Teaching & OUTREACH

Fall Semester

• BPE 438/638 Introduction to Biorefinery Process 

Three hours of lecture and discussions per week. Topics covered include chemical and physical properties of biomass feedstocks; sustainable biomass production/utilization, chemical and biological processes of converting plant biomass to chemicals, liquid fuels, and materials. Focus on green chemistry and/or environmentally benign processes, with some discussions on political and social aspects of sustainability and renewability.

• ECH 324 Unit Operations Laboratory (previously BPE 430)

One and half hours of lecture and four and half hours of laboratory per week. Experiments on pressure drop and flow rate measurement in pipe flow, mixing, pump operation, heat exchange, mass transfer/absorption/distillation, filtration, adsorption/chromatography, centrifugation/sedimentation, membrane filtration, extraction, drying, etc. Data acquisition and parametric analysis. Planning and execution of laboratory experiments. Report writing and seminar presentation.

• BPE 797 Graduate Seminar

One hour of seminar per week. Discussion of assigned topics in the fields related to Bioprocess Engineering.

Spring Semester

• PSE 223/BPE 623 Introduction to Lignocellulosics

Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Topics included: structure and chemistry of lignocellulosic materials such as wood, including bark, agriculture residues, and grasses; major (cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin) and minor constituents (extractives, proteins, ash); biosynthesis, distribution, structure, properties, conversion into energy, chemicals, and other products.

Previous Courses

• BPE 300 Introduction to Industrial Bioprocessing

Three hours of lecture and discussions. Industrial examples of biotechnology and bioprocessing will be reviewed. Topics include applications of biotechnology and bioprocessing to the food, water and wastewater treatment, industrial biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, biochemical and biofuel industries. Through case studies of process flow sheets for different products students will develop an understanding of unit operations typically utilized in bioprocessing manufacturing operations.