COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Sept. 7, 2009 – As the complexity of chemical engineering design problems continues to increase, a number of advanced process integration techniques have the potential to address key industrial problems, said Mahmoud El-Halwagi, a Texas A&M University chemical engineering professor, delivering a keynote address at the 8th World Congress of Chemical Engineering.
El-Halwagi, an authority on process integration in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, spoke about design challenges for a changing world, at the international conference, which convenes every four years to discuss key advances in chemical engineering. This year’s conference was held in Montreal.
Many of the techniques developed by his research group, El-Halwagi said, are aimed at addressing problems such as conservation of natural resources (mass and energy), productivity enhancement, pollution prevention and reduction of greenhouse gas emission.
These techniques, which are based on chemical engineering fundamentals coupled with advanced optimization methods, pave the way for innovation in creating new products and processes such as biofuels and integrated biorefineries, El-Halwagi said.
The 8th World Congress of Chemical Engineering emphasized the key role played by chemical engineers from all around the world to develop the processes and products needed by humanity in a more sustainable way. It featured presentations delivered by prominent and highly respected professionals selected for their distinctive vision of the future.
El-Halwagi is holder of the McFerrin Professorship at Texas A&M, where he teaches senior-level undergraduate and graduate classes covering the areas of process design, sustainability, simulation, economics, integration and optimization. He has written two widely used texts on process integration and is the recipient of numerous research and teaching honors.
