Research Areas

1. PARTICULATE SYSTEMS

In this research area, basic and applied studies are conducted on systems composed of both fluids and particles, which are present in several unit operations of the chemical industry, including:

  1. Technological applications of particulate system fundamentals, analyzing the main parameters of momentum, heat, and mass transfer in processes involving particulate systems;
  2. Numerical experiments in particulate systems, focusing on the modeling of multiphase flows using CFD, optimization, and control of dryers, among others;
  3. Drying of pastes, suspensions, seeds, and medicinal and seasoning herbs, aiming to determine the main design parameters of dryers;
  4. Technologies and methodologies for the treatment of solid and liquid waste, aiming at its reuse either for energy generation or as raw materials for other industrial applications;
  5. Water treatment processes, such as desalination and softening, as well as the development of electrodes for capacitive deionization applications;
  6. Development of processes and electrochemical reactors for the removal of heavy metals from industrial effluents via electrodeposition;
  7. Photocatalytic and electrocatalytic processes aimed at the degradation and/or removal of organic pollutants in industrial effluents, as well as the conversion of CO2 into commercially valuable products (e.g., methanol and ethanol);
  8. Production of particles and surface chemistry applications (adsorption and ion exchange);
  9. Synthesis and characterization of nanoparticles for applications in electrocatalysis and photocatalysis.

 

2. REATORES QUÍMICOS HETEROGÊNEOS E CATÁLISE

This research area focuses on the synthesis and application of various heterogeneous catalysts in processes for producing clean fuels, intermediates, and chemical industry products, including:

  1. Synthesis of metal oxides for the reduction of nitrogen oxides;
  2. Synthesis and application of basic catalysts in biodiesel production and Knoevenagel reactions;
  3. Development of supported oxide and metallic catalysts for fuel production from renewable raw materials, particularly biodiesel, higher alcohols (C2+), and GTL (gas-to-liquid) reaction products (e.g., methanol, DME);
  4. Development of supported metallic catalysts for hydrogen and syngas production and purification from natural gas. The study includes steam reforming, CO2 reforming, partial oxidation, autothermal reforming, water-gas shift (WGS), preferential CO oxidation, and CO/CO2 hydrogenation reactions;
  5. Development of heterogeneous catalysts for hydrogen production and other value-added products from renewable sources such as ethanol, glycerol, methane, etc.;
  6. Selective oxidation reactions of hydrocarbons using CO2.

 

3. BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING

In this research area, bioprocesses are studied in which enzymes, microorganisms (wild-type or recombinant), or animal cells are utilized to obtain products of significant societal interest, such as antibiotics, biofuels (biodiesel, 1G/2G ethanol), biosurfactants, biolubricants, industrial enzymes, antigenic proteins for vaccine formulation, biomolecules with prebiotic properties, pigments, beta-lactamase inhibitors, antifungal, anticancer, and antimetastatic compounds, as well as ingredients for the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, among others.

These bioprocesses are analyzed from a Chemical Engineering perspective, evaluating the different transformation stages, including raw material selection and preparation, bioreactor analysis, production optimization, and the study and definition of the main bioproduct recovery steps. The development of these biotechnological processes involves techniques such as bioinformatics, molecular biology, biomolecule concentration and purification, enzyme and cell immobilization, and the use of various conventional and non-conventional bioreactors for bioproduct production.

Below are some of the studies conducted in this research area:

  1. Studies on microbiological bioreactors from the unit operation perspective, including analysis, design, and optimization, focusing on mixing capacity, mass transfer efficiency, heat transfer, and momentum transfer;
  2. Bioseparations commonly used in biochemical processes, employing techniques such as solvent precipitation, isoelectric precipitation, ultrafiltration, and diafiltration with tangential flow membrane systems; adsorption on hydrophobic and ion-exchange resins; continuous electrophoresis, chromatography, etc.;
  3. Cloning and expression for the development of recombinant strains with high expression of enzymes or other industrially relevant proteins;
  4. Submerged and solid-state fermentation for enzyme and pharmaceutical production in conventional and non-conventional bioreactors (e.g., bubble column and airlift);
  5. Protein hydrolysis using soluble and immobilized proteases to produce protein hydrolysates composed of small peptides with improved properties over whole proteins for animal and human nutrition;
  6. Enzyme immobilization and stabilization using various supports and activation methods, as well as enzyme-support binding techniques;
  7. Alternative processes for the production of ethanol and other sugarcane derivatives;
  8. Production of beta-lactam antibiotics (penicillins, cephalosporins, clavulanates, and cefamycins) in conventional and non-conventional bioreactors, as well as intermediates for the sector through enzymatic pathways;
  9. Production of biofuels, biosurfactants, and biolubricants using free and immobilized enzymes;
  10. Ethanol production using co-immobilized enzymes and yeast, employing starchy or hemicellulosic raw materials, with simultaneous starch saccharification and fermentation or xylan hydrolysis/isomerization and fermentation;
  11. Production of bioactive metabolites from streptomycetes, such as beta-lactamase inhibitors, antimicrobial, antifungal, anticancer, and antimetastatic compounds.

 

4. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

This research area focuses on the quantification, qualification, and treatment of pollutants released into the environment. Specifically, it is dedicated to studying gas-cleaning and gas/liquid scrubbing equipment, as well as the classification and quantification of particulate matter in the atmosphere and indoor environments, in addition to gas-gas separation and liquid effluent studies. The goal of this research is to develop equipment that is easy to construct and operate, ensuring a clear understanding of the phenomena involved and the influence of key parameters governing these processes. Below are some of the studies conducted in this research area:

  1. Studies on the mechanisms and equipment for classifying suspended particles, as well as their physical characterization. This includes equipment for the electrostatic classification of particles, analysis of porous structures, and the permeability of porous media, with applications in water collection, treatment, and distribution, urban cleaning, and the development of products for environmental protection and individual protective equipment (PPE).
  2. Liquid scrubbing, focusing on the biological and physicochemical treatment of industrial liquid effluents.
  3. Gas scrubbing, which investigates the behavior of filters in removing suspended particles from gases and the relevant collection mechanisms, such as granular bed filtration, electrostatic effects in gas filtration, fabric and fibrous filters, and filtration at high temperatures.
  4. Air filtration, exploring air-conditioning equipment for automobiles, residences, industries, hospitals, and more. Highly efficient filtering media (e.g., nanofiltration membranes) are developed for the removal of nanoparticles.
  5. Gas cleaning, aimed at designing and evaluating the performance of gas-cleaning equipment, particularly for removing solid particles, such as Venturi scrubbers, cyclones, and electrostatic precipitators.
  6. Modeling applied to gas-solid separation through the development of mathematical and computational models to represent gas-solid separation processes, primarily for gas cleaning.
  7. Environmental monitoring, focusing on assessing urban atmospheric conditions by identifying the main aerosol components and pollution sources. Current efforts include characterizing atmospheric aerosols in São Carlos and studying indoor pollution, such as in libraries and industries.

 

5. SIMULATION AND CONTROL OF CHEMICAL PROCESSES

This research area focuses on the application of computational techniques and the development of new methodologies aimed at solving problems in Chemical Engineering, involving mathematical models in simulation, optimization, signal processing, and process control. More specifically, it aims to:

  1. Apply mathematical modeling techniques, computer control, and automation to the study and design of biotechnological processes.
  2. Obtain a reliable description of plant operation through system information management (prediction, filtering, data reconciliation, etc.), supporting the investigation of optimization techniques and control of chemical plants.
  3. Conduct economic feasibility studies, project development, and organizational planning of new industrial plants.

The following studies are developed within this research area:

  1. Development and implementation of algorithms for control, fault detection, and real-time state inference in bioreactors, using techniques such as nonlinear identification, artificial intelligence, hybrid control, and model-based control. Software-based sensors are developed for monitoring microbial and animal cell cultures, enzymatic reactors, and other applications.
  2. Study of bioreactors from a unit operation perspective, including examination, analysis, design, and optimization, considering mixing capacity, efficiency in mass, heat, and momentum transfer.
  3. Development of controllers capable of dynamically maintaining plant operation at the optimal point determined by the optimization layer. Among these, model predictive control (MPC) stands out in industrial applications.
  4. Application of nonlinear (including mixed-integer) synthesis and optimization techniques to typical processes in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries; analysis and simulation of reactors and separation/purification units, particularly for the production of semisynthetic antibiotics.
  5. Development, analysis, improvement, and optimization of anaerobic reactors for wastewater treatment.
  6. Development of a bioprocess simulator tailored for biorefineries, using two case studies: second-generation bioethanol production and whey refining. The application includes features such as economic analysis of multipurpose plants, preliminary unit design, personnel training, industrial operation optimization, and remote monitoring and control (via the internet) of decentralized industrial units.
  7. Computational intelligence applied to bioprocesses, proposing and validating algorithms based on computational intelligence techniques (neural networks, fuzzy logic, genetic programming) for industrial biotechnological processes, focusing on bioreactors with different configurations. Robustness assessments of adaptive and constructive algorithms are conducted for real-world applications of interest.
  8. Optimization studies of industrial plants using a centralized approach and investigations of coordination strategies within a decentralized approach. Within the decentralized approach, issues such as the model-plant mismatch and the use of feedback information from coordinators are also studied.
  9. Studies on process data treatment methods to improve data quality for use in control, optimization, and monitoring of industrial plants. Real-time optimization, as part of the hierarchical control structure, integrates market decisions with unit operations via computer systems. This integration requires a massive flow of high-quality information across different levels of hierarchical control.

 

6. THERMODYNAMICS AND SEPARATION PROCESSES

This research area focuses on in-depth studies of the fundamental phenomena occurring in separation process units within the Chemical and Process Industries. The objective is to enhance productivity, improve energy efficiency, and increase the purity of produced compounds. To achieve this, the research investigates the kinetics and equilibrium thermodynamics of chemical separation processes, both conventional and unconventional.

Increasingly, the study of industrial processes requires a holistic approach, addressing problems in an integrated and systemic manner by combining various process units with separation systems as a whole. All research projects aim to apply solutions to challenges in Chemical Engineering, particularly in the Chemical Industry, always grounded in the fundamental principles of this field. The research also incorporates the latest analytical and informational techniques using advanced equipment and software tools.

The following studies are conducted within this research area:

  1. Evaluation and design of systems for purification and recovery of industrial chemical products, including:
    i) Crystallization, considering phase equilibrium for solid-liquid systems, nucleation and growth kinetics, secondary phenomena, industrial crystallizer design, and analysis of industrial crystallization systems.
    ii) Distillation.
    iii) Supercritical extraction.
  2. Development of educational equipment.
  3. Energy integration and optimization of chemical processes.

 

7. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING APPLIED TO MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT

This research area includes projects that apply Chemical Engineering concepts and approaches to the development of various materials, including those with novel functionalities or sustainability appeal (within the concept of a circular economy). Examples of such materials include, but are not limited to:

  1. Materials with active and/or smart properties.
  2. Biodegradable materials designed to partially replace conventional petroleum-derived plastics.
  3. Zeolites and zeotype materials for use in adsorption and ion-exchange processes.
  4. Electrodes for capacitive deionization applications.
  5. Heterogeneous catalysts (e.g., transition metal oxides, solids with basic properties, mixed oxides, etc.).
  6. Functionalized magnetic micro- and nanoparticles for enzyme immobilization and other applications.
  7. Biocatalysts based on organic-metal macrostructures ("nanoflowers").
  8. Fibers with biocidal properties, among others.

Many of these materials are utilized in the development of processes aimed at producing products for sectors such as food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personal care, intermediates for the chemical and biotechnological industries, clean energy, and renewable fuels.