Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals


Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i. is one of the six institutes belonging to the ASCR chemical sciences section and is a research centre in a variety of fields such as chemistry, biochemistry, catalysis and environment.
Its research topics include multiphase reaction systems for the design of chemical synthesis chemical processes and new materials development, energetics and protection of environment. Its national and international reputation is ascertained by its participation in EU financed research projects, such as or . The project was evaluated to belong to 20 best projects of the 6th Frame Programme.

History

The institute was founded at the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1960 and, from its beginning, was intended to be a multidisciplinary research institution.
Its founder and first director, Professor Vladimír Bažant, was a chemical technologist with a broad perspective who valued modern concepts without which development of new processes would not be possible. This led him to invite Professor George L. Standart, a chemical engineer and a US native, who paved the way for the development of chemical engineering in the former Czechoslovakia in the 1950s and 60s. Chemical engineering research could not be done without a solid base in physical chemistry. This field of research was brought into the institute by the arrival in 1964 of Professor Eduard Hála and his team of physical chemists to the newly built site in the Prague suburban area of Suchdol-Lysolaje.
Gradually new branches of chemical engineering and chemical technology research were being developed such as reaction engineering, homogeneous catalysis, studies of Non-Newtonian fluids, sublimation, separation processes, dynamics and control of chemical systems etc. Most of these new topics were introduced as necessary support to a large and long-term project of development of a complete production technology of terephthalic acid a polyesters.
In 1989 several restructurings had been carried out that lead to a gradual decrease of staff by 50%. The research was rationalized into today's institute's structure.

Present

The institute of chemical process fundamentals research activities currently include the theory of chemical processes especially in chemical engineering, physical chemistry, chemical technology and environmental engineering.

Main research activities

Management

  1. Department of Membrane Separation Processes - Head: Ing. Pavel Izák, Ph.D., DSc.
  2. Department of Aerosols Chemistry and Physics - Head: Dr. Ing. Vladimír Ždímal
  3. Department of Catalysis and Reaction Engineering - Head: Ing. Olga Šolcová, CSc.
  4. Department of Multiphase Reactors - Head: Doc. Ing. Marek Růžička, CSc.
  5. Department of Analytical Chemistry - Head: Ing. Jan Sýkora, Ph.D.
  6. Department of Environmental Engineering - Head: Ing. Michal Šyc, Ph.D.
  7. Department of Molecular and Mesoscopic Modelling - Head: prof. Ing. Lísal Martin, DSc.
  8. Department of Laser Chemistry - Head: RNDr. Radek Fajgar, CSc.
  9. Department of Advanced Materials and Organic Synthesis - Head: Ing. Jan Storch, Ph.D.
  10. Department of Bioorganic Compounds and Nanocomposites - Head: Ing. Tomáš Strašák, Ph.D.

    Supervisory board

Postgraduate studies are accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic for mutual programmes of ICPF and all the faculties of ICT Prague and other faculties of Czech universities in the following fields:
ICPF research teams are currently working on dozens of interesting basic and applied scientific projects financed both from national and foreign resources. Selected topics in the following list show the broadness and multi-disciplinarity of the research carried out in the institute's laboratories: