Ina Vollmer
Assistant professor
Utrecht University
Department
Chemistry
Contact information
Room
David de Wiedgebouw 4.84
Email address
i.vollmer@uu.nl
Key expertises
plastic recycling, chemical recycling, depolymerization, heterogeneous catalysis, spectroscopy
About me
Dr. Vollmer studied process engineering at Hamburg University of Applied Science (BSc., 2013) and chemical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MSc., 2015). In her PhD, she researched the aromatization reaction of methane over metal on zeolites with Prof. Freek Kapteijn and Prof. Jorge Gascon with a short stay at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (PhD, 2019). After a two-year postdoc Utrecht University and she started a tenure track position in 2021.About my research
Unfortunately, only 12 % (by weight) of plastic packaging is recycled globally, mainly because the predominantly applied recycling technique of melting and re-extrusion produces a lower quality plastic. Chemical pathways could turn plastic waste into valuable chemical building blocks like aromatics, monomers or surfactants. Ina Vollmer works on such strategies, especially for polyethylene and polypropylene packaging, because of their dominance and the challenges in converting them to high purity products. This involves using catalysts to lower energy demand and improve product purity as well as novel strategies via mechano-catalysis, using mechanical force to break chemical bonds at low temperatures, and photo-assisted routes. The idea to use mechano-catalysis to facilitate low temperature conversion was awarded with a Veni and an ENW XS grant.Academic career
Tenure track
Since 2021: Tenure track assistant professor in the group of Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis at Utrecht University, the Netherlands
Postdoctoral experience
2019- 2021: Postdoctoral research fellow in the group of Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Under the supervision of Prof. B.M. Weckhuysen
Early Stage Researcher
2018-2019: PhD degree in the group of Catalysis Engineering at Delft University of Technology, under the supervision of Prof. F. Kapteijn and Prof. J. Gascon.
Awards and scientific honors
Robert Karl Grasselli Award (2020), presented to Italian researchers under the age of 37 who have made exceptional contribution to gas phase catalysis.
Eni Young Researcher of the Year Award (2019), annually awarded to 2 Ph.D. research theses, defended in Italian Universities, addressing the topics of action against pollution and climate warming, rehabilitation and reuse of industrial sites and energy storage, production, and efficiency.
Adolfo Parmaliana Award (2017) and Doctoral Thesis Award “EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste” (2017).
VENI Grant (2020), project title: “Robust nickel catalysts for cleaner hydrogen production”. CERIC Grant, distributed research facility program (2015). INPS PhD Scholarship (2014). CNR Research Grant (2013).
Publications
Unravelling Potential Reaction Intermediates during Catalytic Pyrolysis of Polypropylene with Microscopy and Spectroscopy
I. Vollmer, M.J.F. Jenks, S. Rejman, F. Meirer, A. Gurinov, M. Baldus, and B.M. Weckhuysen
Green Additives in Chitosan-based Bioplastic Films: Long-term Stability Assessment and Aging Effects
K.B. Schnabl, L.D.B. Mandemaker, Y. Ganjkhanlou, I. Vollmer, and B.M. Weckhuysen
Transport limitations in polyolefin cracking at the single catalyst particle level
S. Rejman, I. Vollmer, M.J. Werny, E.T.C. Vogt, F. Meirer, and B.M. Weckhuysen
Conduction Band Tuning by Controlled Alloying of Fe into Cs2AgBiBr6 Double Perovskite Powders
H.J. Jöbsis, K. Fykouras, J.W.C. Reinders, J. van Katwijk, J.M. Dorresteijn, T. Arens, I. Vollmer, L.A. Muscarella, L. Leppert, and E.M. Hutter
Green Additives in Chitosan-based Bioplastic Films: Physical, Mechanical, and Chemical Properties
K.B. Schnabl, L.D.B. Mandemaker, K.G.J. Nierop, O.V.B. Deen, D.D. Eefting, I. Vollmer, and B.M. Weckhuysen