineering to design pilot reactors to facilitate upscaling of the most promising processes developed.
Delhalogenated product streams generated in Halocycles will be studied for further upcycling and use in industrially relevant processes.
Toxicological analyses of important intermediates or products will allow assessment of possible fields of usage or limitations of use.
Energetic and economic considerations relating to the use of the processes developed to buffer fluctuations in the electricity grid will be undertaken.
In sum, Halocycles will bring together expertise in natural sciences, engineering, and economics to provide new answers on how to deal with persistent halogenated organic compounds leading up to a circular economic model for these important industrial materials. Halocycles will establish means for efficient use of feedstocks with recycling and upcycling, so that CO2-neutral processing of halogenated compounds becomes possible.