1

Note from the Program Head

In This Issue:

SRP Update 2

Plastics 3

In the News 4

Publications 5

Sponsor Survey 7

Fall Meeting 7

As some of

you are aware,

separations

technology

was a topic of

discussion

within the

chemical engi-

neering com-

munity this summer. Jose Bravo au-

thored an excellent review of distilla-

tion technology in CEP and my UT

colleague Joan Brennecke chaired an

NAE report entitled “A Research

Agenda for Transforming Separations

Science”. I have reproduced the first

paragraph out of that report’s sum-

mary below. I am pretty sure I do not

agree with the stated opinion but both

publications got me thinking about

what I believe the path forward

should look like. What follows is the

view from my horse based on 40

years of trying to separate molecules.

Separation science plays a critical

role in our society. Chemical separa-

tions are critical in providing

the foods and services that are needed

to maintain our standard of living and

quality of life. Without separations,

access to such necessities as chemi-

cals, medicines, clean water, safe

food, and energy sources would not

be possible. Although chemical sepa-

rations are integral to numerous in-

dustrial processes, they are not al-

ways considered during product de-

velopment. That inattention results in

chemical processes that are ineffi-

cient or have adverse effects or re-

sults. A focus on separation science

is needed to overcome those issues

and ultimately to improve human

health, to reduce the adverse effects

of industrial activities, and to develop

a sustainable chemical enterprise that

can drive the economy. 1) Whatever it is, it has to work at

industrial scale. Back when the

next great thing was algae based

fuel production, I wanted to take

my bio-colleagues to the middle

of a world scale refinery and just

have them look around. We do

massive processes, and as eco-

nomics of scale become more im-

portant and we learn how to oper-

ate and control huge pieces of

process equipment, this trend will

only accelerate. Process intensi-

fication has its place but we do

not do “micro-equipment”. The

academic research community has

been guilty of exploring technolo-

gies which will NEVER scale to

commercial size. There is a long

list of poor choices which I will

not call out here but it’s a perva-

sive problem exacerbated by the

government funding process.

There needs to be more feedback /

interaction between funding or-

ganizations and industry to be

sure the right ideas are being fi-

nancially supported. cont. →

https://sites.utexas.edu/pstc/

2

Program Head Note cont.

The SRP pilot facilities continue to undergo modifi-

cations for enhanced capabilities and longevity.

The distillation piping has been modified to allow

for hydrocarbon hydraulic characterization similar

to those obtained with the Air/Water column. In ad-

dition, a new high capacity liquid recirculation

pump has been added along with re-insulating the

entire distillation column, bottoms and overhead

piping. Our original cooling water piping was experiencing

significant corrosion.

As a result, all of the

original cooling water

piping has just been

replaced with 304

stainless piping. The

project was co-funded

by the College of En-

gineering. Also in

October, all of the new cooling water piping will be

insulated. cont. →

SRP Update: Frank Seibert

2) We underutilize chemistry to conduct separa-

tions. Dr. Marvin Johnson, our top technical

engineering and NAE member at Phillips, could

come up with the most innovative ways to uti-

lize a chemical reaction to facilitate a separation,

either by adjusting molecules to improve a vola-

tility based separation or just reacting out the

problematic component. I am a distillation guy,

but we tend to go that direction without looking

at other process alternatives, especially those

that involve reactions. The NAE report agrees

with this opinion and clearly points out the need

for more collaboration between chemical engi-

neers and chemist.

3) When all you have is a hammer, everything

looks like a nail. At the risk of stating the obvi-

ous, not every separation can be feasibly done

with one universal technique. The reason the

skyline of east Houston is dominated by tall sil-

ver towers is vapor-liquid processes can be ap-

plied to the widest assortment of separations and

they scale to massive industrial flows. I love

membranes, but they are a niche technology. I

grew up as an engineer during a time when they

were going to replace all other separations ap-

proaches, that did not happen and 35 years later

but we are still try to apply them to applications

that will never be technically or economically

feasible. For what they do well (hydrogen sepa-

ration comes to mind) they do very well but we

should quit thinking they are a universal solu-

tion.

4) New materials could be game changers. I have

watched with some interest my materials science

colleagues develop wonderful new compounds

for a host of very cool applications. I cannot

help but wonder what this new emerging science

could do if it was targeted at separations chal-

lenges. We are not as sexy as solar energy ab-

sorbing windows but few industries have the en-

ergy and capital investment footprint of the re-

fining and chemical processing industries. Our

good friend distillation is 10 percent thermally

efficient so there is room for improvement. 5) A realistic economic and technical assessment

needs to be a key part of the proposal process. I

have reviewed proposal economics and a lot of

them are based on unrealistic premises which

industry would never support. Industrial pro-

posal collaborators are the only solution to

providing the appropriate amount of oversight to

the economic component. So what’s the summary? There is room for innova-

tion but we need to eliminate dead end ideas and

fund truly novel approaches with industrial poten-

tial. This is a self-serving statement of course, but

that only happens within collaborative environments

with a strong academic / industry interaction. It also

only happens when industrial representatives be-

come part of the NSF, DOE, NIST proposal review

process.

3

The capacity of a liquid-liquid

extractor can be limited by poor

drop coalescence at the main op-

erating interface. This is espe-

cially true for many “wash” type

extractors. In the 1990s, an SRP

study was conducted to investi-

gate the performance of Teflon

and stainless structured packings

in enhancing coalescence and

increasing extractor capacity. In some cases, the

coalescer addition increased the capacity by 60%.

In recent years, new questions regarding coalescer

designs have emerged which suggest that a larger

study would be valuable. Such questions include: Could Teflon random packing provide a cost

efficient alternative to Teflon structured pack-

ing?

Are less expensive polypropylene packings as

efficient as Teflon packings?

What coalescer height is recommended?

What capacity increase should be expected with

a coalescer addition?

What coalescer material of construction should

be specified?

Other similar questions have arisen in the last ten

years. Several PSTC sponsors have recently pro-

posed that we revisit this area of study. We will ex-

plore the possibility of forming a group of PSTC

sponsors which will provide technical guidance and

leveraging of their Tier II funds to support this

study. Oldershaw distillation activity continues to be

strong with multiple projects extending into the

fourth quarter of 2019. Interest in oil/water mem-

brane separations continues to increase with more

than four projects planned in 2019/2020. The appli-

cations range across many industries. Future

2019/2020 SRP pilot plant and lab scale operations

will include: Oldershaw Distillation Studies

Distillation Random Packing Characterization

Application of NIR to Obtain Fast Distillation

Compositional Measurements

Air/Water Packing Characterization

Effect of Temperature, Interfacial Tension, Sur-

factants, and Varying Oils on the Oil/Water

Membrane Separation

SRP Update cont.

Plastics

Like most of the rest of the world, Drs. Seibert and

Eldridge have been following the recent stories on

the need for addressing plastics in the environ-

ment. There has to be some good chemical engi-

neering that can help mitigate the problem. We re-

alize that various ideas are being developed by our

sponsoring companies but our past 40 years of op-

eration would lead us to believe the PSTC / SRP

can bring some value to the research and develop-

ment process. To further pursue this idea, we need

your help in identifying your internal company con-

tacts who can assist us in understanding how we

can effectively plug into the problem. Any help will

be appreciated. Our working plan would be to have

a road-mapping session with interested academic

and industry participants in late 2019 or early 2020.

For your reference, the following links provide an

interesting overview of the problem and on-going

efforts:

1) Closed Loop Partners Report “Accelerating Cir-

cular Supply Chains for Plastics

[closedlooppartners.com]” summarizing key

players in the chemical recycling

2) Ellen MacArthur white paper “Enabling a Cir-

cular Economy for Chemicals with the Mass

Balance Approach

[ellenmacarthurfoundation.org]”

4

In the News

Over the course of 2019, Professor Ben-

ny Freeman has picked up awards for

his work. First, the Membrane Society

of Australasia (MSA), which aims to

represent and promote the activities in

membrane science and technology both in the re-

search and industrial sectors, has awarded him its

Distinguished Scholar Lectureship.

Freeman was also tapped by the American Chemical

Society’s (ACS) POLY/PMSE (Polymeric Materi-

als: Science and Engineering) to deliver the 2019

plenary lecture at the Fall 2019 ACS Meeting in San

Diego, CA.

Finally, the Bird/Stewart/Lightfoot (BSL) Programs

at the University of Wisconsin at Madison has

named Dr. Freeman their BSL Lecturer of 2019.

The BSL Programs were established to train chemi-

cal engineering students in fluid flow, heat transfer,

and diffusion. The lecture programs were founded in

2001 to honor outstanding chemical engineers.

A team of students and postdocs from

M-WET (The Center for Materials for

Water and Energy Systems) have won

the Department of Energy’s EFRC

(Energy Frontiers Research Centers)

"Student and Postdoc Team Science Competition

Award." This team counts Freeman group graduate

student Rahul Sujanani.

The DOE’s Office Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

sponsored this event to highlight student and post-

doc “accomplishments and further the development

of the future scientific energy workforce.” M-

WET’s team, under the guidance of center director

Benny Freeman, earned top honors for their presen-

tation ““Influence of Membrane Architecture on

Fluid Transport.”

PI Benny Freeman Earns Accolades

M-WET Team Receives DOE EFRC Award

PSTC Alumni Land Faculty Positions

Two of PSTC’s alumni have landed

coveted spots among the engineering

faculty at top universities. Jovan

Kamcev, former graduate student

from the Freeman group, has joined

the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Uni-

versity of Michigan. Kamcev earned his bachelor’s

degree in Chemical Engineering and Applied Math

& Statistics from Stony Brook University and his

master’s and a doctorate in Chemical Engineering

from the University of Texas at Austin. He also

served as a postdoctoral fellow for Professor Jeffrey

Long in the Department of Chemistry at the Univer-

sity of California, Berkeley.

Also joining the ranks of faculty this

fall is Hee Jeung Oh at Penn State’s

Department of Chemical Engineer-

ing. She earned her master’s and a

doctorate in Chemical Engineering

from the University of Texas at Aus-

tin in the Freeman Group and also served as a post-

doctoral fellow at the University of California,

Berkeley.

5

Publications

Baldea/Eldridge Group Donahue, M. M.; Downs, J. J.; Baldea, M.; Eldridge, R. B. “Managing Trace Components in a Dividing Wall

Distillation Column: An Experimental Study,” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2019, 58, 12687-

12701.

Donahue, M. M.; Baldea, M.; Eldridge, R. B. “Steady State Considerations for Designing Minimum Energy Con-

trol Strategies for a Dividing Wall Distillation Column with Trace Components,” Chemical Engineering & Pro-

cessing: Process Intensification in press.

Baldea Group Tsay, C.; Baldea, M. “110th Anniversary: Using Data to Bridge the Time and Length Scales of Process Systems,”

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2019, 58, 16696-16708.

Simkoff, J. M.; Baldea, M. “Parameterizations of Data-driven Nonlinear Process Models for Fast Scheduling and

Control Calculations,” Computers & Chemical Engineering 2019, 129, 106498.

Yan, L.; Edgar, T. F.; Baldea, M. “Maximizing Energy Savings Attainable by Dynamic Intensification of Binary

Distillation Columns,” Studia Universitatis "Babes-Bolyai", Chemia, accepted.

Lee, F. Y.; Edgar, T. F.; Baldea, M.; Lee, J. “Minimized Test Times for Step and Pulse Responses,” Industrial &

Engineering Chemistry Research accepted.

Tsay, C.; Pattison, R. C.; Zhang, Y.; Rochelle, G. T.; Baldea, M. “Rate-based Modeling and Economic Optimiza-

tion of Next-generation Amine Scrubbing Carbon Capture Processes,” Applied Energy 2019, 252, 113379.

Costandy, J. G.; Edgar, T. F.; Baldea, M. “Switching from Batch to Continuous Reactors Is a Trajectory Optimi-

zation Problem,” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2019, 58, 13718-13736.

Ganesh, H. S.; Fritz, H. E.; Edgar, T. F.; Novoselac, A.; Baldea, M. “Model-based Dynamic Optimization Strate-

gy for Control of Indoor Air Pollutants,” Energy and Buildings, 2019, 195, 168-179.

Baldea, M.; Hasan, M. M. F.; Boukouvala, F. “Editorial for Special Issue on Frameworks for Process Intensifica-

tion and Modularization ,” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research accepted.

Tsay, C.; Kumar, A.; Flores-Cerrillo, J.; Baldea, M. “Optimal Demand Response Scheduling of an Industrial Air

Separation Unit using Data-driven Dynamic Models,” Computers & Chemical Engineering 2019, 126, 22-34.

Simkoff, J. M.; Baldea, M. “Production Scheduling and MPC: Complete Integration via Complementarity Condi-

tions,” Computers & Chemical Engineering 2019, 125, 287-305.

Tsay, C.; Baldea, M. “Fast and Efficient Chemical Process Flowsheet Simulation by Pseudo-Transient Continua-

tion on Inertial Manifolds,” Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering 2019, 348, 935-953.

Yan, L.; Edgar, T. F.; Baldea, M. “Dynamic Process Intensification of Binary Distillation via Periodic Opera-

tion,” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2019, 58, 5830-5837.

Kelley, M. T.; Baldick, R.; Baldea, M. “Demand Response Operation of Electricity-intensive Chemical Processes

for Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Application to an Air Separation Unit,” ACS Sustainable Chemistry

& Engineering 2019, 7, 1909-1922.

Yan, L.; Edgar, T. F.; Baldea, M. “Dynamic Process Intensification of Binary Distillation Based on Output Multi-

plicity,” AIChE Journal 2019, 65, 1162-1172.

Korambath, P.; Ganesh, H. S.; Wang, J.; Baldea, M.; Davis, J. F. “Energy Optimization of a Heat Treating Fur-

nace via On-Demand Cloud Workflow Services,” ASTM Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing Systems 2018,

1, 165-179.

Ganesh, H. S.; Ezekoye, O. A.; Edgar, T. F.; Baldea. “Heat Integration and Operational Optimization of an Aus-

tenitization Furnace Using Concentric‐tube Radiant Recuperators,” AIChE Journal 2019, 65, e16414.

Otashu, J. I.; Baldea, M. “Demand Response-oriented Dynamic Modeling and Operational Optimization of Mem-

brane-based Chlor-alkali Plants,” Computers & Chemical Engineering 2019, 121, 396-408.

Baldea, M.; Edgar, T. F. “Dynamic Process Intensification,” Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering 2018, 22,

48-53.

Daoutidis, P.; Lee, J. H.; Harjunkoski, I.; Skogestad, S.; Baldea, M.; Georgakis, C. “Integrating Operations and

Control: A Perspective and Roadmap for Future Research,” Computers & Chemical Engineering 2018, 115,

179-184.

6

Publications cont.

Baldea Group cont. Ondeck, A. D.; Edgar, T. F.; Baldea, M. “Impact of Rooftop Photovoltaics and Centralized Energy Storage on the

Design and Operation of a Residential CHP System,” Applied Energy 2018, 222, 280-299.

Otashu, J. I. Baldea, M. “Grid-level "Battery" Operation of Chemical Processes and Demand-side Participation in

Short-term Electricity Markets,” Applied Energy 2018, 220, 562-575.

Baldea, M. “A Pinch-like Targeting Framework for Systematic Thermal Process Intensification,” AIChE Journal

2018, 64, 877-885.

Ritter Group Eghbal, P.; Fatemi, S.; Vatani, A.; Ritter, J. A.; Ebner, A. D. “Purification of Helium from Nitrogen Rejection

Unit in Cryogenic Natural Gas Process by Pressure Swing Adsorption,” Separation and Purification Technolo-

gy 2018, 193, 91-102.

Ebner, A. D.; Ho, J. G. S.; Ritter, J. A. “Graphical Approach for Formulating Pressure Swing Adsorption Cycle

Schedules with Unlimited Equalization Steps,” Adsorption 2018, 24, 221-232.

Erden, L.; Ebner, A. D.; Ritter, J. A. “Separation of Landfill Gas CH4 from N2 using Pressure Vacuum Swing

Adsorption Cycles with Heavy Reflux,” Energy & Fuels 2018, 32, 3488-3498.

Erden, H.; Ebner, A. D.; Ritter, J. A. “Development of a PSA Cycle for Producing High Purity CO2 from Dilute

Feed Streams. Part I: Feasibility Study,” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2018, 57, 8011-8022.

Nguyen, H. G. T.; Espinal, L.; van Zee, R. D.; Rhommes, M.; Toman, B.; Hudson, S. L.; Mangano, E.; Brandani,

S.; Broom, D.; Cychosz, K.; Bertier, P.; Yang, F.; Krooss, B. M.; Siegelman, R.; Long, J. R.; Nakada, Y.;

Nakai, K.; Ebner, A. D.; Erdern, L.; Ritter, J. A.; Moran, A.; Talu, O.; Huang, Y.; Walton, K. S.; Billemont, P.;

de Weireld, G. “A Reference High-Pressure CO2 Adsorption Isotherm for Ammonium ZSM-5 Zeolite: Results

of an Interlaboratory Study,” Adsorption 2018, 24, 531-539.

Amalraj, P. B. C. A.; Ebner, A. D.; Ritter, J. A. “Effective Radial Thermal Conductivity of a Parallel Channel

Corrugated Metal Structured Adsorbent,” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2019, 58, 16922-

16933.

Hossain, M. I.; Holland, C. E.; Ebner, A. D.; Ritter, J. A. “110th Anniversary: New Volumetric Frequency Re-

sponse System for Determining Mass Transfer Mechanisms in Microporous Adsorbents,” Industrial & Engi-

neering Chemistry Research 2019, 58, 17462-17474.

Ritter, J. A.; Bullmiller, K. C.; Tynan, K. J.; Ebner, A. D. “On the Use of the Dual Process Langmuir Model for

Binary Gas Mixture Components that Exhibit Single Process or Linear Isotherms,” Adsorption accepted.

Freeman Group Lu, J.; Zheng, H.; Hou, J.; Li, X.; Hu, X.; Hu, Y.; Easton, C. D.; Li, Q.; Sun, C.; Thornton, A. W.; Hill, M. R.;

Zhang, X.; Jiang, G.; Liu, J. Z.; Hill, A. J.; Freeman, B. D.; Jiang, L.; Wang, H. “Ultrafast Metal Ion Sieving in

Rectifying and Highly Selective Metal-Organic Framework Based Subnanochannels,” Nature Materials in

press.

Stevens, K. A.; Moon, J. D.; Borjigin, H.; Liu, R.; Joseph, R. M.; Riffle, J. S.; Freeman, B. D. “Influence of Tem-

perature on Gas Transport Properties of Tetraaminodiphenylsulfone (TADPS) based Polybenzimidazoles,”

Journal of Membrane Science 2020, 593, 117427.

Jang, E.-S.; Kamcev, J.; Kobayashi, K.; Yan, N.; Sujanani, R.; Dilenschneider, T. J.; Park, H. B.; Paul, D. R.;

Freeman, B. D. “Influence of Water Content on Alkali Metal Chloride Transport in Cross-Linked Poly

(ethylene glycol) Diacrylate. I. Ion Sorption,” Polymer 2019, 178, 121554.

Choudhury, S. R.; Lane, O.; Kazerooni, D.; Narang, G. S.; Jang, E.-S.; Freeman, B. D., Lesko, J. J.; Riffle, J. S.

“Synthesis and Characterization of Post-Sulfonated Poly(arylene ether sulfone) Membranes for Potential Ap-

plications in Water Desalination,” Polymer in press.

7

Sponsor Survey: We Want to Hear From You!

The PSTC is in the process of updating our annual sponsors’ meeting format and

we have created a survey for all of our sponsors to weigh in on how to proceed.

Please click here to access the survey or copy and paste the following URL in-

to your preferred browser:

https://forms.gle/RM8Rr93FpTpQ9JLbA

Fall 2019 Meeting

Please join us for our annual PSTC Fall Meeting,

scheduled for Tuesday, October 15, 2019, here at the

University of Texas at Austin. This year we will be at a

different location: the new Engineering Education

and Research Center (EER) located on the main

UT Austin campus downtown.

Registration and accommodation information is now

available on our website. Handouts of the presentations

will be available for attendees; pdf copies will be post-

ed on our website closer to meeting time.

The electronic meeting will be available for those una-

ble to attend in person.

Questions? Please feel free to contact us:

Process Science & Technology Center

University of Texas at Austin

Building 133, Suite 1.312

10100 Burnet Rd., Mail Code R7100

Austin, TX 78758

(p) (512) 471-7077

lauren.murrah@austin.utexas.edu

https://sites.utexas.edu/pstc/