Roy Maas
PhD candidate
University of Utrecht
Department
Institute of Sustainable and Circular Chemistry (ISCC)
Contact information
Room
David de Wied building – floor 4, open office
Email address
r.b.maas@uu.nl
Key expertises
Solid acid catalysis, radical-induced hydrocarbon cracking, Electron paramagnetic resonance
About me
As a creative and disciplined researcher, Roy worked his way up from studying Chemistry at Leiden University of Applied Sciences to a PhD position at Utrecht University under supervision of Prof. Dr. ir. Bert Weckhuysen. Along the way, he completed an internship at Uppsala University under Prof. Sascha Ott and, another two internships at Leiden University under Prof. Dr. Sylvestre Bonnet and Dr. Dennis Hetterscheid. The topics of these internships centered around photo-electrochemistry for sustainable fuel production. Roy is driven by his passion for creating a sustainable and circular global economy.
About my research
Chemical recycling of plastic to chemical building blocks is a promising strategy to deal with plastic waste streams. The main challenge is improving the surface contact between the catalyst and the plastic melt in the cracking reaction. In this work as part of ARC CBBC, we investigate the role of radicals in polyolefin cracking and aim to reduce the viscosity and cracking temperature of the plastic with radical initiators. In this research, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) is a cornerstone technique and will provide important information on the nature of the radicals. With the insights gained from this PhD project, plastic recycling will become closer to an industrial standard and plastic waste will become a important feedstock.
Academic career
- Previous education and work experience.
As a creative and disciplined researcher, Roy worked his way up from studying Chemistry at Leiden University of Applied Sciences to a PhD position at Utrecht University under supervision of Prof. Dr. ir. Bert Weckhuysen. Along the way, he conducted an internship at Uppsala University under Prof. Sascha Ott and, another two internships at Leiden University under Prof. Dr. Sylvestre Bonnet and Dr. Dennis Hetterscheid. Roy is driven by his passion for creating a sustainable and circular global economy.
2020-2023: Master degree from the University of Leiden. Graduated with two internships on small molecule catalysis: one on electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction and the other on photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under Dr. Dennis Hetterscheid and Prof. Dr. Sylvestre Bonnet, respectively.
2015-2019: Bachelor degree from Leiden University of Applied Sciences. Graduated with a 10-month internship at Uppsala University under Prof. Dr. Sascha Ott on redox-active Metal-Organic frameworks
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