Announcement - Special Issue: 'Advances in Bioprocess Intensification' for Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification
Submissions opening on 1st October 2020; final submission deadline of 31st January 2021


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  Dr Fernando Russo Abegao
PhD (University of Chambridge)

Teaching Fellow
 
     
 

My research focuses on catalysis and reaction engineering. My main interest is in gaining a fundamental understanding of the synthesis processes for catalytic materials. In particular, my aim is to understand the interplay between flow, heat and mass transport, and chemical reaction, and how we can control these phenomena in order to obtain optimal catalysts. I am a member of the Process Intensification Group and I work on applications of catalysis to chemical and thermochemical upgrade of biomass into biorenewable chemicals and fuels, and on the integrated design of catalysis and reactors for these applications.

 

Previously, I did build up an extensive background in industrial catalysis. I have worked at Johnson Matthey as a Process Development Engineer. During that time I have investigated catalyst manufacturing processes and I helped to develop a new generation of manufacturing methods. I also worked as a Research Scientist and Senior Research Scientist, mainly developing and designing Platinum Group Metal catalysts for several chemical, petrochemical and biorenewable applications.

 

During my PhD at the University of Cambridge, I developed Magnetic Resonance techniques for non-invasive tomography imaging and spectroscopic measurements of chemical composition and temperature in catalytic reactors. These techniques were then employed in operando studies of interactions between hydrodynamics, heat and mass transport, and chemical reactions at industrially relevant hydrodynamic conditions of operation. Hot-stops formation was investigated and liquid-solid mass transfer coefficients were measured by direct quantification of the intra- and inter-particle liquid composition.

 

I am also a member of the Pedagogical Research in Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials group.

 

Research Interests

1. Biorefining

2. Biofuels

3. Biorenewable Chemicals

4. Catalysis

5. Catalyst Synthesis

6. Green Chemistry

7. Reaction Engineering

 

Current Projects

  1. A Novel Approach Combining High-Throughput and Modelling Methods for Accelerated Rational Catalyst Development with Application to Conversion of Biomass Waste into Biorenewable Fuels and Chemicals - Project funded by the Institute for Sustainability

  2. Integrated Process for Conversion of CO2 into Value-added Product, and Simultaneous Production of Biodiesel without Waste Glycerol by-product - Project funded by the Institute for Sustainability.

  3. Process Intensification of Biodiesel Production from Microalgae - SHARE sandpit award funded by the SuperGen Bioenergy Hub.

  4. Improving Teaching Effectiveness in Chemical Engineering Education.

 
 

Contact details

Email: fernando.russo-abegao@ncl.ac.uk

Tel: +44 191 208 6677

 

 

 

 Last modified: 10-Sep-2020