Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Low oil prices reduce pain at the pump
If you think you’re paying less for gas these days, it’s true. And a Missouri University of Science and Technology professor can explain why.
Nationally, the average price for a gallon of regular was — on Sept. 21 — $2.214, down from September 2015 ($2.365) and 2014 ($3.406). And when measured against September 2008, a gallon of gas today is over $1.50 less.
Read More »Laufer Energy Symposium helps sponsor energy conference
The Missouri University of Science and Technology Laufer Energy Symposium, along with the Missouri Energy Initiative and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, is sponsoring an energy symposium Oct. 4-5 in St. Louis. The Midwest Energy Policy Conference will bring together key business and technical leaders in legacy and renewable energy technologies.
Dr. Joseph D. Smith, the Wayne and Gayle Laufer Chair of Energy and director of the Energy Research and Development Center at Missouri S&T, will talk about energy resilience, with a specific focus on microgrids and hybrid energy systems.
Read More »Missouri S&T team boosts lithium-ion battery performance
ROLLA, Mo. — Batteries are everyday objects people don’t think about — until they run out of juice. That’s especially true the more ubiquitous an object is, such as laptop computers and cellphones that need to have their batteries charged seemingly every day.
But Missouri University of Science and Technology researchers are working to solve the problem of short-life of lithium-ion batteries like those used in laptops and cellphones, making them reliable and longer-lasting using a thin-film coating technique called atomic layer deposition (ALD). Their paper, titled “Employing Synergetic Effect of Doping and Thin-Film Coating to Boost the Performance of Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode Particles,” is being published today, Wednesday, May 4, in Scientific Reports, a Nature publishing group journal.
Read More »S&T’s Academy of Chemical Engineers inducts six new members
Six professionals were inducted into the Academy of Chemical Engineers at Missouri University of Science and Technology during its annual induction ceremony on Thursday, April 21. The academy honors chemical engineers for contributions to their profession, leadership and involvement with Missouri S&T. It serves as an advisory group to the Missouri S&T chemical and biochemical engineering department.
Read More »Computer modeling helps researcher chase diseases
Researching ways to cure cancer and neurodegenerative diseases in the lab is painstaking, time-consuming and expensive. But a Missouri University of Science and Technology professor is using computer modeling to test drug therapies that one day could lead to cures for these conditions that kill millions each year.
Dr. Dipak Barua, assistant professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at Missouri S&T, is the principal investigator on a project funded with a Department of Energy grant for $112,377 on “countering pathogen interfaces with human defenses.”
“We use math and computational modeling as a tool to understand the mechanisms in cells, and we develop computational and mathematical models that make predictions” about what will happen with different therapies, Barua says.
Read More »Missouri S&T professor named AIChE Fellow
Dr. Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan, chair and professor of chemical and biochemical engineering and a professor of nuclear engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the highest grade of membership.
The award was presented in November during AIChE’s annual meeting in Salt Lake City.
The honor reaffirms the esteem with which Al-Dahhan’s colleagues and peers view his distinctive professional achievements and accomplishments. Al-Dahhan has been a consultant to many U.S. and international companies and research centers, and he founded and chaired international conferences on gas-liquid-solid reactor engineering, bio-energy and catalysis in renewable products.
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Missouri S&T Chem-E-Car Team is fifth in the nation
A team of students from Missouri University of Science and Technology earned fifth place out of 34 competitors at the 2015 national Chem-E-Car competition with its chemical reaction-powered autonomous vehicle.
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Missouri S&T’s Chem-E-Car team heads to nationals
A group of students from Missouri University of Science and Technology will compete at the 2015 national Chem-E-Car competition with its chemical reaction-powered autonomous vehicle.
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Missouri S&T student team battles disease in bats
White-nose syndrome has plagued bat species throughout the United States since its introduction in 2006 from Europe. Millions have already died and the disease, caused by a fungus that preys on hibernating bats, threatens to disrupt the ecosystem. However, white-nose syndrome may be on the retreat thanks to a team of students from Missouri University of Science and Technology.
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