Background
The industrial interest in continuous processes in general, and especially in the field of crystallization, increased very much in the last years. Although a lot of interesting approaches exist, there is still a great need of automation and optimization of this unit operation in order to increase profit margins as well as the understanding of the applicability of continuous crystallizers. Combining automated set-ups with machine learning optimization algorithms offers exciting new possibilities in this regard.
Therefore, the goal of this project is the optimization of a continuous crystallization process via machine learning approaches.
In particular, the tasks of the thesis are:
Requirements
Contact Dipl. Ing. Sebastian Soritz s.soritznoSpam@tugraz.at - +43 316 873 – 30409 Dipl.-Ing. Nys Nico nico.nysnoSpam@tugraz.at - +43316873 – 30438 Assoc. Prof. Heidrun Gruber-Wölfler woelflernoSpam@tugraz.at +43316873 - 30406
Photo- and biocatalysis have recently emerged in the field of organic synthesis as greener alternatives to conventional processes, since the combination of both technologies is of great interest to reduce the environmental impact of fine chemical production. However, (photo)biotransformations are limited by the low stability of many enzymes of interest (e.g. oxidoreductases) outside living cells, their cofactor dependency, as well as poor light distribution and harvesting. These disadvantages constrain the scale up of photobiocatalytic processes and their industrial application. To overcome these limitations, the utilization of continuous processes could be a solution. Flow reactors pose many advantages, especially due to their small inner dimensions and high surface area, which allow for better heat and mass transfer, as well as improved illumination efficiency.
In this project, continuous flow reactors for whole-cell photobiocatalysis will be investigated and implemented in a multistep process. The stability and activity of photoautotrophic cells as biocatalysts will be optimized by testing different process parameters. The setup will be further expanded to develop a multistep cascade for the production of highly valuable compounds, such a biopolymers, which are relevant to the pharmaceutical industry. The process can be flexible and feature different modules: reaction modules that can host packed bed reactors filled with the immobilized (bio)catalyst, as well as modules for other unit operations (e.g. mixing, quenching, extraction), as shown in Figure 1. The different steps will need to be optimized and tested, and the process will be improved to achieve high space-time-yield. The possible challenges include: finding an optimum light intensity that minimizes cellular photo stress; testing different reactor geometries to improve illumination efficiency; the choice of an optimal solvent compatible with multiple reaction steps; the possible interaction of byproducts within the system. To increase process understanding and efficiency, the possibility of implementing process analytical tools, such as inline sensors for real-time analyses, will be explored as well.
Figure 1 – Generic scheme of a multistep photo-biocatalytic reaction process.
Tasks • Literature study on industrial photo- and biocatalysis in continuous flow and whole-cell immobilization • Study of the single catalytic steps in batch • Design of an adequate multistep continuous process (possibly including reactor design) • Optimization of the reaction/process conditions • Implementation of real-time analytics (e.g. UV-vis probes)
Requirements • Background in chemical engineering, chemistry or biotechnology • Interest in the above mentioned fields • Lab work experience (master student level)
What we offer: • Integration in an internationally leading institute (IPPE) of TU Graz • Support from the CoSy Pro Team • Paid master Thesis
Start At any time
Contact: Dipl. Ing. Dott.ssa Alessia Valotta +43 316 873 – 30428 valottanoSpam@tugraz.at Assoc. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Heidrun Gruber-Wölfler woelflernoSpam@tugraz.at
For the optimization and scale-up of chemical processes, knowledge about thermal parameters is vital to design chemical reactors. Measuring these parameters, such as mixing or reaction enthalpy, demands specialized equipment.
The goal of this project is to optimize the design of an already established flow calorimeter. This is done to broaden the scope of possible reactions that can be investigated. The work touches upon the topics of sensor technology, Arduino microcontrollers and - electronics, and flow chemistry. The work is carried out in close cooperation with RCPE GmbH.
For the full announcement see: ReactionCalorimetry
Contact
Dipl. Ing. Sebastian Soritz s.soritznoSpam@tugraz.att - +43 316 873 - 30409
Assoc. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Heidrun Gruber-Wölfler woelflernoSpam@tugraz.at
Trocknung und Lagerung und von Monomeren in der Polymerproduktion
Die Qualität von Monomerpartikel ist von entscheidender Wichtigkeit für die finalen Eigenschaften vieler Polymerprodukte (z.B. Acrylglas, Lacke, etc.). Bei der Herstellung von Monomerpartikeln ist der Trocknungsschritt von hoher Wichtigkeit für mögliche Veränderungen der Partikel während der Lagerung, die in weiterer Folge das Produkt beeinflussen.
In Zusammenarbeit mit unserem Partner (einem großen Hersteller dieser Monomere) vergeben wir zwei Masterarbeiten für Verfahrenstechnik- bzw. CPE-Studierende. Ziel dieser Arbeiten ist eine tiefgreifendere Analyse der chemischen und physikalischen Veränderungen während der Trocknung bzw. der Lagerung eines granularen Monomers. Diese Analyse erfolgt großteils auf Basis von experimentellen Arbeiten, z.B. Partikelgrößenanalyse, MS, HPLC, oder einem neu zu entwickelnden Trocknungsexperiment. Weiters ist für den Teil „Trocknung“ die Weiterentwicklung eines Berechnungsprogrammes, sowie eine Auslegung durchzuführen.
Wir bieten:
Kontakt
Stefan Radl, radlnoSpam@tugraz.at, 0680 / 12 22 168
Heidrun Gruber-Wölfler, woelflernoSpam@tugraz.at, 0316 / 873 30406.
Möglicher Startzeitpunkt: 1. Jänner 2022
Background Polymers are used in the electrical industry to insulate devices. Especially in corrosive atmospheres the investigation of the degradation of these polymers and the protected devices is of vital importance to increase their longevity. One main influence is the diffusion of corrosive substances through the protective layer of a device. In recent years as computational power became cheaper, using molecular dynamics simulations to quantify transport properties of polymers became more commonly used.
In this thesis molecular dynamics (MD) simulations should be used to quantify the transport processes of different penetrator molecules in polymers. Investigations regarding the polymer’s chain-length, the degree of cross-linking, as well as the charge of the penetrator molecules under different environmental conditions should be conducted.
Tasks
Work on the thesis is paid (6 months), and we offer office space, computers, simulation software and expertise, as well as integration to a highly-relevant research project
Contact Dr. Stefan Radl (radlnoSpam@tugraz.at; 0680 12 22 168) Dipl.-Ing. Philipp Mayr, BSc. (philipp.mayrnoSpam@tugraz.at)
The Institute of Process and Particle Engineering is a world leader in the development of pharmaceutical products and processes.
In this context, we are offering a paid master thesis where the student is employed at an external company.
The goal of the master thesis is to create the basis for product development, focusing on a novel drug delivery system where the medicine is contained in a flavored gel, either as solution, emulsion or suspension. Drug delivery occurs via breaking a seal of a snap-package and sucking out the flavored gel. Target patient populations includes:
What we offer:
Start: Spring 2021
Contact: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Johannes Khinast, khinastnoSpam@tugraz.at
The Institute of Process and Particle Engineering is a world leader in the development of simulation tools for industrial-scale bioprocessing units, funded by the Spin-Off Fellowship Program of the FFG. For example, our current code can model processes in large-scale bioreactors, up to 200m3 . We are therefore offering a student job with the possibility to do a master thesis with the goal of creating a comparison algorithm for bioreactors. The objective is to find the influencing factors that determine the productivity difference between reactors. This should be done by comparing reactors of different scales and for reactors at the same scale but different geometry and should aid scale up or process transfer processes in the industry.
Start: Fall 2020
Contact Dr. Christian Witz 0316 873 30416 christian.witznoSpam@tugraz.at