Pedro Castano

Principal Investigator (PI)

Professor

Current

Location:

Building 3, Level 4, Office 4274

Social Profile:

Biography

Pedro Castano is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), within the Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) division and KAUST Catalysis Platform, leading the Multiscale Reaction Engineering (MuRE) group. He earned his PhD from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) in 2006, followed by postdoctoral research (2007–2009) at TUDelft. He was a Ramón y Cajal fellow (2009-2013) and Associate Professor (2013–2019) at UPV/EHU before joining KAUST in 2019.

Research Interests

MuRE research focuses on engineering advanced catalytic reaction systems that harness the power of surfaces, pores, heat, microorganisms, electrons, and photons to accelerate and make more efficient chemical transformations. Our research integrates experimental and computational methods to advance catalytic reaction engineering at multiple scales, from molecular interactions to reactor-scale processes. These processes address the energy transition and sustainability challenges: decarbonization, circularity, process intensification, hydrogen, waste valorization, pollutant removal, etc.

Selected Publications

  • Alabdullah , M., Rodriguez Gomez, A., Shoinkhorova, T., Dikhtiarenko, A., Chowdhury, A.D., Hita, I., Vittenet, J., Sarathy , S.M., Castaño, P., Bendjeriou-Sedjarari, A, Abou-Hamad, E., Zhang, W., Ali, O., Morales-Osorio, I., Xu, W., Gascon, J., One Step Conversion of Crude Oil to Light Olefins using a Multi-Zone Reactor, Nat. Catal., 4 (2021) 233-241. DOI: 10.1038/s41929-021-00580-7.
  • Ochoa, A., Aramburu, B., Valle, B., Resasco, D.E., Bilbao, J., Gayubo, A.G., Castaño, P., Role of Oxygenates and Effect of Operating Conditions in the Deactivation of a Ni Supported Catalyst During the Steam Reforming of Bio-oil, Green Chem., 19 (2017) 4315-4333. DOI: 10.1039/C7GC01432E. 
  • Hita, I., Arabiourrutia, M., Olazar, M., Bilbao, J., Arandes, J.M., Castaño, P., Opportunities and Barriers for Producing High Quality Fuels from the Pyrolysis of Scrap Tires, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., 16 (2016) 745-759. DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2015.11.081.
  • Albo, J., Alvarez-Guerra, M., Castaño, P., Irabien, A., Towards the Electrochemical Conversion of Carbon Dioxide into Methanol, Green Chem., 17 (2015) 2304-2324. DOI: 10.1039/C4GC02453B.
  • Valle, B., Castaño, P., Olazar, M., Bilbao, J., Gayubo, A.G., Deactivating Species in the Transformation of Crude Bio-Oil with Methanol into Hydrocarbons on a HZSM-5 Catalyst, J. Catal., 285 (2012) 304-314. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcat.2011.10.004. 
  • Van Herk, D., Castaño, P., Makkee, M., Moulijn, J.A., Kreutzer, M.T., Catalyst Testing in a Multiple-Parallel, Gas-Liquid, Powder-Packed Bed Microreactor. Appl. Catal. A, Gen., 365 (2009) 199-206. DOI: 10.1016/j.apcata.2009.06.010.

Education

  • Postdoc, Delft University of Technology (TUDelft), 2007-2009
  • PhD, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 2006
  • MSc, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 2004
  • BSc, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 2002

Professional Profile

  • Associate Professor, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), 2019-2025
  • Associate Professor, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 2013-2019
  • Assistant Professor (Ramon y Cajal Researcher), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 2009-2013
  • Volunteer Teacher, Vocational Training School of Diogo Vaz (São Tomé and Principe, Africa). http://stpenergy.blogspot.com/  
  • Research Assistant,  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2001
  • Research Assistant, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2000

Scientific and Professional Membership

Awards

  • I&EC Early Career Fellow Award of the American chemical society (ACS), Industrial & Engineering Chemistry (I&EC) Division (April 2020)
  • Young Researcher Medal in Chemical Engineering, Royal Academy of Engineering (RAING), Madrid (November 2018).
  • Young Researcher Award, Spanish National Association of Chemists and Chemical Engineers (ANQUE), Madrid (June 2014).
 

KAUST Affiliations