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Working Party on Process Intensification

 

Welcome to the website of the EFCE Working Party on Process Intensification (WP PI).

Logo WP PI-gruen Kopie

Current activities

 

Spotlight Talk

 

Date Programme  
NEW
25 March 2024

16:00 - 18:30 CET
Application of artificial intelligence (AI) to chemical reaction engineering and processes
intensification
Working Parties on Process Intensification and Chemical Reaction Engineering
Registration
23 November 2022
Electrification of chemical processes and chemical industry
Working Parties on Process Intensification and on Chemical Reaction Engineering
Recording (YouTube)

Process INtensification Award for Industrial Innovation 2023

 

EFCE, its Working Party on Process Intensification and the sponsor EUROPIC are pleased to announce that the 2023 Process Intensification Award for Industrial Innovation has been awarded to

Continuous production of a functional Consumer Care ingredient

developed by Croda International Plc, in the United Kingdom.

Logo Croda

Established in 1925, Croda (www.croda.com) is the name behind sustainable, high performance ingredients and technologies in some of the world’s most successful brands: creating, making and selling speciality chemicals that are relied on by industries and consumers everywhere.
Croda is a FTSE 100 company with over 5,800 passionate and innovative employees, working across manufacturing sites and offices around the world with a shared Purpose to use Smart science to improve lives™. As part of this Purpose, and with around two thirds of its organic raw materials already from bio-based sources, Croda has committed to be the most sustainable supplier of innovative ingredients, becoming Climate, Land and People Positive by 2030.

The award was presented on 31 May 2023 at the 8th European Process Intensification Conference -EPIC 8 , held in Warsaw Poland on 31 May - 2 June 2023. Croda colleagues involved in the innovation are invited to give a presentation on 2 June 2023.

> EFCE Press Release

The Award is generously sponsored by EUROPIC.

About EUROPIC:
EUROPIC’s mission is to support its members by structurally addressing the global trends and challenges facing the process/chemical industry by accelerating knowledge and technology transfer in the field of process Intensification (PI) and its application in the real world. EUROPIC’s products and services are inextricably linked with tackling specific global challenges such as: sustainability, digitalisation, manufacturing of new advanced materials and modularization. It is a unique industry-driven platform set up in 2009 by a coalition of major European businesses. See https://europic-centre.eu/

Logo EUROPIC

Excellence Award in Process Intensification 2023

This document describes how this award series will operate and the rules & procedures governing nomination and selection of candidates.

Dr. Matteo Antognoli is the winner of the 2023 EFCE Excellence Award in Process Intensification of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE). The Award recognizes his outstanding PhD thesis on “Mixing and chemical reactions in microchannels: experimental and numerical analysis, completed at the University of Pisa, Italy, under the supervision of Prof. Elisabetta Brunazzi and Prof. Chiara Galletti. Part of the activity has been carried out the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA, under the supervision of Prof. Dino Di Carlo. Matteo Antognoli currently holds the position of research fellow at the University of Pisa.

> EFCE Press Release

The Award is generously sponsored by Microinnova Engineering GmbH.

About Microinnova Engineering GmbH:
Microinnova Engineering GmbH designs efficient chemical synthesis and separation processes by means of process intensification and flow chemistry.

As specialist of innovative process technology Microinnova offers customers continuous manufacturing with an end-to-end solution ranging from syntheses over work up to liquid formulation.
The product portfolio ranges from process development to production plant solutions in tons-per-hour scale. Microinnova has a special focus on modular plant technology.

Logo Microinnova

Recent WP PI business meeting

online in October 2022

EPIC2023
8th European Process Intensification Conference - EPIC 2023
Warsaw, Poland, 31 May - 2 June 2023  (EFCE Event No. 795)


EPIC2023 is organised by Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering in cooperation with the EFCE Working Party on Process Intensification.

 

Mission, aims and work programm of WP PI


Process Intensification presents one of the most significant developments in chemical and process engineering of the past decennia. It attracts more and more attention of the chemical engineering community. Several international conferences, smaller symposia/workshops every year, books and a number of dedicated issues of professional journals are a clear proof of it. Process Intensification with its ambition and ability to make chemical processing plants substantially smaller, simpler, more controllable, more selective and more energy-efficient, addresses the fundamental sustainability issues in process industry and presents the core element of Green Chemical Engineering. In many research centers throughout Europe and the world numerous PI-oriented research programs are carried out. Process Intensification is taught at various courses and gradually enters the regular university curricula. In the UK and in the Netherlands national PI-networks have been operated for a number of years. Similar network is being formed in Germany (DECHEMA). Process Intensification plays an important role in the CEFIC's Technology Platform on Sustainable Chemistry. Process Intensification has now established its organizational position within the European Federation of Chemical Engineering.
 

Aims of the WP PI

The Working Party on Process Intensification aims at:

  • Anchoring of PI-technologies in the European industry;
  • Inclusion of Process Intensification in regular Chemical Engineering Curricula in universities (EFCE Recommendations);
  • Education, dissemination and exchange of knowledge on Process Intensification, particularly in those countries where no or little activities in this field take place so far;
  • Stimulating collaborative R&D projects, especially between those less-advanced countries and the countries leading in the field of PI;
  • Supporting the production of textbooks and other publications in the field of PI;
  • Collaboration with other European organizations, such as CEFIC's Technology Platform on Sustainable Chemistry (e.g. in preparation of the EU Framework Programs), IPTS (e.g. in identification of Best Available Techniques).
  • Collaboration with similar initiatives in non-European organizations (e.g. AIChE, SCE Japan, CIES China, etc.) 

 

Collaboration with other WP's of the EFCE

The Working Party on Process Intensification will closely cooperate with other Working Parties of the EFCE. Of particular importance will be the cooperation with

  • WP on Chemical Reaction Engineering and WP on Multiphase Fluid Dynamics (to have research and educational co-operation in the field of intensified technologies in multiphase processes);
  • Section on Environmental Protection and Sustainability and Section on Membrane Engineering (PI as a part of Green Chemical Engineering),
  • WP on Loss Prevention and Safety Promotion (PI as a part of Inherently Safer Process & Plant Design);
  • WP CAPE (e.g. to incorporate PI-equipment and operations into the process modeling and integration methodologies);
  • WP on Education (to perform educational activities in Process Intensification). 

 

Program activities of the WP PI

Next to its statutory meetings and according to the "Guidelines for the Working Parties" of the EFCE, the program activities of the Working Party on Process Intensification in the coming 3 years will include:

  1. Organization of the next International Conference on Process Intensification, every second year;
  2. Awarding the biennial EFCE Excellence Award for an outstanding PhD thesis in the field of Process Intensification;
  3. Arranging poster competition for young researchers during the ECCE conferences together with WP on Chemical Reaction Engineering and WP on Multiphase Fluid Dynamics;
  4. Developing an international M.Sc.-level university course and postgraduate training in the field of Process Intensification;
  5. Conducting a critical assessment and preparation of the report on currents status of Process Intensification in industry and in academia across Europe, in order to identify the possibilities and the needs in individual countries;
  6. Developing and organizing an industry-oriented short introductory course in PI, including a hands-on, practical workshop. The course/workshop will be held 2 times a year in various European countries. Locations of the course will be determined on basis of the needs identified in the status report (previous bullet);
  7. Developing and organizing interactive workshops on PI between academia and industry in countries that have a less-developed PI community, e.g. in Nordic countries;
  8. Disseminating actively new technologies that are emerging in industry.

     

WP PI Mission Statement 2011

 

Members

 

AUSTRIA

Dr. Dirk Kirschneck
Delegate, industry

Microinnova Engineering GmbH
Reininghausstrasse 13 a
8020 Graz, Austria
Contact

Kirschneck

Prof. Bettina Muster-Slawitsch
Delegate, academia

AEE Institute for Sustainable Technologies (INTEC)
Gleisdorf, Austria


BELGIUM

Prof. dr.ir. Tom van Gerven
Delegate, academia

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Department of Chemical Engineering
Celestijnenlaan 200F - box 2424, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
Contact

TomVanGerven

Mr. Alexis Torreele, MSc.
Delegate, industry

Worley
Process Engineering Department
Noorderlaan 127 A, 2030 Antwerpen, Belgium
Contact 

Torreele

CZECH REPUBLIC

Prof. Dr. Jiri Klemeš  († 17.01.2023)
Delegate, academia

Obituary: https://www.fme.vutbr.cz/en/fakulta/aktuality/71427

Jiri Klemes

DENMARK

Prof. John Woodley
Delegate, academia

Technical University of Denmark
Department of Chemical Engineering
Soltofts Plads, Building 229, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Contact

Woodley

FINLAND

Prof. Tuomas Koiranen
Delegate, academia

School of Engineering Science
Lappeenranta University of Technology
PO Box 20, 53851 Lappeenranta, Finland
Contact

Koiranen1

FRANCE

Dr. Dominique Horbez
Delegate, industry

SOLVAY Research & Innovation
52, rue de la Haie Coq, 93308 Aubervilliers, France
Contact

Horbez

Prof. Michel Cabassud
Delegate, academia

Laboratoire de Génie Chimique
UMR 5503 CNRS/INPT/UPS
BP 1301, 5, rue Paulin Talabot,
31106 Toulouse Cedex 1, France
Contact

Cabassud

GERMANY

Prof. Hannsjörg Freund
Delegate, academia

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik
Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Contact

Freund

GREECE

Prof. Georgios Stefanidis
Delegate, academia; WP Chair

National Technical University of Athens
Chemical Engineering Department
9 Iroon Polytechneiou
15780 Athen, Greece
Contact

Stefanidis

ITALY

Dr. Bora Aydin
Delegate, industry

Walter Tosto SpA
Via Erasmo Piaggio, 62
66100 Chieti Scalo, Italy
Contact

Aydin

Prof. Renzo Di Felice
Delegate, academia

University of Genova
Dipartimento di Ingegneria
Civile, Chimica ed Ambientale
Scuola Politecnica
via Opera Pia, 15, 16145 Genova, Italy


NETHERLANDS

Prof. Jan Harmsen
Delegate, industry

Harmsen Consultancy B.V.
Cyladen 5
2904 VG Capelle a/d IJ., The Netherlands
Contact

Harmsen

Prof. John van der Schaaf
Delegate, academia

Eindhoven University of
Technology
Chemical Reactor Engineering
Postbus 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, Netherlands


Prof. Andrzej Stankiewicz
Guest member, academia

 


RUSSIA

Prof. Rufat Abiev
Guest member, academia

Saint Petersburg University, Russia


SERBIA

Prof. Nikola Nikacevic
Guest member, academia

University of Belgrade
Department of Chemical Engineering
Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy
Karnegijeva 4, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Contact

Nikacevic

SLOVENIA

Prof. Igor Plazl
Delegate, academia

Universitiy of Ljubljana
Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
Department of Chemical Engineering
Askerceva 5, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Contact

Plazl

SPAIN

Associate Prof. Miguel Ladero Galán
Delegate, academia

Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Chemical Sciences College
Department of Chemical Engineering
Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Contact

Ladero_Galan

SWEDEN

Adj. Prof. Oleg Pajalic
Delegate, industry

Perstorp AB
28480 Perstorp, Sweden
Contact

Pajalic

Prof. Tord Svedberg
Delegate, academia

President & CEO
IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute
P.O. Box 210 60, 100 31 Stockholm, Sweden
Contact

Svedberg2017

SWITZERLAND

Dr.-Ing. Peter Riedlberger
Delegate, academia

Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology
Campus Reidbach, 8820 Wädenswil Switzerland
Contact

Riedlberger1

TURKEY

Dr. Özge Yüksel Orhan
Guest, academia

Hacettepe University
Faculty of Engineering
Department of Chemical Engineering
Beytepe Campus, 06800 Ankara
Contact

Yuksel Orhan

UNITED KINGDOM

Prof. Adam Harvey
Delegate, academia

Process Intensification Group
School of Engineering
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, United Kingdom
Contact

Harvey

Prof. Xiong-Wei Ni
Delegate, industy

School of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Heriot Watt University
Ricarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom
Contact

Ni1-web

Events

 
Process Intensification Conferences

2023
EPIC2023
8th European Process Intensification Conference - EPIC 2023
Warsaw, Poland, 31 May - 2 June 2023  (EFCE Event No. 795)


EPIC2023 is organised by Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering in cooperation with the EFCE Working Party on Process Intensification.

2019
2nd Internationl Process Intensification Conference - IPIC2019

Leuven, Belgium, 27-29 May 2019

 
2017
European Process Intensification Conference 2017 - EPIC 2017

Barcelona, Spain, 1-5 October 2017

held in conjunction with WCCE10

 
2016
Process Intensification Colloquium

Izmir, Turkey, 3-5 November 2016

 
2015
European Process Intensification Conference 2015 - EPIC 2015

Nice, France,   27 September - 1 October 2015

 

 


Spotlight Talks

Date Topic / Programme  
23 November 2022
Electrification of chemical processes and chemical industry
Working Parties on Process Intensification and on Chemical Reaction Engineering
Recording (YouTube)
18 May 2021 Intensification of mixing and multiphase contacting in continuous flow equipment 
Working Parties on Mixing and on Process Intensification
 
2 December 2020 Lifelong Learning of Process Intensification for an Innovative industry
Working Party on Process Intensification
 

Summer Schools

 

Summer School 2010

of the EFCE Working Parties on Process Intensification and on Computer Aided Process Engineering (CAPE), and EURECHA
Process Integration and Intensification, Process Optimisation and Regional Sustainability
21 June - 2 July 2010
Faculty of Information Technology, University of Pannonia, Egyetem utca 1, Veszprém, Hungary

Thema:  Process Integration and Intensification, Process Optimisation and Regional Sustainability

Announcement; Programme

Working Party Awards

 

Process Intensification Award for Industrial Innovation


The EFCE Process Intensification Award for Industrial Innovation is awarded for an outstanding example of industrial application in the field of process intensification.

2023

The 2023 Process Intensification Award for Industrial Innovation has been awarded to

Continuous production of a functional Consumer Care ingredient

developed by

Croda International Plc,

United Kingdom


The Award, generously sponsored by EUROPIC, was presented on 31 May 2023 at the 8th European Process Intensification Conference -EPIC 8, held in Warsaw, Poland on 31 May - 2 June 2023. Croda colleagues involved in the innovation are invited to give a presentation on 2 June 2023.

> EFCE Press Release


2019

The 2019 EFCE Process Intensification Award for Industrial Innovation
has been awarded to the innovation

"Eliminating the need for liquid bromine by flow technology"

developed by

AGFA-GEVAERT N.V.

Mortsel, Belgium          

The Award, generously sponsored by Technip B.V., was presented on Monday, 27 May 2019 at the 2nd International Process Intensification Conference - IPIC2) which was held in Leuven, Belgium on 27-29 May 2019. The winning team was invited to give a presentation on the project on Tuesday, 28 May 2019.

 

Presentation-IndustrialPI-Award-Agfa

From left to right: Tom Van Gerven (chairman WP PI), Bora Aydin (chairman of the jury and representative of TechnipFMC, the sponsor), Wim Dermaut and Bart Cappuyns (both Agfa-Gevaert NV)
 

Previous winners of the Process Intensification Awards for Industrial Innovation


EFCE Excellence Award in Process Intensification

The EFCE Excellence Award in Process Intensification (PI) is awarded every two years for an outstanding PhD thesis in the field.

2023

Award winner: Dr. Matteo Antognoli 

The 2023 Excellence Award in Process Intensification will be presented on 31 May 2023 at EPIC 8 which will be held in Warsaw, Poland, on 31 May to 2 June 2023.

EFCE Press release 2/2023: 
Excellence Award in Process Intensification presented to Matteo Antognoli
 


2021

Award winner: Dr. Evangelos Delikonstantis
The 2021 Excellence Award in Process Intensification was presented on 23 September 2021 at ECCE13 & ECAB6 held as a virtual conference on 20-23 September 2021.

EFCE Press Release 10/2021:
"Pulsed plasma ethylene process scoops EFCE process intensification award"


2019

Award Winner: Dr. Andy N. Antzara
The 2019 Excellence Award in Process Intensification was presented on 27 May 2019 at IPIC2.

Presentation-ExcellenceAwardPI-Antzara

From left to right: Tom Van Gerven (chairman WP PI), Dirk Kirschneck (Microinnova, Sponsor), Nikola Nikacevic (Chairman of the jury) and Andy N. Antzara (winner of the award).

 
Previous winners of the Excellence Award in Process Intensification

 


EFCE Poster Award

jointly organised by the EFCE Working Parties on Chemical Reaction Engineering, Multiphase Fluid Flow, and Process Intensification

2013

Mr. Michael Patrascu, Technion, Haifa, Israel, is the winner of the EFCE Poster Award 2013 for the best poster presented in a special poster competition on "Intensified Technologies for Multiphase Processes". The session was jointly organised by the EFCE Working Parties on Chemical Reaction Engineering, Multiphase Fluid Flow, and Process Intensification at ECCE9/ECAB2 in The Hague, the Netherlands. Michael Patrascu obtained the accolade for the poster entitled "Design Principles for an Efficient Scaled Down Autothermal Membrane Reformer for Pure Hydrogen Production".

Presentation of the EFCE Poster Award to Michael Patrascu

Poster Award Patrascu

From left to right: Professor Andreas Seidel-Morgenstern, Professor Andrzej Stankiewicz, Michael Patrascu, Professor Daniele Marchisio

 
2012

Dipl.-Ing. Stephan Aschauer, Bayreuth, Germany, is the winner of the EFCE Poster Award 2011 for the best poster presented at the special poster session on "Intensified Technologies for Multiphase Processes". The session was jointly organised by the EFCE Working Parties on Chemical Reaction Engineering, Multiphase Fluid Flow, and Process Intensification at ECCE8/ECAB1 in Berlin. Stephan Aschauer obtained the accolade for the poster entitled "Continuous Isobutane/2-Butene Alkylation in a droplet-reactor using Lewin acidic ionic liquids promoted with tert-butyl-halides as catalysts".

aschauer
2010

The Working Parties on Multiphase Fluid Flow (MFF), Process Intensification (PI) and Chemical Reaction Engineering (CRE) ran a very successful Poster Competition at CHISA 2010 / ECCE7. PhD students and post-docs had to submit their poster for the competition. Of all posters submitted for this special poster session only 18 were allowed to participate, making the competition very selective from the beginning. The Competition Jury and the members of the working parties present in Prague visited the posters during the poster session on Sunday afternoon August 29.

In the evening a dinner of all participants and the Jury and working party chairmen took place at which the poster prize sponsored by the EFCE was presented to Miss Carla Pereira, PhD student at the University of Porto, Portugal, for her poster "Perm SMBR - a new hybrid technology: application on the ethyl lactate green solvent production". The organizers, participants and jury members considered the competition a real success and intend to repeat it next year at ECCE8 in Berlin.

Poster competition0810-photo1-web

The poster prize winner Miss Carla Pereira (middle) with the jury members, from left to right Prof. Ilkka Turunen (PI), Prof. Dieter Mewes (MFF) and Prof. Tapio Salmi (CRE), and the chairmen of the Working Parties, from right to left Prof. Philipp Rudolf von Rohr (MFF), Prof. Andrzej Stankiewicz (PI) and Prof. Jaap Schouten (CRE). "

Publications

 

WP PI Annual Reports


Presentations


Papers and reports


Other publications

 

Discussion Forum

 

European Process Intensification networks

European Roadmap of Process Intensification

Report on the European Roadmap for Process Intensification   (4,11 MB)
 - Appendix 1 to the Report   (3,85 MB)
 - Appendix 2 to the Report   (1,15 MB)
 


Process Intensification examples in industry