ITU SENTEK

Within the scope of the “ITU Synthetic Gas Fuels R&D Center Project” (2016 K12-2846), supported by the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Strategy and Budget Directorate (SBB) and led by Prof. Dr. Hasan Can Okutan, advanced research infrastructures have been established in the Laboratory Block of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the ITU Faculty of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering. The center, which was established under this project and has been operating as the “ITU Synthetic Fuels and Chemicals Technology Center (ITU-SENTEK)” since December 2021, hosts advanced research facilities focused on gasification, pyrolysis, syngas production and cleaning, adsorbent materials, catalyst engineering, membrane-based gas separation, carbon dioxide capture and utilization, green hydrogen, and sustainable synthetic fuel production.

As of today, the Center is equipped with pilot and semi-pilot scale systems operating at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 4–6, and it stands as one of the few integrated technological research infrastructures in Türkiye structured at this scale.

The laboratories established within the Center have reached the capability to conduct applied research and development as well as technology validation activities in line with Türkiye’s green transition, carbon reduction, and sustainable energy and synthetic fuel production goals from waste and biomass. In this respect, the Center serves as a strategic research platform that provides infrastructure support for both national R&D projects and international consortia.

ITU SENTEK operates within a multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder structure, bringing together faculty members and researchers from Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, as well as Chemistry and Energy fields. The Center also enables undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students, along with early-career researchers, to actively participate in applied R&D projects.

Over the past four years, more than 30 research projects—some completed and others ongoing—have been supported by TÜBİTAK (1001, 1003, 1004, 2221, 2232-B, and bilateral cooperation programs), Horizon Europe, as well as public and private sector funding sources. Through these projects, the Center has met the demand for expert and technical personnel in its laboratories, facilitated numerous master’s and doctoral theses, contributed to the development of qualified human resources, enhanced publication performance, and established strong collaborations with industry.