Chemical Engineering Department Research Articles

Peer Review Statement

All papers published in this volume have been reviewed through processes administered by the Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing. • Type of peer review: Double Anonymous • Conference submission management system: Morressier • Number of submissions received: 229 • Number of submissions sent for review: 132 • Number of submissions accepted: 138 • Acceptance Rate (Submissions Accepted / Submissions Received × 100): 60.3 • Average number of reviews per paper: 2.152173913043478 • Total number of reviewers involved: 34 • Contact person for queries: Name: John Frederick Tapia Email: apcche2023@gmail.com Affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, De La Salle University Manila

Metal-Organic Framework-Based Electrodes for Efficient CO2 Electroreduction to Formate at High Current Densities (up to 1 A cm−2)

Achieving efficient CO2 electroreduction for production of valuable chemicals requires affordable, stable, and non-toxic catalysts. One of the most studied and promising products of CO2 reduction is formic acid/formate. The latter species is receiving increased attention as an energy vector [1] or energy storage media (e.g., in CO2 redox flow batteries [2]). At present, the practical application of CO2 reduction to formate still faces challenges due to the lack of electrocatalysts capable of operating at high current densities (> 200 mA cm−2) with low degradation over long-duration operation [3].Traditional metallic catalysts like Bi, Sn, In or Pb when scaled in flow cells typically suffer from low faradaic efficiencies (< 70%) at current densities ≥ 200 mA cm-2, coupled with inadequate durability [4]. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) present promising and thus far largely unexplored attributes as electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction, including high atom utilization during catalysis due to their porous crystal structure and tunable pore size distribution [5,6]. However, they also face challenges related to high overpotentials and complex synthesis methods [7].This study elucidates the efficacy of a Bi metal-organic framework (Bi-MOF) synthesized through a rapid and facile method. The Bi-MOF obtained by our proprietary novel method [8], exhibits exceptional catalytic performance. Notably, it demonstrates outstanding faradaic efficiencies towards formate (FEHCOO - = 95–100%) at current densities up to 1 A cm−2 in a gas diffusion electrode, at low catalyst loading (0.5 mg cm−2).Moreover, Bi-MOF displays extended stability, operating continuously for over 20 hours at an industrially relevant current density (200 mA cm−2) and without electrolyte (1.5 M KOH) replenishment. In a flow reactor with 10 cm2 electrode geometric area, a 100% FEHCOO - was obtained during 2-hour electrolysis at 100 mA cm−2 across a broad pH range (8–14). The electrochemical testing of the Bi-MOF was supplemented by surface and structural characterizations to correlate the activity with structural features. This analysis unveiled the role of the organic framework and the reason why Bi-MOF surpasses other Bi-based catalysts, including commercial Bi2O2CO3, Bi2O3, and metallic Bi, in selectivity (FE), cell potential, and durability.These findings hold promise for further scale-up of CO2 reduction to formate using the cost-effective and easily prepared Bi-MOF catalyst.[1] Bienen, F., Kopljar, D., Löwe, A., Aßmann, P., Stoll, M., Rößner, P., Wagner, N., Friedrich, A., & Klemm, E. (2019). Utilizing Formate as an Energy Carrier by Coupling CO2 Electrolysis with Fuel Cell Devices. Chemie Ingenieur Technik, 91(6), 872-882.[2] Hosseini-Benhangi, P., Gyenge, C., & Gyenge, E. (2021). The carbon dioxide redox flow battery: Bifunctional CO2 reduction/formate oxidation electrocatalysis on binary and ternary catalysts. Journal of Power Sources, 495, 229752.[3] Masel, R. I., Liu, Z., Yang, H., Kaczur, J. J., Carrillo, D., Ren, S., Salvatore, D., & Berlinguette, C. P. (2021). An industrial perspective on catalysts for low-temperature CO2 electrolysis. Nature Nanotechnology, 16(2), 118-128.[4] Zou, J., Liang, G., Lee, C., & Wallace, G. G. (2023). Progress and perspectives for electrochemical CO2 reduction to formate. Materials Today Energy, 38, 101433.[5] Mazari, S. A., Hossain, N., Basirun, W. J., Mubarak, N. M., Abro, R., Sabzoi, N., & Shah, A. (2021). An overview of catalytic conversion of CO2 into fuels and chemicals using metal organic frameworks. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 149, 67-92.[6] Xie, W., Mulina, O. M., O., A., & He, L. (2023). Metal–Organic Frameworks for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction into Formic Acid. Catalysts, 13(7), 1109.[7] Köppen, M., Dhakshinamoorthy, A., Inge, A.K., Cheung, O., Ångström, J., Mayer, P. and Stock, N. (2018), Synthesis, Transformation, Catalysis, and Gas Sorption Investigations on the Bismuth Metal–Organic Framework CAU-17. Eur. J. Inorg. Chem., 2018: 3496-3503.[8] Selva-Ochoa, A.G., Habibzadeh F., Gyenge E.L. (2023). Manuscript in preparation. Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, UBC.

Layouts and tips for a typical final-year chemical engineering graduation project

Abstract A fundamental step in the education and scientific research processes is the final-year project for undergraduate students. In chemical engineering departments, the final year project has unique properties since it deals with the design and production of specific materials or chemicals. It represents a whole plant design. In the present work, a layout and tips are proposed for a typical final-year chemical engineering graduation project. Six chapters are suggested. Each chapter is given a main theme and subtitles in order to facilitate the writing process of the project. Chapter one represents an introduction to the importance of the material that was produced, material properties, production process, etc. In chapter two, material and energy balance calculations are addressed. Chapter three handled the equipment design. Cost and environmental assessments are discussed in Chapter four. The results of chapters two and three are compared with software outcomes, which can be collected in chapter five. Finally, the main results, conclusion, and recommendations for future work are proposed to be in Chapter six. Furthermore, tips and advice are addressed to assist students in the writing of a typical graduation project.

Teaching classical machine learning as a graduate-level course in chemical engineering: An algorithmic approach

The demand for engineering graduates with technical skills in data science, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) is now growing. Chemical engineering (ChemE) departments around the world are currently addressing this skills gap by instituting AI or ML elective courses in their program. However, designing such a course is difficult since the issue of which ML models to teach and the depth of theory to be discussed remains unclear. In this paper, we present a graduate-level ML course particularly designed such that students will be able to apply ML for research in ChemE. To achieve this, the course intends to cover a wide selection of ML models with emphasis on their motivations, derivations, and training algorithms, followed by their applications to ChemE-related data sets. We argue that this algorithmic approach to teaching ML can help broaden the capabilities of students since they can judge for themselves which tool to use when, even for problems outside the process industries, or they can modify the methods to test novel ideas. We found that students remain engaged in the mathematical details as long as every topic is properly motivated and the gaps in the required statistical and computer science concepts are filled. Hence, this paper also presents a roadmap of ML topics, their motivations, and bridging topics that can be followed by instructors. Lastly, we report anonymized student feedback on this course which is being offered at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of the Philippines, Diliman.

Potable water production through alow-cost single chamber solar still in north India.

The main aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of a single slope solar still and to assess the effect of nanofluid on its performance. A single basin single slope solar still was designed and fabricated at the Department of Chemical Engineering, IET Lucknow. Its performance was assessed in terms of theyield of potable water. The effect of various climatic parameters was also studied. Al2O3 nanofluid was used to enhance theyield of the solar still. In the presence of nanofluid, the total yield of the solar still improved by 16.6%. Its economic feasibility was analyzed and reported. The portability of thesmall size of solar stills, itsbetter economics, easy fabrication, and good performance make them very useful for industrial as well ashousehold purposes.

Pelatihan Pembuatan Deterjen Cair Untuk Pakaian Bagi Warga Wonosalam, Ngaglik, Yogyakarta

Detergent is a cleaning material widely used in households. It comes in liquid, cream, and powder forms. Despite having the same function, they differ in their forms. Previously, liquid soap was only used for cleaning kitchen utensils, but now it is also used for laundry purposes because it is practical and removes oil stains effectively. The examination turns out that making liquid detergent is easy and people can make this themselves at a low cost. In order to expand the knowledge of PKK Mother’s Association in RT05 RW09, Wonosalam, Sukoharjo, Ngaglik, Sleman, Yogyakarta, the head of the RT05 proposed the Head of LPPM to grant permission for instructors from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Engineering at IST AKPRIND to provide training on making liquid detergent for laundry on Sunday, October 9, 2022. The community service activity conducted to provide knowledge on how to economically produce liquid detergent compared to products sold in the market, and ensure that this knowledge can serve as a foundation for entrepreneurship. The activity is carried out through the stages of licensing, training, and mentoring that provide information on economical side of liquid detergent, the materials that can be used, and the steps of production. Participants in this community service activity practicing making liquid detergent under the guidance of expert from IST AKPRIND. The training process runs smoothly, with many mom enthusiastically participating.

Toward Cleaner Ecosystems; Elimination of Paracetamol Drug via Mesoporous Activated Carbon Date Pits

The purpose of this study is to remove pharmaceuticals drugs from water due to high potential impact on human health. Specifically, non-prescriptive drugs like paracetamol drug, which cause infections to various human organs like liver, kidneys and immunity system. Activated carbon (AC) was synthesized from date pits via thermal and chemical carbon activation using air at high temperature and phosphoric acid respectively, three ratios of (AC:Acid) were prepared to adsorb the most commonly used antipyretic and analgesic drug "Paracetamol" from aqueous solutions. The experiments were done in the department of Chemical Engineering and department of Chemistry, between September 2018 and August 2019. Characterization of the activated carbon (AC) was carried out through surface area analysis (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectroscopic Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), thermal (Thermogravimetric analysis TGA) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG), and microscopic (scanning electron microscopy SEM) techniques. Several parameters for Paracetamol adsorption from aqueous solutions were tested, and the optimum parameters were as follow: contact time= 150 min, pH= 7.0, temperature= 25ºC, (AC:Acid) ratio = 1:1. The equilibrium data were fitted to different adsorption isotherms, the two-step Langmuir isotherm gave the best fit to the data, and the pseudo-second-order model represented the adsorption process as dynamic studies illustrated. Thermodynamic parameters showed the process was exothermic (-15.7 kJ/mol) and physisorption. The results of the experiments showed the removal efficiency using AC (1:1) ratio was 92.9%, and the entire removal was attained using 16 g/L. The maximum paracetamol uptake at equilibrium was 165 mg/g. The used carbon in the adsorption process can be cleaned and reused again (regeneration), the regeneration efficiencies were 60% for hot water method and 68% for methanol method. This clearly helps toward cleaner ecosystems.

Automatic procedure for modelling, calibration, and optimization of a three-component chromatographic separation

The current landscape of biopharmaceutical production necessitates an ever-growing set of tools to meet the demands for shorter development times and lower production costs. One path towards meeting these demands is the implementation of digital tools in the development stages. Mathematical modelling of process chromatography, one of the key unit operations in the biopharmaceutical downstream process, is one such tool. However, obtaining parameter values for such models is a time-consuming task that grows in complexity with the number of compounds in the mixture being purified.In this study, we tackle this issue by developing an automated model calibration procedure for purification of a multi-component mixture by linear gradient ion exchange chromatography. The procedure was implemented using the Orbit software (Lund University, Department of Chemical Engineering), which both generates a mathematical model structure and performs the experiments necessary to obtain data for model calibration. The procedure was extended to suggest operating points for the purification of one of the components in the mixture by means of multi-objective optimization using three different objectives. The procedure was tested on a three-component protein mixture and was able to generate a calibrated model capable of reproducing the experimental chromatograms to a satisfactory degree, using a total of six assays. An additional seventh experiment was performed to validate the model response under one of the suggested optimum conditions, respecting a 95 % purity requirement. All of the above was automated and set in motion by the push of a button. With these results, we have taken a step towards fully automating model calibration and thus accelerating digitalization in the development stages of new biopharmaceuticals.

Using senior undergraduate students as coaches in an introductory chemical engineering design course

Senior undergraduate students were hired as Teaching Assistants (TAs) in CHBE 221, an introductory bioprocess design course offered in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at University of British Columbia, and the roles were recast from traditional course support, to being coaches and mentors to a small number of teams working on term-spanning design projects. This was done as a means to provide more personalized support to students working on realistic design problems early in their training, leverage the benefits of peer learning strategies, and provide professional and leadership development opportunities to the TAs ahead of graduation. At the end of the course in which this was implemented, surveys were sent to students asking them to comment on their experience with this mentorship model, and the TAs of the course were interviewed to better understand theirs. This paper presents the results of these surveys and interviews, highlights the benefits and challenges of this approach, and provides recommendations for future implementations of this student support model

God’s Gift of Science: Theological Presuppositions Underlying Exploration of the Natural World

God’s Gift of Science: Theological Presuppositions Underlying Exploration of the Natural World

God’s Gift of Science: Theological Presuppositions Underlying Exploration of the Natural World

God’s Gift of Science: Theological Presuppositions Underlying Exploration of the Natural World

Developing a “Revolution”: Design Challenges in a Chemical Engineering Department

Engineering is fundamentally about design, yet many undergraduate programs offer limited opportunities for students to learn to design. This design case reports on a grant-funded effort to revolutionize how chemical engineering is taught. Prior to this effort, our chemical engineering program was like many, offering core courses primarily taught through lectures and problem sets. While some faculty referenced examples, students had few opportunities to construct and apply what they were learning. Spearheaded by a team that included the department chair, a learning scientist, a teaching-intensive faculty member, and faculty heavily engaged with the undergraduate program, we developed and implemented design challenges in core chemical engineering courses. We began by co-designing with students and faculty, initially focusing on the first two chemical engineering courses students take. We then developed templates and strategies that supported other faculty-student teams to expand the approach into more courses. Across seven years of data collection and iterative refinements, we developed a framework that offers guidance as we continue to support new faculty in threading design challenges through core content-focused courses. We share insights from our process that supported us in navigating through challenging questions and concerns.

Research on new Taylor flow reactor to prepare Ni-rich oxide and LLZO ceramic Li+ ion conductors

New, green technologies are better for the environment and this is increasingly important in the context of worsening global warming and climate change. With the prevalence of battery powered devices, an important part of this is improved battery technology with improved performance and enhanced energy efficiency. Professor Chun-Chen Yang, Department of Chemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, Taiwan is also a director of the Battery Research Centre of Green Energy (BRCGE), Taiwan, which is conducting R&amp;D on new, revolutionary battery technologies. A focus for Yang and his team is lithium (Li) batteries and new versions that incorporate different elements, with a view to improving energy storage capacity and green sustainable energy practices. He recognises the need to increase the energy density and safety of these batteries in order to meet the requirements of future applications and is exploring the benefits of using a full solid-state Li metal battery (ASSLMB). The researchers are conducting studies using a Taylor flow reactor to prepare Ni-rich oxide and LLZO ceramic Li+ ion conductors and have already yielded advantages and they hope, in the future, the method can be adopted on a wide scale and lead to the development of new and improved batteries. First, the team is keen to overcome issues associated with the difficulty of controlling uniformity and quality.

Study of the Level of Lead and Zinc in Five Species of Fish in Tigris River

The research was carried out in the Tigris River, specifically in two distinct areas, namely Tikrit and Samarra within the Salah al-Din province, during the period of May 1, 2022, to January 9, 2021. The selection of these two stations was made with the intention of collecting fish samples for the purpose of assessing the presence of heavy element contamination in the fish population. This study was conducted at the laboratories of the Department of Food Sciences in the College of Agriculture, and the Department of Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Tikrit. The objective of the study was to assess the extent of heavy metal contamination, specifically lead and zinc, in various parts of fish including meat, liver, gills, and intestines. The study focused on five species of fish commonly found in the Tigris River, namely Zori, Nile tilapia, Aspius vorax, Silurus triostegus, and Carrasobarbus luteus. Additionally, the study encompassed two regions, Tikrit and Samarra, located in Salah al-Din province. The bi-interaction recorded a significant difference in the lead element, the highest value of which was (5.14 PPM) in the Nile tilapia muscles, and the lowest value (0.001 PPM) in the Nile tilapia gills, where the bi-interaction between the type of fish and the location was not recorded in the zinc element in the Samarra location, it reached the highest level The zinc element in the average of the sample type was (37.17 PPM) in the liver of the studied fish, and the lowest value was (8.82 PPM) in the intestines of the studied fish.

Detection and quantification of wave trends in the Mediterranean basin

A study of a 42-year (1979–2020) long wave time series was performed for the Mediterranean Sea to detect and quantify trends in two relevant wave parameters adopted for coastal and offshore engineering purposes: significant wave height, Hs and peak period, Tp. The high resolution MeteOcean Re-Analysis database by the Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering (DICCA) was used. At yearly and seasonal scales, the trends of the mean and maximum values were detected by the Mann–Kendall test, choosing a significance level equal to 90%. The slope or increase/decrease trends in Hs and Tp were assessed by the Theil–Sen estimator. For the mean values of Hs and Tp, increasing trends were detected for the Libyan, Levantine and Aegean seas, while for the maximum values this increasing trend was observed in a large part of the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, for the different marginal seas of the Mediterranean basin, a running trend analysis was applied in order to quantify the effect of the time window in the trend detection. The obtained results can be significant for flooding and erosion control strategies, ship and port operations, design and verification of structures, installations of Wave Energy Converters, in a hot spot for climate change such as the Mediterranean basin.

Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste Generated in Some Egyptian Cities

Municipal solid waste (MSW) poses a cumulative problem related to many aspects, namely, social, economic, and cultural. Therefore, such a situation must be accompanied by the development of well-established management systems starting with the knowledge of MSW quantities, its quality and characterization and ending with a suitable landfilling technique. This work aims to characterize Egyptian municipal solid waste generated from two cities in Great Cairo, where 45 samples were collected regularly. The research was carried out by researchers in the Chemical Engineering Department at Cairo University and selected undergraduate students from October to December 2020. The collected MSW was characterized by evaluating the quality and quantity of generated waste. Selected properties considered were: composition (including the organic fraction, papers, plastics, textiles, metals, glass, and others), density, moisture content, calorific value, and Carbon Hydrogen Nitrogen Sulfer (CHNS) chemical elemental analysis. The results obtained showed that the organic fraction was dominant to other fractions (4287%) and the carbon content was more than 47% and the calorific values to range between 4360-12277 kJ/kg. The results obtained were used as a base for a waste management proposal, either from mass recovery for highrecyclable samples or energy recovery for high calorific value waste. In other circumstances, waste-to-energy WTE processes were recommended as a promising solution to developing countries in the world where the energy demand is essential for the life.

Making color-changing ‘Transformers’ with polymers

On September 7, 2023, the Eindhoven University of Technology announced that Pei Zhang defended her PhD thesis at its department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry on August 31st.

(Digital Presentation) Biogenic Electrodes for Low-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Biogenic Electrodes for Low-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Jyoti Bhattacharjee, Subhasis Roy* Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Calcutta, 92 A. P. C. Road, Kolkata-700009, India * Email: subhasis1093@gmail.com/srchemengg@caluniv.ac.in : Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are potential energy-generation devices. They operate at hightemperatures, typically between 800°C-1000°C, limiting their utility. The primary challengein developing these fuel cells is synthesizing strong biogenic electrodes that function at lowtemperatures, maintaining high performance. This experimental study examines how eco-friendly,facile, and novel techniques for synthesis can be used to make robust, effective, and affordableelectrodes for low-temperature recyclable SOFCs (LT-SOFC). A green approachwas implemented by using biomass waste and biochar, specifically coconut shells and ricehusks, as raw materials. The synthesis comprised the hydrothermal carbonization of biomassprecursors, such as lignocellulosic nanostructures, and carbon nanotubes under controlledconditions, followed by activation with potassium hydroxide(KOH). The resulting electrodeshad a large surface area, catalytic oxygen reduction, excellent conductivity, and sufficientelectrochemical performance. The efficacy of the biomass-derived electrodes was enhancedby employing transition metal oxides as electrocatalysts, such as nickel oxide(NiO) andcobalt oxide(Co3O4). The morphology and elemental composition of the electrode materialwere studied using the scanning electron microscope(SEM) and energy-dispersive X-rayspectroscopy(EDS). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)was used to examine theelectrochemical properties of cell electrolytes. Findings demonstrated that the hydrothermalstrategy led to the formation of homogeneous and porous electrode structures with highgalvanic activity. The biodegradable LT-SOFC stack achieved an optimal power density of346mW/cm2 at around 550°C, indicating a substantial increase over previous experiments.Our results have significant economic consequences for the expansion of sustainable andrenewable energy innovations in industry and nanotechnology, providing auxiliary power inautomobiles and hydrogen generation. Greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint can bediminished by using biomass waste streams as feedstocks, reducing the need for fossil fuels.The outcomes of this research provide important insights into the development, challenges,and future possibilities of biomass-derived electrodes, and minimal temperature electrolytesfor stable SOFCs. Keywords: Biomass-derived; carbon footprint; electrochemical efficiency; green energy; low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells; nanotubes.

Considerations for Ionic Diffusion in Slurry Electrolytes for Redox Flow Batteries

Slurry electrodes have been proposed as a means to enhance the scalability of hybrid redox flow battery (RFB) chemistries for better usability in utility scale energy storage applications1–3. In conventional hybrid RFB’s, scalability is limited due the spatial constraints of the flow cell and the metal deposited by the negative half-reaction on charge1. By using a slurry electrode, the solid metal can be deposited onto electrically conductive particles dispersed in the electrolyte instead of on the stationary electrode within the flow cell. In this way, hybrid RFB chemistries can achieve the same scalability as more commonly studied true RFB chemistries, such as all-vanadium. Due to the high abundance, low cost, and low toxicity of iron electrolytes, the all-iron RFB chemistry is of particular interest for use with a slurry electrode2,4. The usefulness of the slurry electrode depends on the current distribution of the plating reaction. To successfully decouple the storage and power capacities of the RFB and thus enhance its scalability5, the faradaic current of the plating reaction must occur predominantly on the mobile slurry particles, as opposed to on the stationary current collector1. This current distribution is dependent on a variety of factors, such as the applied overpotential, the electrical conductivity of the slurry, the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte, the kinetics of the reaction, and the rate of ionic mass transport to reaction sites. Ionic mass transport in electrolytes containing slurry electrodes may differ from ionic transport in neat electrolyte in interesting and important ways. Due to the volume fraction of the electrolyte occupied by solid particles, the effective concentration of the ionic species may be lower than in neat electrolyte. Further, the solid particle volume fraction hinders ionic diffusion by introducing diffusion path tortuosity. This effect is more severe in higher slurry particle loadings.In this work, the effect of varying dispersed solid particle loading on ionic diffusivity is investigated via voltammetry using a rotating disk electrode. The diffusivities of ionic iron species are measured as a function of the volume fraction of solids dispersed in the electrolyte. Comparisons with the Bruggeman correlation6,7 are made and amendments to the Levich equation are considered.(1) Petek, T. J.; Hoyt, N. C.; Savinell, R. F.; Wainright, J. S. Slurry Electrodes for Iron Plating in an All-Iron Flow Battery. J. Power Sources 2015, 294, 620–626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.06.050.(2) Petek, T. J. Enhancing the Capacity of All-Iron Flow Batteries: Understanding Crossover and Slurry Electrodes. Ph.D. Thesis 2015, No. May.(3) Narayanan, T. M.; Zhu, Y. G.; Gençer, E.; McKinley, G.; Shao-Horn, Y. Low-Cost Manganese Dioxide Semi-Solid Electrode for Flow Batteries. Joule 2021, 5 (11), 2934–2954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2021.07.010.(4) Dinesh, A.; Olivera, S.; Venkatesh, K.; Santosh, M. S.; Priya, M. G.; Inamuddin; Asiri, A. M.; Muralidhara, H. B. Iron-Based Flow Batteries to Store Renewable Energies. Environ. Chem. Lett. 2018, 16 (3), 683–694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-018-0709-8.(5) Weber, A. Z.; Mench, M. M.; Meyers, J. P.; Ross, P. N.; Jeffrey, T.; Liu, Q. Redox Flow Batteries , a Review Environmental Energy Technologies Division , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , Department of Mechanical , Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering , University of Tennessee , Department of Chemical Engineering , McGill Un. 1–72.(6) Tjaden, B.; Cooper, S. J.; Brett, D. J.; Kramer, D.; Shearing, P. R. On the Origin and Application of the Bruggeman Correlation for Analysing Transport Phenomena in Electrochemical Systems. Curr. Opin. Chem. Eng. 2016, 12, 44–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2016.02.006.(7) Chung, D. W.; Ebner, M.; Ely, D. R.; Wood, V.; Edwin García, R. Validity of the Bruggeman Relation for Porous Electrodes. Model. Simul. Mater. Sci. Eng. 2013, 21 (7). https://doi.org/10.1088/0965-0393/21/7/074009.

What Are Employers Looking For When Hiring Separation Scientists?

Per the U.S. National Academies of Science (NAS) 2019 report “A Research Agenda for Transforming Separation Science,” the number of America’s academic positions in separation science has decreased considerably in recent years, with a number of universities choosing to stop hiring faculty in this area. Specifically, since 1987 (the year of the previous NAS report on this field), the number of faculty members readily identifiable as “separations researchers” has dropped by 40% in the top chemistry departments, and by 30% in the top chemical engineering departments. At the same time, national government funding organizations (such as the National Science Foundation [NSF]) have significantly reduced funding for separation science. All this occurs despite the continuing demand for separation scientists and engineers in the largest economic sectors of the United States. LCGC North America spoke to Caroline McGregor and Justin Pennington of Merck Research Laboratories regarding the effects of the aforementioned occurrences on their firm’s hiring practices, and what employers in general are looking for in candidates they are considering for open separation scientist positions.