Plant design
Our research areas:
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Techno-economic assessments of plant scale processes
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Process and plant design for bio-based, sustainable products
Research:
The research in Plant Design focuses on process feasibility study, synthesis, design, operation, integration, simulation and optimization, as well as inherent safety, occupational health, pollution prevention and industrial risk. The key theme is the development of systematic methodologies to identify optimum, sustainable and creative strategies that lead to process intensification, yield improvement, debottlenecking, costing, safety, pollution prevention and energy conservation. Fundamental chemical engineering principles are coupled with systems engineering approaches to develop methods and computer-aided tools that are applicable in all areas of chemical process industry.
Current research projects:
1. LignoSphere -spherical lignin particle as a platform material for sustainable adhesives and beyond:
Within the forest industry there is high interest in converting lignin into high value added products. We aim to convert industrial lignin side-stream into value-added products.
2. iCom–sustainable fibers with ionic liquid:
Before the world runs out of natural resources, researchers from Aalto University and the University of Helsinki have come up with a more sustainable way to produce textilescalled Ioncell.
3. NovelBaltic:
NovelBaltic is a collaboration project for profitable products from non-timber wood products. In this project, collaboration between institutions and industries in Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and China will be carried out.
4. SO4 Control:
Mining waters contain often sulfates in excessive amounts. The target is to convert sulfates to sulfides by bioreaction and separate the gases produced (CO2, H2S).
5. Modeling and scale-up of centrifugal filtration:
The project is planned to aid the industry, especially pharmaceuticals field, to make better investments and have better abilities to represent their scenarios computationally without the need to experiment in large scale production.
- Green solvents
- System intelligence and human factor for ‘super safety’ in manufacturing industry
- COLIAD -Production process of colloidal lignin particles
- Abatement and analysis of greenhouse gas emissions
- Waste to–W2
- Hydrodeoxidation of fatty acid esters for biofuels
- Partial wet oxidation of biomass
- Design and evaluation of biorefinery concepts
- Solid recovered fuel (SRF)
- Digitalization of chemical reactors –KAAPO
Education:
The education in Plant Design is directed at process design and development methods in B.Sc, M.Sc and Ph.D levels. This includes preliminary process design, process synthesis, cost engineering, process simulation and environmental and safety aspects of design. This knowledge can be used for the development of new processes, engineering of new plants and improvement of existing ones in the chemical, petrochemical, biofuel, pulp and paper, minerals, food and biotech and pharmaceutical industries. The teaching is based on problem-based learning, in which process design and development problems are solved using modern design tools such as simulation programs and other design methods. The teaching also includes advanced practical design projects performed as group work and guided by industrial engineers from appropriate companies.
Design Project in Chemical Engineering:
Students participate in their Master's studies in a practical design project, which is based on group work and problem based learning with innovations.
Plant design research combines fundamental chemical engineering principles with systems engineering approaches to develop methods and computer-aided tools that are applicable in all areas of chemical process industry. Therefore, the students graduated have a solid basis for various positions in industry and academy.
Research group members:
Related news:
Chemistry and business students developed plant-based products with Valio
A team of two Master’s students collaborated with Valio in a 6-month Aalto Thesis project.
IonCell-F won the price in pitching
IonCell-F has won seed fund award at Innovation Day pitching organized by Climate-KIC Nordic.
Latest publications:
Transparent lignin nanoparticles for superhydrophilic antifogging coatings and photonic films
Energy-efficient and cost-effective separation model for solvent recovery from colloidal lignin particles dispersion
Techno-economic and safety assessment of supercritical CO2 extraction of essential oils and extracts
Techno-economic evaluation of a biorefinery to produce γ-valerolactone (GVL), 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) from spruce
Interfacial catalysis and lignin nanoparticles for strong fire- and water-resistant composite adhesives
Batch cooling crystallization process for the food-grade phytosterols
Furfural production from xylose and birch hydrolysate liquor in a biphasic system and techno-economic analysis
Plastics value chain – abatement of greenhouse gas emissions
Abatement of industrial greenhouse gas emissions
Self-assembly of colloidal lignin particles in a continuous flow tubular reactor
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