Newcastle University

Roles and Responsibilities

Stage 1 Tutor
Stage 1 Laboratory Supervisor
Member of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Committee
Member of Recruitment and Marketing Committee
INTO School Liaison
Member of Staff-Student Committee

Qualifications

MEng (1st Class Hons)(University of Newcastle)
PhD (University of Newcastle)

Honours and Awards

ExxonMobil Engineering Teaching Fellowship (2004-2007)
Award of ExxonMobil Higher Education Support Scheme (EHESS)(2004)
SAgE Faculty Certificate of Appreciation for Best Lecturer (2004)
ORS Award (1995-1999)

Languages

English and French (Fluent)

Undergraduate Teaching

Stage 1: Fluids
Stage 2: Separation Processes 1 

Stage 2: Transfer Processes (Heat Transfer) 

Stage 3: Process Economics

Stage 3: Plant Design Project
Stage 4: Enhanced Design Project

Stage 4: Extended Design Project

Stage 4: Process Intensification

Postgraduate Teaching

MSc Sustainable Engineering: Process Intensification
MSc Clean Technology: Clean Technology Applications
MSc PACT: Distillation Column Design and Operation
Guest Lecturer on MSc programme in Green Chemistry and Sustainable Industrial Technology at University of York (2007-Present)

Main expertise/research interests 

My research activities in the area of Process Intensification have focused on the development of the spinning disc reactor (SDR) and its application to polymerisation reactions including free-radical styrene polymerisation, photopolymerisation of styrene and n-butyl acrylate and cationic polymerisation of styrene using immobilised Lewis acid catalysts. Further work is on-going in area of the emulsion polymerisation.
Recently, I have been investigating the application of intensified reactor technologies to bioprocesses such as fermentation reactions. I also have a keen interest in intensification applications involving green chemistry and engineering such as ionic liquid processing and renewable resources such as the use of biomass for biofuels and biopolymers.

Research themes

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ceam/research/products/

Current Work 

Crystallisation in the spinning disc reactor

Control of spinning disc reactor

Micromixing studies

Spinning disc reactor applications to polymerisation, dehydration processes etc.

Intensification of fermentation processes

Postgraduate Supervision 

PhD students

1. Antony Prince (Sept 2012- Present) "Design and development of antifouling membranes with nano-structured materials and its application in water filtration technology"
2. Somaieh Mohammadi (March 2011-Present)"Crystallisation in the Spinning Disc Reactor"
3. Dena Ghiasy (2013) “Modelling and Control of a Rotating Disk Contactor” funded by EPSRC DTA Award
4. Salah Al-Hengari (2012) "Micromixing Characteristics and Residence Time Distribution in the Spinning Disc Reactor" funded by Libyan Petroleum Institute
5. Craig Cartwright (2011) "Bioprocess Intensfication: A study of rotating porous mesh impellers for enhancement of aerobic fermentation processes" funded by an EPSRC DTA
6. Christopher Dobie (2010)"A study of bulk free-radical co-polymerisation and surfactant-free emulsion polymerisation using intensified processing methods" funded by EPSRC DTA
7. Edward Mc Carthy (2007) "The Production of Polymer Nanocomposites using Intensified Modules" funded by Crystal Faraday/Protensive CASE Award
8. Paul Hetherington (2006) "Process intensification : a study of calcium carbonate precipitation methods on a spinning disc reactor" funded by an EPSRC Doctoral Training Award

Research Associates

1. Stephane Vallois (2007-2008) "Feasibility study of producing polymers in SDR", Industry funded project
2. Marija Vicevic (2007-2008) “Design and development of centrifugal field bioreactor”, EU funded Integrated Project on Bioproduction
3. Marija Vicevic (2006- 2007) “Feasibility study for multi-functional acrylate process in SDR”, Industry funded project
4. Marija Vicevic (2004-2005) "Kinetics and Mechanisms of Rapid Radical Polymerisations in SDR", EPSRC funded project

Final Year MEng projects

1. Jared Kirk (2013) "Adipic acid crystallisation in the spinning disc reactor"
2. Nile Smith (2012) "Understanding the rheological properties and decomposition endotherms of scrap/recycle polymer"
3. Johanna Smith (2011) "Assessment of energy saving potential of prcess intensification technologies in the UK's pharmaceutical and fine chemicals industries"
4. Dean McCaffery (2011) "Assessment of energy saving potential of process intensification technologies in the UK's oil and gas and food industries"
5. Lily Smith (2011) "Development of a continuous reactor technloogy for microwave assisted decomposition of solid biomass" (in collaboration with Green Chemistry Group at York University and Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Spain) 
6. Jennifer Horstwood (2009) "Characterisation of micromixing effects in a narrow channel reactor"
7. Ian Duffus (2009) "Effect of ultrasound on Sugar Fatty Acid Ester (SFAE) synthesis" 
8. Christopher Dobie (2006) "Effect of agitation rate on polymerisation in a batch stirred tank reactor"
9. Ellen Toogood (2005) "Intensification of a bioprocess: gas-liquid mass transfer enhancement using porous mesh impellers"
10. Andrew Grant (2005) "Kinetics of free-radical polymerisation in batch and spinning disc reactors"
11. Leo Kalli (2004) “Intensification of a bioprocess”
12. Matthew Tondziel (2002) "Photo-initiated polymerisation of styrene on a spinning disc reactor"
13. Kirsti Eimer (2002) "Cationic polymerisation of styrene using a spinning disc reactor"
14. Graham Lewis (2001) "Photo-polymerisation of n-butyl acrylate by utilisation of the spinning disc reactor"

MSc projects

1. Ibrahim Fawaz (2009) "An Investigation into the Intensification of Enzymatic Synthesis of Sugar Fatty Acid Esters"
2. James Thompson (2008) "Intensification of enzymatic biodiesel production using ultrasound"
3. Yoke Ling Lee (2006) "Characterisation of bubble size distribution using porous mesh impellers"
4. Puneet Puri (2006) "Mass transfer characteristics of porous packing impellers for potential application to fermentation processes"
5. Masumah Al-Qasmi (2005) "Photo-initiated Emulsifier-free Emulsion Polymerisation in a Batch Reactor"
6. Teresa Ndlovu (2004) "Intensification of aerobic fermentation of E.coli using a novel agitator"

Exchange students

1. Wong Qui Rong (2004) "Intensification of oxygen transfer in aerobic fermentations" (Exchange student from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore)

2. Aman Kaur (2002) "Spinning Disc Reactor (SDR) for Cationic Polymerization of Styrene" (Exchange student from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore)

Summer Research projects

1. Andreina Bolivar (2007) " Free radical photo copolymerisation study of butyl acrylate and vinyl acetate using a spinning disc reactor"
2. Ellen Toogood (2004) "Intensification of oxygen transfer rates in aerobic fermentations using high cell density cultures through use of a rotating porous packed bed" (funded by Nuffield Foundation)

Esteem Indicators

• Winner of an ExxonMobil Engineering Teaching Fellowship (2004-2007)
• Invited to serve as panel member for EPSRC Engineering Systems programme (2008-Present)
• Invited keynote lecture on Process Intensification (6th Green Chemistry and the Consumer Symposium) (2009); invited talks by industry (PIN-NL Network (2010)) and various UK universities (2006-Present)
• Invited by Working Party on Process Intensification of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering to contribute as a leading expert in Spinning Disc Reactor Technology to the European Roadmap of Process Intensification (2007)
• Invited to deliver a 5-day training course on Process Intensification Technologies organised by Libyan Petroleum Institute for petrochemical industry participants (2007)
• Reviewer for leading journals in chemical engineering and polymer science (Chemical Engineering Science, Chemical Engineering Journal, Chemical Engineering & Processing: Process Intensification, Journal of Applied Polymer Science (2005-Present))
• Reviewer of EPSRC grant applications (2004-Present) and International reviewer for Dutch Technology Foundation STW (2005-Present)
• Internal and External examiner for MPhils and PhDs (2004-Present)
 

Funding Received: 

EU funded project: "Sustainable Microbial and Biocatalytic Production of Advanced Functional Materials (BIOPRODUCTION)", Project value €9,000,000 (£240,000 to Newcastle), 09/2006 - 08/2010 (Co-Investigator)

Industrial Relevance: 

Consultancy

Specialist Expertise

Process intensification: Evaluation of intensified technologies for specific applications.
Polymerisation processes and characterisation of polymers (mainly molecular weights and viscosity).
Distillation column: evaluation of existing columns for proposed separation duties
Fluid mechanics

Specialist Equipment:

Bohlin Cone and Plate viscometer.
Gel Permeation Chromatography for analysis of molecular weight and molecular weight distributions (Polymer Labs).
Mettler-Toledo ReactIR system for online and offline analysis.

• Dobie CG, Vicevic M, Boodhoo KVK. An evaluation of the effectiveness of continuous thin film processing in a spinning disc reactor for bulk free-radical photo-copolymerisation. Chemical Engineering and Processing 2013. In Press.
• Ghiasy D, Boodhoo KVK. Opportunities for Energy Saving from Intensified Process Technologies in the Chemical and Processing Industries. In: KVK Boodhoo and AP Harvey, ed. Process Intensification for Green Chemistry: Engineering Solutions for Sustainable Chemical Processing. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons, 2013, pp.379-392.
• Boodhoo KVK, Harvey AP. Process Intensification: An Overview of Principles and Practice. In: KVK Boodhoo; AP Harvey, ed. Process Intensification for Green Chemistry: Engineering Solutions for Sustainable Chemical Processing. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons, 2013, pp.3-30.
• Boodhoo KVK. Spinning Disc Reactor: Continuous Thin-film Flow Processing for Green Chemistry Applications. In: KVK Boodhoo and AP Harvey, ed. Process Intensification for Green Chemistry: Engineering Solutions for Sustainable Chemical Processing. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 2013, pp.59-90.
• Ghiasy D, Boodhoo KVK, Tham MT. Control of Intensified Equipment: A simulation study for pH Control in a Spinning Disc Reactor. Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification 2012, 55, 1-7.
• Boodhoo KVK, Al-Hengari S. Micromixing characteristics in a small-scale spinning disk reactor. Chemical Engineering & Technology 2012, 35(7), 1229-1237.
• Mohammadi S, Boodhoo KVK. Online conductivity measurement of residence time distribution of thin film flow in the spinning disc reactor. Chemical Engineering Journal 2012, 207-208, 885-894.
• Ghiasy D, Boodhoo KVK, Tham MT. Thermographic analysis of thin liquid flims on a rotating disc: approach and challenges. Applied Thermal Engineering 2012, 44, 39-49.
• Al-Hengari S, Boodhoo KVK. A study of intensified micromixing in the spinning disc reactor. In: European Process Intensification Conference (EPIC). 2011, Manchester, UK.
• Cartwright CD, Lee YL, Boodhoo KVK, Cooper J. Bioprocess Intensification: Enhanced PHA production using porous mesh impellers. In: GLS10. 2011, Braga, Portugal.
• Ghiasy D, Boodhoo KVK, Tham MT. Control of Process Intensified Equipment: pH control in a SDR. In: EPIC2011. 2011, Manchester, UK.
• Boodhoo KVK. Process Intensification for Enhanced Productivity in Bioprocesses. In: 4th Franco-British Workshop on Biomass Based Chemistry. 2011, York, UK.
• Boodhoo KVK. Process Intensification for Sustainable Chemical and Bioprocessing: Opportunities and Challenges. In: British Council sponsored Workshop on Sustainable Chemistry. 2011, Avila, Spain.
• Ghiasy D, Boodhoo KVK, Tham MT. Thermographic analysis of thin liquid films on a rotating disc: Approach and Challenges. In: HEFAT2011. 2011, Mauritius.
• Boodhoo KVK, Cartwright CD, Vicevic M, Prieto MA, Tortejada M. Development of a Higee Bioreactor (HBR) for production of PHA: hydrodynamics, gas-liquid mass transfer and fermentation studies. Chemical Engineering & Processing: Process Intensification 2010, 49(7), 748-758.
• Dobie CG, Boodhoo KVK. Surfactant-free emulsion polymerisation of methyl methacrylate and methylacrylate using intensified processing methods. Chemical Engineering & Processing: Process Intensification 2010, 49(9), 901-911.
• Boodhoo KVK, Vicevic M, Cartwright CD, Ndlovu T, Toogood EC. Intensification of gas-liquid mass transfer using a rotating bed of porous packings for application to an E. coli batch fermentation process. Chemical Engineering Journal 2008, 135(1-2), 141-150.
• Vicevic M, Novakovic K, Boodhoo KVK, Morris AJ. Kinetics of styrene free radical polymerisation in the spinning disc reactor. Chemical Engineering Journal 2008, 135(1-2), 78-82.
• McCarthy ED, Dunk WAE, Boodhoo KVK. Application of an intensified narrow channel reactor to the aqueous phase precipitation of barium sulphate. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 2007, 305(1), 72-87.
• Vicevic M, Boodhoo KVK, Scott K. Catalytic isomerisation of α-pinene oxide to campholenic aldehyde using silica-supported zinc triflate catalysts. I. Kinetic and thermodynamic studies. Chemical Engineering Journal 2007, 133(1-3), 31-41.
• Vicevic M, Boodhoo KVK, Scott K. Catalytic isomerisation of α-pinene oxide to campholenic aldehyde using silica-supported zinc triflate catalysts. II. Performance of immobilised catalysts in a continuous spinning disc reactor. Chemical Engineering Journal 2007, 133(1-3), 43-57.
• Boodhoo KVK, Dunk WAE, Vicevic M, Jachuck RJ, Sage V, Macquarrie DJ, Clark JH. Classical cationic polymerization of styrene in a spinning disc reactor using silica-supported BF3 catalyst. Journal of Applied Polymer Science 2006, 101(1), 8-19.
• Vicevic M, Novakovic K, Boodhoo KVK, Morris AJ. Kinetics of methyl methacrylate free radical polymerisation in the spinning disc reactor. In: 17th International Congress of Chemical and Process Engineering (CHISA). 2006, Prague, Czech Republic: CSCHI.
• Boodhoo KVK, Glassey JG, Kalli L, Toogood EC. Oxygen transfer enhancement using a rotating bed of porous packing material for potential application to fermentation processes. In: 7th World Congress of Chemical Engineering. 2005, Glasgow, UK.
• McCarthy ED, Boodhoo KVK, Dunk WAE, Jachuck R. The Production of Polymer Nanocomposites Using Intensified Technology. In: 8th International Workshop on Polymer Reaction Engineering. 2004, Hamburg, Germany.
• Boodhoo KVK, Dunk WAE, Jassim MS, Jachuck RJ. Thin film solvent-free photopolymerization of n-butyl acrylate. I. Static film studies. Journal of Applied Polymer Science 2004, 91(4), 2079-2095.
• Boodhoo KVK, Dunk WAE, Jachuck RJ. Continuous photopolymerization in a novel thin film spinning disc reactor. In: Photoinitiated Polymerization. 2003, Chicago, Illinois, USA: Oxford University Press.
• Novakovic K, Boodhoo KVK, Martin EB, Morris AJ. Data Analysis and Modelling of Spinning Disc Polymerisation from Minimal Data. In: First International Symposium on Process Intensification and Miniaturisation. 2003, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
• Boodhoo KVK, Dunk WAE, Jachuck RJ. Influence of centrifugal field on free-radical polymerization kinetics. Journal of Applied Polymer Science 2002, 85(11), 2283-2286.
• Boodhoo KVK, Jachuck RJJ. Application of the spinning-disc technology for process Intensification in the chemical process industry. In: Regel & Wilcox, ed. Processing by Centrifugation. New York: Kluwer Academic, 2001, pp.7-17.
• Boodhoo KVK, Dunk WAE, Jachuck RJJ. Spinning disc reactor for photopolymerization. In: Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society. 2001, American Chemical Society.
• Boodhoo KVK, Jachuck RJ. Process intensification: Spinning disc reactor for condensation polymerisation. Green Chemistry 2000, 2(5), 235-244.
• Boodhoo KVK, Jachuck RJ. Process intensification: Spinning disk reactor for styrene polymerization. Applied Thermal Engineering 2000, 20(12), 1127-1146.