Mission
The mission of the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Twente embraces three key areas, namely academic, research, and societal impact & entrepreneurship:
Academic
To prepare scientists, innovators and engineers to develop sustainable industry based on innovative chemistry. This requires excellent academic BSc, MSc and PhD programs that prepare students to master chemical processes, by shaping and solving complex technological problems, developing new catalysts, materials, products and processes from forsustainable feedstocks and waste, and using sustainable sources of energy.
Research
To provide an interdisciplinary research program that shapes excellence in chemical engineering science through interfaces with chemistry, physics, materials science and process engineering; and contributes to technological solutions for decreasing the footprint of production processes of chemicals, materials, and energy carriers, including negative emission technology.
Societal Impact and Entrepreneurship
To make a significant societal impact by connecting research and education in chemical engineering with industry and society, e.g. through the promotion and development of spin-off activities.
Vision
The Chemical Engineering department has a vision to be an internationally recognized undergraduate and graduate chemical engineering program, by performing excellent research and education in the field, and preparing future scientists, innovators, and engineers to meet the challenges of the future. This requires joint work of a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary team of experts covering the whole spectrum of the chemical engineering research field at different levels: from molecules and materials science to process development. From nano-and meso-scale phenomena and systems to pilot plants, including both experimental and modelling approaches
Research Goals
The main research goals of the CE Department are to understand and develop chemical processes with reduced environmental impact, by both using alternative feedstocks and sources of energy. The key expertises include (electro-, photo-) catalysis, physical chemistry of interfaces, reactor- and process-design, separation including their modelling and further integration.
Current research objectives include, among others:
- Contribute to the development of carbon and nitrogen circular processes: plastics recycling, CO2 capture and conversion, biomass valorization, ammonia production and cracking, purification of water and air.
- Electrification of production of molecules for energy storage and chemicals, e.g., via electro-chemistry/catalysis, plasmachemistry/catalysis, photo-chemistry/catalysis electrical heating, microwaves, ultrasound, and pulsed compression.
- Design and development of new types of multiphase catalytic reactors for intimate contact of gases, liquids, and solids with simultaneous reaction and separation of products.
- Development of functional interfaces and colloidal materials for controlling wettability, friction, and reactivity.
- Nanoscale material science for the design of electrodes and (photo-)catalysts.
- Design, synthesis and testing of inorganic and hybrid membranes for more efficient gas and liquid separations.
- Development of advanced characterization techniques for in-situ and operando analysis of solid-liquid interfaces, for comprehension of (electro-)catalytic chemical conversion and transport phenomena.
- Development of process analytical technologies based on integration of trans-disciplinary functionality in miniaturized devices.
The Department Board
