Projects

Researching the use of VR and AR technologies, integrated with available flowsheet simulators and chemical databases, for the design of immersive games and exercises focused on the deep understanding of the concepts and applications of process intensification technologies, particularly multi-functional reactors an hybrid separators, using the well-known Eastman Chemical methyl acetate production process as reference.

The PhD student working on 'Playing process intensification with alternative energy forms' investigates the potential of applying an immersion-based approach in the development of intensified chemical processes using external energy forms. Existing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models with their associated databases (e.g., COMSOL Multiphysics with Acoustic, Wave Optics, CRE and CFD modules) are studied and used as the chemical technology ...

This study focuses on the solvent switch process used in pharma industry. This stochastic process has an excessive amount of parameters and poses a very difficult optimization case. AI tools, namely deep learning algorithms are going to be employed to manage all these parameters based on yield and energy efficiency.

Maize is an important staple food and feed crop widely grown in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the yield of maize is often below the best yield that can be obtained on-farm with current technology. Specifically in Nigeria, the average yield of maize was 1.8 tons/ha in 2014 compared to the world average of 5.6 tons/ha which indicates a maize yield gap of 3.8 tons/ha. Thus, there is the need for intensification of maize production through ...

The main motivation of this PhD research project is to identify the effect of alternative energy sources like ultrasound and microwave in existing, specialty processes. The use of alternative energy sources could lead to more robust processes, decreasing the dependency on the current energy sources. At the same time, the alternative energy forms can act as enablers assisting the transition from batch to continuous processing. The focus will ...

In the last decade ultrasound has been gaining popularity as an active method of improving mixing in micro structured devices. In most cases this is achieved by making use of an ultrasonic bath. But this method is accompanied by different disadvantages such as dissipation of power in the liquid medium, inhomogeneous ultrasonic field, non-reproducibility and dependence of the performance on the dimensions and type of the ultrasonic bath used. ...

The European chemical industry faces some very serious challenges if it is to retain its competitive position in the global economy. The new industries setting up in Asia and the Near East are based on novel process-intensification concepts, leaving Europe desperately searching for a competitive edge. The transition from batch to continuous micro- and milliflow processing is essential to ensure a future for the European fine-chemicals and ...

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 ...

The PhD project concerns the design optimization as well as manufacturing of porous reactors with the use of 3D-printing. In particular, the project includes the characterization of hydrodynamics, interfacial mass and heat transfer and reaction yields in porous reactors and these efforts are believed that will contribute to process intensification.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now applied successfully to a number of disciplines including chemical engineering. With the help of AI, it is possible to predict an optimal chemical process unit as well as to obtain the optimal factors of the chemical process unit based on the existing data sources. This thesis uses AI methods, such as artificial neural networks to predict the optimal conditions of chemical processes and to give accurate ...