(6ix) Synthesis of Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable Multi-Functional Surfaces and Interfaces

The synthesis of environmentally friendly and sustainable multi-functional surfaces and materials is leading the research of innovative applications in energy, water and environmental remediation. The most important biological and physicochemical process occur at the surface or the interface between two or more materials. Hence, if a material’s surface can be functionalized, it could perform different tasks simultaneously such as catalysis, selective separations, sorption and adhesion, and oxidation/reduction processes.

Functional surfaces and interface science are highly dynamic scientific areas and, despite tremendous advances in high-end products to specific functionalities in electrochemistry, energy efficiency, environmental technologies, new biomolecules or nanocomposites, the successful implementation of modified surfaces or surface modifiers beyond lab scale is still difficult. Little has been done from the perspective of a robust functional material, and the vast functions that can be engineered on its surface, or for the scalability of such products.

Thousands of established technologies involving surfaces have been developed, such as adhesives or surfactants, but understanding the interfacial phenomena is sometimes controversial, even for known applications. As a chemical and environmental engineer, I am distinctively positioned to address such aspects and to design and engineer functional surfaces and interfaces as alternative for varied processes and/or the design of suitable products or modifiers.

I have worked directly or indirectly in surface chemistry and interface science since my master’s studies in civil and environmental engineering, where I worked in advanced oxidation processes, and aerobic and anaerobic treatments. Then, when I was adjunct professor in chemical engineering, advised in different projects related to immobilization of catalysts, such as titanium oxide onto activated carbon and polyester for the photocatalytic degradation of wastewater of the printer cartridge reuse, and other advanced oxidation applications.

Teaching Interests:

With more than 10 years of teaching experience at the Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) in an ABET accredited department and the Instituto Alberto Merani (Colombia), I am able to design different courses and lectures covering fundamental Chemical and Environmental Engineering subjects due to the gained knowledge during the PhD and postdoctoral research. These courses may have three learning spaces:

1. Classes: discussions of theory and illustrative examples developed.
2. Independent work: lecture preparation, performing tasks and workshops, development of laboratory reports and projects.
3. Interactive experiences and design: students undertake design exercises, simulations and/or laboratory practice in this space and discuss the outcomes, learn from the others and make mistakes, which is a key to the learning process.

Other additional aspects may be included:

• Problem analysis: definition of the problem, determination of variables and their behavior, possible solutions, troubleshooting, use of tools (hands-on and computational experience)
• The ability to conduct solutions in industrial contexts with actual variables and gradations

The chemical engineering courses that I have interest and I am familiarized with are:

Separation Processes

The separation processes of mixtures are essential in the chemical, petroleum, food, biochemistry and pharmaceutical industries, among others. In this course, principles of phase equilibrium thermodynamics and transport phenomena are applied in the characterization of various separation processes using graphical and analytical methods. On this basis, skills for selection and sizing of equipment that are useful in these processes are developed.

Industrial Chemical Processes

This course aims to understand the chemical processes used in industry, particularly in the petrochemical industry. The unit is aimed to professionals from various disciplines that require basic knowledge of industrial chemical processes. This course was designed for the workers of an oil/gas company located in Colombia (Ecopetrol S. A. VRP).

Introduction to Chemical Engineering

This course aims to identify, explain and apply the basic concepts of chemical engineering and those that are common to all engineering aspects. The course also focuses into differentiate chemical engineering from other branches of engineering, and develop basic communication skills, teamwork and evaluation. It is also intended that the students identify, interpret and fulfil the rights and obligations that they have as students of the Universidad de los Andes.

Physicochemical Aspects of Polymers

This course enables students to understand concepts, basic calculations, and their application in polymer science and engineering. Specifically, the students are expected to identify the principles and methods of synthesizing polymers, their structure, physical and chemical properties, manufacturing processes, additives and associated technologies.

Fundamentals of Industrial Processes (Material and Energy Balances)

The course Fundamentals of Industrial Processes aims to prepare the student in formulating and solving material and energy balances on chemical process systems. The knowledge acquired in the course Introduction to Chemical Engineering and Thermodynamics are reviewed here, and it establishes the basis for future subjects such as Reaction Transport Phenomena, Engineering and Separation Processes. The course introduces the engineering approach used to solve problems: establishing the relationship between the balance equations, unknown process variables and relationships available. The students must select the information to find the unknown variables and solve the process properly using manual and/or computational methods.

Transport Phenomena (Mass and Energy)

This course presents the associated phenomena with mass and energy transfer in systems that are in steady or transient state. This course introduces solutions to problems involving convective molecular transport of mass and heat and applications.

Experimental Design

This course relates to design of experiments in chemical engineering, identification of controllable and uncontrollable factors of a problem. The unit develops technical knowledge and skills that permit problem solutions that incorporate a strong fundamental base in factorial design, response surface, and statistical analysis.

Environmental Chemistry

This course is designed so that the student can develop the ability to apply the concepts of thermodynamics and equilibrium to environmental systems. The course provides the student with the basic tools that predict the behavior of chemicals in the environment and in turn describes specific cases in which chemical methods are used in environmental engineering.

Industrial Chemistry

This course aims to understand the chemical processes used in industry. The unit is aimed to students of Industrial Engineering that require basic knowledge of industrial chemical processes. The goal is to prepare the student in formulating and solving material and energy balances on chemical process systems.