Chemical engineering equipment

Chemical Engineering

Welcome to the Chemical Engineering Cluster within the Engineering Department. We aim to deliver industry solutions through application of the latest in process design and materials innovation. Please take a moment to explore our capabilities and track record. We look forward to working with you.

Contact our Cluster Lead, Professor Alastair Martin

Our Capability

We are a multidisciplinary team with capabilities spanning an extensive range of Chemical, Material and Process Engineering domains and expertise that blends applied, experimental and life science approaches. We work across the fields of Reaction Engineering, Catalysis and Electrocatalysis, Renewable Energy Generation and Gasification, Fuel Cells and Energy Storage, Biomaterials, Downstream Processing, Microbial Transformation and Waste Valorisation.

Several members of our team began their careers in industry and we are able to draw upon decades of collective experience in Oil and Gas, Utilities, Chemicals and Nuclear disciplines when addressing modern day challenges and development projects.

We operate across a multitude of sectors from Energy generation to Biopharmaceutical and at all scales from theoretical design and laboratory bench experimentation, through test rig development and scale up, to real world industrial solutions in process control, intensification and optimisation.

Our Offer

  • Process Control, Design & Optimisation

    We offer technical support in the design, modelling and refinement of industrial processes. From conceptualisation, through intensification to optimisation, our expertise encompasses reaction engineering, green chemical design and process separation by sustainable techniques. We can work at scales to suit all businesses, from demonstration test rigs to industrially relevant systems.

  • Energy

    We are experienced in renewable energy generation, transformation and storage, with particular strengths around anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, gasification, fuel to chemicals transformation and turbine technologies. Our expertise also extends to hydrogen technology, including electrolyser design, fuel cell and redox flow battery systems.

  • Catalysis

    We provide expert advice and guidance on the use of heterogeneous, homogenous and biocatalysts in a range of applications from chemical and biochemical synthesis to renewable energy generation applications. From the development of new catalyst materials to the regeneration of cofactors in enzymatic reactions, we are able to observe in situ and characterise catalyst performance and degradation to maximise reaction efficiencies and process output.

  • Biomaterials

    Our work around biomaterials is chiefly focused upon materials innovation for clinical applications. Composite biomaterials, (specifically mineralised hydrogels) are of particular interest and our work aims to exploit the combined positive characteristics of both the mineral and hydrogel phases in offering mechanical strength alongside a propensity for incorporation of biologically active substances, enzymes and antibacterial agents

Our Facilities

  • Continuous reactors (bacterial reactions)
  • Packed bed reactors
  • Process control, flow and temperature measurement equipment
  • Batch and continuous distillation columns
  • Pilot scale absorption column
  • Pilot scale extraction column
  • Surface analysis equipment – TGA, SEM, EDX, BET
  • Chemisorption
  • TPR and TPO (temperature programmed reduction/oxidation)
  • TEM
  • Gas Chromatography: incipient method, solgel method
  • HPLC
  • UV Spectrometry Equipment
  • Tunable Near IR laser
  • Near IR camera

Key People and Contacts

“Recent trends in process design development within the chemicals sector show an increased awareness of the need for remarkable change in common practices if we are to achieve sustainable goals linked to tightening legislation and decarbonisation. In Engineering at Lancaster University, we have competences in many aspects of process design and methodologies that consider resource use efficiencies in equipment size, energy consumption and waste generation. We use both fundamental and practical concepts to shape experimental and modelling methodologies. Examples include heat integration systems applied to wood chip dryers and spirit distillers, bead coating for integrated mixing, efficient anaerobic digesters, integrated separation of value added chemicals from food wastes and generation of syngas from biowastes using unconventional heating techniques.”

Dr Farid Aiouache, Cluster Co-ordinator

If you wish to know how we can contribute to your business or products, get in touch with Farid

  • Professor Alastair Martin, Cluster Lead

  • Dr Farid Aiouache, Cluster Co-ordinator

  • John Bowskill (Programme Director, Victrex), Industrial Ambassador

  • Mike Entwistle, Partnerships & Business Engagement Manager

Meet the Team

With the creation of this Chemical Engineering Cluster Lancaster University is championing the development of critical capabilities and competencies required to support industries across all sectors to overcome the challenges of today and gain insights into the future. Victrex plc has been able to benefit first hand from this expertise and I strongly support Lancaster University as a key strategic industrial partner

A quote from John Bowskill, Programme Director, Victrex

Key Competencies

  • Process design, modelling, control and optimisation systems
  • Catalyst design, modelling and characterisation
  • Renewable/Bioenergy generation, fuel cells and energy storage
  • Anaerobic and acidogenic digestion
  • Wastewater treatment and sludge processing technology
  • Waste valorisation, downstream processing and microbial transformation
  • Reactive distillation, membrane separation and compression rheology
  • Biochemical/Biological synthesis of platform chemicals

Wood chip drying project

In this project we developed heat transfer models that allowed the project partner, Bowland Bioenergy Ltd, to design a year round, four-season woodchip drying operation by predicting and utilising moisture content kinetics. Two types of drying, based on laboratory infrared (halogen) and industrial convective scales were assessed following the British standards recommendations. Laboratory data and fundamentals of heat and mass transfers allowed the creation of successful models that are now being used by Bowland Bioenergy to manage the operating time of drying throughout the year.

Related ERDF programmes

We can also provide access to funded support through our European Regional Development Fund projects and a range of other funding sources to support collaboration. Contact our Partnerships and Business Engagement Manager Mike Entwistle find out more.

Further engagement we can offer

  • Consultancy

    We have standard NDA and Consultancy agreements. Our daily rate is variable depending on your IP requirements. We can deliver all rights to you under full overhead rates but also offer reduced rates based on co-ownership of IP under certain conditions.

  • Student Engagement & Secondments

    We can work collaboratively through hosting your engineering and technical staff within our laboratories in addition to short term secondments of our staff and students at your facilities. You can also access over 4,200 science and technology students through internships, careers fairs, collaborative research projects, year in industry programmes, volunteering programmes and recruitment services.

  • Sponsorship

    For longer-term projects we operate industrial sponsorship schemes for PhD and Master's students. Costs typically involve fees, maintenance grants and consumables in the region of £75-£100K per annum although public grants can be applied for to reduce costs to the industrial sponsor.

  • Innovation Projects

    We have extensive experience in preparing bids for collaborative innovation projects through funding bodies including Innovate UK and Horizon Europe. Costs are in the main limited to 50% of your own costs only with grants covering the University costs.

  • Services

    We can carry out studies, experiments and analysis work on a consultancy basis. Costs depend on the staff and facilities required.

  • Co-location

    Businesses can join and network with our established local, regional, national, and international business communities and tap into a broad range of expertise, support, training and resources onsite. We provide lab space, office space and co-working space for up to 82 businesses via three dedicated co-location buildings on the campus.

  • Lab Access

    We have cutting-edge facilities to develop and test new products and processes for the global marketplace, our business partnerships and engagement team can help you access a wide range of facilities.

  • Professional Training

    Improve the competitiveness of your organisation and the productivity of your staff through professional training. We have flexible, part-time programmes designed for busy professionals or we can work with you to develop a bespoke programme for your organisation