Cambridge Centre for Carbon Reduction in Chemical Technologies (C4T)
The C4T team in Singapore represents a dynamic partnership between some of the world-leading scientists and engineers at the University of Cambridge, Nanyang Technological University, and the National University of Singapore.
C4T answers the question of how to positively contribute to Singapore’s ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change while ensuring the country’s progress and prowess in economic, technological, environmental and social dimensions. Phase 2 was designed to leverage skilled human resources, cutting-edge scientific research, and the vibrant enterprise demonstrated in Phase 1. Phase 2 systematically investigated the raw materials, processes, and products of the local chemical industry and investigated technologies to lower the carbon footprint of this major pillar of Singapore’s economy.
The first 5 years of Phase 2 were divided into six key areas known as Interdisciplinary Research Projects until October 2023 (see italicised font below for more details). Since November 2023, C4T has entered a new phase of impact-focused projects:
| Project | PI(s) | Project Title |
| CN1 | Prof Markus KRAFT Prof Epaminondas MASTORAKOS Assoc Prof Liya YU |
Air pollutant measurements with aerial devices |
| CN2 | Asst Prof Wen LIU (Paul) Asst Prof Tej CHOKSI |
Integrated carbon capture and conversion – from fundamental understanding to hypothesis-driven synthesis of high performance dual functional materials |
| CN3 | Prof Epaminondas MASTORAKOS | Lifecycle and system-level studies of marine decarbonisation |
| CN5 | Prof Markus KRAFT Prof Rong XU |
Introducing automated derivation and synthesis of high value molecules |
| CN8 | Prof Markus KRAFT Assoc Prof Wenming YANG |
Introducing new hydrogen-rich town gas to the residential and commercial cooking sectors |
| CN9 | Prof Epaminondas MASTORAKOS Prof Markus KRAFT |
Dispersion modelling and air quality changes by switching to new marine fuels |
| CN10 | Prof Ning YAN Prof Alexei LAPKIN |
Discovery and design of low-carbon routes to functional molecules |
| CN11 | Prof Alexei LAPKIN | A database of bio-waste and bio-renewable feedstocks linked with chemical reactions prediction |
| CN12 | Prof Markus KRAFT Prof Rong XU |
Dehydrogenation of alternative liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC) |
| CN13 | Prof Markus KRAFT Prof Rong XU |
Conversion of CO2 to useful chemicals |
| CN14 | Prof Epaminondas MASTORAKOS | Alternative marine fuel engine modelling |
| CN15 | Prof Adrian FISHER Asst Prof Sui ZHANG Prof Zhichuan XU (Jason) |
Advanced low carbon manufacturing technologies for localised disinfectant production, using novel electrode-membrane architectures |
| CN16 | Prof Alessandro ROMAGNOLI | Thermodynamics and process analysis of novel systems using the “cold energy” of liquid hydrogen to provide cooling needs and produce electricity |
| CN17 | Prof S VISWANATHAN | Extend internal carbon tax work to develop carbon pricing policy insights for Singapore |
| CN23 | Prof Markus KRAFT | Introducing next generation laboratory |
| CN24 | Prof Markus KRAFT | Developing the Automated Lab of the Future |
| CN25 | Dr Nicholas JOSE | An accelerated manufacturing platform for engineered nanomaterials |
| CN26 | Prof Zhichuan XU (Jason) Prof Adrian FISHER |
New electrosynthesis routes for production of organic acids, e.g., oxalic, lactic, benzoic |
C4T sits at the heart of Singapore’s global research and development hub and paves the way for a prosperous, energy-efficient, low-emission eco-city. The scientific techniques, the technologies, the toolkits and most importantly the learning gained through the programme will help assess the techno-economic role of both current (commercial) and novel (R&D stage) technology routes in decarbonising the chemicals and energy sector, whilst simultaneously enriching the talent pool in Singapore by training the next generation of scientists and engineers, supplemented with international expertise and an innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem.
This research is supported by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme.
_ _ _ _ _
C4T Phase 2 IRPs:
IRP 1: Sustainable reaction engineering for carbon neutral industry
IRP 2: Electrosynthetic pathways for advanced low-carbon chemical manufacturing
IRP 3: Combustion for cleaner fuels and better catalysts
IRP 4: Better, cleaner heat usage
IRP BB: Better business – pathways to industrial decarbonisation
IRP JPS: The J-Park Simulator
The Story of C4T
Before 2013
The University of Cambridge start discussing how to leverage more international collaborations for various streams of research in arts, humanities, biological sciences, medicine and physical sciences, engineering and technology.
Prof Dame Lynn Gladden, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Research at the time, was part of the initial discussions with Prof Lam Khin Yong (NTU), Prof Barry Halliwell (NUS), and the National Research Foundation, on how Cambridge could make the most of partnerships with local Singaporean universities.
2013
• The C4T programme starts in response to NRF’s call for research programmes under the new CREATE initiative
• CARES is formed as Cambridge’s first overseas research centre. A first for Cambridge, an educational institution over 800 years old!
2013
Prof Markus Kraft, a celebrated combustion scientist, is appointed as the Founding Director of CARES.
This lends to the initial CARES research having a strong focus in decarbonisation, with Prof Kraft’s research investigating new flame-based synthesis routes influencing a large part of the combustion lab. This early footprint allowed the HYCOMBS programme to leverage the infrastructure and resources of C4T to get a headstart in 2024.
2014
Dr Liu Wen (Paul) joins the catalyst research group in C4T as a Senior Research Fellow. He will later gain appointment as an Assistant Professor at NTU and rejoin C4T as a Principal Investigator.
In a full-circle moment, one of Paul’s PhD students, Lek Hong Lim (Lex) will become a Research Fellow in the SM3 programme evaluating how techno-economic assessments can be made easier for the chemical industry to make decisions on adopting novel processes and new technologies.
2014
Prof Markus Kraft’s vision using knowledge graph technology to create an avatar of the world started in 2014 with creating a model of the industrial processes and resulting carbon emissions on Jurong Island.
This would eventually develop into The World Avatar, a novel digital twinning concept, scalable to various what-if scenarios from materials discovery to city planning.
2015
CARES employees have thus far been hosted in Nanyang Technological University. This year sees CARES employees finally moving into the CREATE offices. Our very first PhD student, Janusz Sikorski, joins us in Singapore, kickstarting a successful pipeline of PhD students who will spend 2 years in Cambridge and 2 years in Singapore.
C4T will eventually host 47 PhD graduates. 1 PhD student from this scheme, Dr Tan Yong Ren, has returned to CARES and is now a key researcher in the project management of HYCOMBS.
2015
Prof Alexei Lapkin joins the C4T programme as a Principal Investigator, bringing expertise in sustainable reaction engineering. His group’s work in chemical network analysis will eventually shape the research themes and goals of the SM3 programme, which analyses alternative routes for chemical reactions using non-fossil fuel sources.
2016
The first experiments start in the newly constructed CARES lab. The length of the C4T project allows time for fundamental research, such as analysing the process of converting small-molecule alcohols into value-added products while producing hydrogen.
The now-patented electrolyser technology will be highly promising for producing hydrogen with high purity and minimal emissions in a decentralised model, particularly once green corridors for importing biomass derivatives and ammonia into Singapore have been established.
2017
Dr Nicholas Jose submits his first technology disclosure for the design of an automated production line for nanoparticles. It would not be for another 3 more years until Dr Jose co-founded the spin-off, Accelerated Materials, with Prof Alexei Lapkin and his colleague, Dr Mikhail Kovalev, building on this initial work in his PhD.
Accelerated Materials has been a stellar example of transitioning from the lab to industrial-scale production, especially with its recent seed funding award.
2018
Prof Epaminondas Mastorakos joins the C4T programme as a Principal Investigator to provide a stronger understanding of flame behaviour in gas turbines and diesel engines.
The C4T research establishes connections with local agencies such as the Maritime & Port Authority, and raises the presence of CARES’s research on new low-carbon fuels. With Singapore sitting at an intersection of research, policy, and business opportunities, the group finds new opportunities to grow with the HYCOMBS programme.
2020
Despite the pandemic slowing many research and public engagement activities, Dr Zhen Guo successfully formed a new CARES spin-off, Chemical Data Intelligence (CDI), with Prof Alexei Lapkin.
CDI harnesses the power of chemical data to develop software solutions for clients exploring production changes in synthesis planning, environmental impact assessments, and product design. CDI will eventually contribute its database and expertise to SM3 in 2024 and offers a pathway to commercialisation for the programme’s future outputs.
2022
Researchers using The World Avatar find new insights that switching the UK’s electricity grid from gas entirely to heat pumps increases fuel heating costs disparately across the UK, and more households could be below the poverty line after paying their heating bills. The paper was later cited in an independent report commissioned by the EU’s research & innovation system, advising that new technological interventions may have indirect social impacts.
The benefit of incorporating The World Avatar into continuing projects is clear in its integration with the HD4 programme, where it can combine diverse information from different places and time scales, allowing us to see how environmental factors change and affect people over time.
2023
It was an incredibly active year for CARES, especially with events ramping up after the pandemic.
In that year, C4T hosts 10 visiting scientists, 13 seminars and events, the first CARES drone demonstration in Singapore, and collaborates with the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore for the world’s first ship-to-containership methanol bunkering operation.
2023
CARES celebrates a decade of C4T in Singapore with researchers, collaborators, and industry partners from over the years; welcoming over 200 guests for a public scientific showcase and an evening reception at the British High Commissioner’s Residence.
We initiate several campaigns with our central office in Cambridge to produce an article and a paired video on Cambridge’s social media, amassing over 45,000 views on LinkedIn within a week!
2024/5
• C4T’s strong foundation places HYCOMBS and SM3 as strong frontrunners, and we are delighted to secure two projects when NRF announces its commitment of SGD$90m for nine new decarbonisation projects in July 2024. By the end of 2024, with the official announcement of the HD4 programme, CARES can finally look ahead to plan for the future, with several exciting activities already happening in 2025.
• The impact of C4T through our public engagements in 2023 has refreshed connections with our central office. In 2025, we invited a Research Communications expert from Cambridge to conduct a training workshop with our researchers, and we worked closely with Gates Cambridge Trust to conduct their first international round of scholarship interviews in Singapore.
C4T in numbers
Fundamental Research
730+ research papers with a H-index of 106
to date
See the list of C4T
publications here
Technology Development
34
invention disclosures
20
patent filings
4
licenses
The nature of C4T has been an incredible long-term opportunity for research to take shape, and not a common occurrence in the research world, one which we wholeheartedly acknowledge the National Research Foundation in Singapore for investing their time and resources into CARES. As we close the chapter on C4T and ramp up our new projects, we give thanks to all our staff, collaborators, and partners for continuously supporting us since we first stepped foot into this incredible city-state in 2013.
