30th Rudolf Chaudoire Prize Awarded

Dr. Marion Börnhorst has been a group leader at the Chair of Reaction Engineering and Catalysis in the Department of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering since 2022, having previously studied chemical engineering at TU Dortmund University and earned her doctoral degree at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). To successively replace fossil energy sources and advance environmentally friendly production in the chemical industry, scientists must develop key technologies that are efficient and sustainable. That is why Dr. Börnhorst is conducting research into catalytic multiphase reactors and developing structured catalysts. Here, she is primarily studying those processes in chemical reactors in which gases, liquids and solids react with each other, as well as examining how heat and substances are exchanged between the phases and how the reactions taking place can be made more efficient.

Her research focuses on new types of catalyst support structures: If a reactor wall has a structured surface, for example, a larger amount of carbon dioxide can be absorbed into a solvent. The technology could be used, on the one hand, to capture CO₂ directly from the ambient air and, on the other hand, facilitate better emission control in energy-intensive industrial processes. In addition, Dr. Marion Börnhorst is exploring how, in the context of electrification, microwaves rather than fossil fuels can be used to heat reactors: The microwaves could heat only the solids inside the reactor while the surrounding reaction medium remains cool. This would mean a substantial increase in efficiency. What’s more, this electrical variant would make it possible to switch the reactor on and off quickly and on the button, in this way improving process control.

Prize enables research stays abroad

Dr. Börnhorst will use the prize money to fund a one-month research stay with Professor Dionisios Vlachos at the University of Delaware in the USA in March 2026. Professor Vlachos is among the leading experts in multiphase reaction engineering and processes, multiscale modeling, and the electrification of chemical reactors. Dr. Börnhorst would like to explore the potential of structured catalysts for the electrification of chemical (multiphase) reactors with him. To this end, they have already planned to conduct measurements together in the laboratories there.

Professor Manfred Bayer, President of TU Dortmund University, and Dr. Gert Fischer, member of the board of the Rudolf Chaudoire Foundation, gave the welcome addresses at the award ceremony of the meanwhile 30^th Rudolf Chaudoire Prize. Professor Nele McElvany, Vice President Research at TU Dortmund University, introduced the prizewinner. Professor Norbert Kockmann, Dean of the Department of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering, spoke about new approaches to environmental protection and the circular economy, and positioned Dr. Börnhorst’s research in this overarching context. He also commended the prizewinner’s commitment to supporting early career researchers in the network “Nachwuchs Reaktionstechnik” (NaWuReT), among her other activities. The musical backdrop for the evening was provided by the HBahneros.

Rudolf Chaudoire Foundation

The Rudolf Chaudoire Foundation was established through the bequest of Rudolf Chaudoire, an industrialist from the Ruhr region. Supporting vocational training for young people was a matter close to his heart. Since 1995, the foundation has made generous funding available on a regular basis, the proceeds of which are used to award the annual Rudolf Chaudoire Prize for Early Career Researchers at TU Dortmund University. The purpose of the prize, which has so far been awarded to 60 researchers from TU Dortmund University, is to support research projects abroad.

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