Projects
Quantification of convective heat and mass transfer of night ventilation to predict the energy performance. KU Leuven
Analysis and utilization of mass and photon transport phenomena in aerosol media KU Leuven
The world is transitioning towards green chemistries and sustainable processes. Playing a key role in many fields, aerosols can facilitate this transition due to their intrinsic properties. In chemical industry, mass transfer limitations are a main concern in reactor design and operation for multiphase reactions. Mass transfer limitations occur when diffusion rate of molecules is slower than reaction rate. These limitations decrease ...
Towards mechanistic understanding of biofilms: understanding the transport phenomena, kinetics and rheology of biofilm formation and morphology. KU Leuven
Biofilms are bacterial communities of cells enclosed in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances. From an engineering perspective, it is intriguing how the bacterial colonies shape their surroundings to provide protection from external influences (mechanical/chemical stress). On the other hand, the biofilm needs to be structured in such way that bacteria can move during its formation and nutrients can reach the bacteria. ...
HYDRAX: Design for innovative smart textile by flow-metric method to detect, characterize, and monitor thermal and mass transfers for firefighters, medical and sports and geotextile applications Ghent University
Elasta produces elastic and non-elastic narrow fabrics. Within that range of products they are constantly striving for new innovetions. In that context there have been several contacts with the Dept. of Textiles of Ghent University. Through this contact Elasta was acquainted with the search for a partner to manufactre a textile-based heat flux sensor. From natural phenomena to industrial applications, phase change plays an important role in ...
Design and Modelling of Photoreactors for Waste Treatment and Purification KU Leuven
Photochemistry is a research field with high potential, promising important future industrial and environmental applications such as pollutant removal, CO2 reduction back to fuel, alternative solar energy storages and novel materials. On the other hand, making these promises feasible and therefore applied, falls within the purpose of photoreactor design branch of chemical engineering science. However, photoreactor design could not yet live up ...
OPTIMA: PrOcess intensification and innovation in olefin ProducTion by Multiscale Analysis and design Ghent University
New manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing have the potential to drastically transform the chemical industry.
Novel, complex, integrated reactor designs can now be created, that will allow to unlock alternative chemical
routes, such as for methane activation. Driven by process intensification and the power of high performance
computing, this project will enhance heat and mass transfer in advanced chemical ...
Imaging and modeling of the microstructure of frozen foods during recrystallization and sublimation: A case study on plant-based products KU Leuven
Recrystallization and sublimation are the main physical phenomena responsible for the degradation of food quality of frozen products along the frozen cold chain. Both phenomena occur slowly at constant temperature over long periods of storage and more pronounced during temperature fluctuations often encountered in the cold chain. Recrystallization is characterised by ice crystal growth which leads to the damaging the tissue structures. ...
Integrated CO2 Capture and Hydrogen production
Catalisti
The current commercial portfolio of CO2 capture systems is dominated on technology platforms that rely on the chemical absorption principle and amines, typically 30 % in aqueous solution, that chemically bind CO2 to form carbamates in the scrubber unit. These carbamate solutions are heated in the stripper column (temperature swing absorption, TSA), where amines are regenerated and sent ...
Multi-scale process intensification and functionality control for reactive extrusion towards sustainable polymer synthesis and recycling. Ghent University
Extruders are the working horse in the polymer processing industry to manufacture final polymeric materials. More recently the interest to employ them as chemical reactors has grown. Reactive extrusion (REX) is already successfully applied for bulk polymerization, and polymer modification such as radical grafting, crosslinking and controlled degradation. The main advantages are (i) the ability to cover highly viscous reaction media both for ...