The Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals

The Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals CAS

ICPF is one of six institutes constituting the Section of Chemical Sciences of the Czech Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and it serves as a centre for fundamental and subsequent applied research in chemical engineering, organic synthesis and catalysis, and in technologies for protection of the environment.

This multidisciplinary character represents a major advantage in undertaking large and complex projects and for cooperation with external subjects including industrial enterprises and the state administration.

The institute was established with effect from 1 January 1960 from the Department of Organic Technology of the Chemical Institute of CSAS and the Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of CSAS. Its original name was the Institute of Theoretical Fundamentals of Chemical Technology of CSAS; the current name was adopted with effect from 1 July 1993. The institute became a public research institution from 1 January 2007 pursuant to Act No. 341/2005 Coll.

The Department of Aerosols Chemistry and Physics deals mainly with behaviour of atmospheric aerosols, indoor aerosols, engineering of composite nanoparticles by aerosol technology, kinetics of nucleation and growth of atmospheric systems, or with also emission sampling of aerosol particles at higher pressures and temperatures.

Within the EUSAAR/ACTRIS European projects standardization of measurement of atmospheric aerosols is brought to a qualitative new level. Data collected allow inclusion of the effect of aerosols into the meteorological forecasting models to improve their predictions and serve also as a basis for modelling the effects of aerosols to climate.

The long-term aerosol programme at the Košetice National Atmospheric Observatory was launched by on-line measurements of aerosol particle size distribution within the EUSAAR European project. Simultaneously, aerosol sampling was installed to filters for determination of chemical composition of aerosols within the EUSAAR, EUCAARI, ACTRIS and ACTRIS-2 European projects and also within some Czech research projects.

Expansion of new aerosol technologies at the Košetice station comprises development of a prototype of the HTDMA spectrometer for studying hygroscopic aerosols which was installed at the station during three projects. Recent activities at the Košetice National Atmospheric Observatory are further supported by analytical equipment installed in the Prague laboratory, namely: analysers of organic and elemental carbon, advanced equipment for analysis of water-soluble substances, and aerosol mass spectrometer for on-line study of aerosol composition comprising on-line determination of size-differentiated chemical composition.

The laboratory has also available a wide range of other equipment for sampling of aerosols.

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