Young Researchers Driving Innovation: Kevin Bürner

As part of WASTE2H2’s mission to develop innovative pathways for sustainable hydrogen production, three PhD students are actively contributing to the project’s scientific and technological progress.

Working across different work packages and institutions, they bring fresh perspectives, energy, and dedication to key areas such as plastic valorization, catalytic systems, and process optimization.

Through this series, we introduce their research focus, challenges, and personal insights as they help shape the future of green hydrogen.

How do you think your participation in the WASTE2H2 can influence your PhD work, in terms of research focus, methodology, resources, and scientific career development?

Being part of the EU-funded WASTE2H2 project has been a great opportunity for me as a PhD student. Working in such a large, multinational consortium, is a very rewarding experience. Collaborating with people from different backgrounds and areas of expertise on a challenging topic like hydrogen production from waste plastics has really helped me grow. The scale of the project means there are a lot of resources available, both in terms of infrastructure and knowledge, and this has been invaluable for my research and personal development.

What is your specific role within WASTE2H project, and how does it contribute to the overall goals of the consortium?

My specific role in the project is focused on testing the catalytic system and analyzing the results. I’m responsible for testing and screening active catalyst systems under various conditions, particularly looking at their chemical and thermal stability and the ability to crack plastic waste into hydrogen. These experiments are conducted in batch using conventional heating. The knowledge we gather from this work is crucial, as it will be used to design and operate of our final goal—a microwave-assisted heated continuous reactor for polymer cracking.

How do you collaborate with other partners/work packages, and how do you coordinate your work with them?

Collaboration is a big part of the WASTE2H2-project. Because the catalyst performance is strongly influenced by the presence of ionic liquids, I work closely with almost all scientific work packages and project partners. We coordinate through bi-weekly consortium meetings, as well as dedicated meetings with our team at FAU. These regular check-ins ensure we stay aligned and allow us to share results and troubleshoot challenges together.

How is your role evolving as the project progresses, and what are your learnings from the responsibilities you take on?

As the project progresses, my role is naturally evolving. I’ve taken on more responsibility in planning experiments and interpreting results, and I’m becoming more confident in contributing to the wider scientific discussion within the team. It’s been a valuable learning curve—understanding how my work connects to the broader system and how we all contribute to achieving the same goal.

What challenges or difficulties do you currently face in your role within WASTE2H2 project, and how are you addressing them?

One of the main challenges I’m currently facing is the stability of the ionic liquids under the reaction conditions we’re testing. This is a crucial part of the system, and instability here can affect the whole catalytic process. We’re actively working on improving the design of the catalyst system to overcome this, and I’m proud to be contributing to a potential solution for turning plastic waste into clean hydrogen.