Research
Current research activities (updated in July 2011)
Topic |
Contact |
Department |
Techniques and facilities |
| Biomass gasification and co-gasification of biomass and coal for bioenergy and liquid fuels | S. Pang | Chemical & Process Engineering | 100 kW pilot scale dual fluidised bed gasifier, Lab scale gasifier, mathematical modelling |
| Biomass pyrolysis to densify biomass | S. Pang | Chemical & Process Engineering | Lab scale pyrolysis reactor, Simultaneous DSC-TGA |
| Carbon footprints of timber structures | Civil and Natural Resources Engineering | Life cycle assessment | |
| Conceptual design of timber structures | A. Buchanan | Civil and Natural Resources Engineering | Preliminary advice to architects and design engineers |
| CFD modelling of flow hydrodynamics in biomass gasification | J. Nijdam | Chemical and Process Engineering | A cold transparent model of fluidised bed gasifier |
| Demonstration timber structures | A. Buchanan | Civil and Natural Resources Engineering | Structural testing facilities |
| Development of gas cleaning system for Fischer-Tropsch (FT) syngas | Chemical and Process Engineering | A lab scale gas cleaning system | |
| Development of FT synthesis technology for transport fuels | C. Williamson | Chemical and Process Engineering | a Micro-channel FT reactor |
| Drying of collapse-susceptible hardwoods | J. Nijdam | Chemical and Process Engineering, Forestry | Small-scale drying tests; Mechanical climate-chamber tests |
| Earthquake resistance of timber structures | S. Pampanin | Civil and Natural Resources Engineering | Earthquake shaking tools |
| Feasibility study of biomass to FT synthesis fuels | S. Pang J. Li |
Chemical and Process Engineering | Process design, equipment selection, exergy analysis, life cycle assessment, quantification of sustainability |
| Fire resistance of timber structures | A. Buchanan | Civil and Natural Resources Engineering | Fire modelling; structural analysis |
| Ionic liquid extraction of wood cellulose and natural composites | S. Pang M. Staiger |
Chemical and Process Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering | Ionic liquids synthesis apparatus |
| Log quality and product performance | J. Walker | Forestry, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Electrical and Computer Engineering |
Seedling selection; Acoustic technique and analysis; Nuclear magnetic resonance (IRL); X-ray diffraction |
| MDF processing | Chemical and Process Engineering | Lab-scale press; CFD modelling; Computer modelling of fibre drying and blending; Small-scale press tests | |
| Pyrolysis of recycled plastics for liquid fuels | S. Pang | Chemical and Process Engineering | Pilot scale of pyrolysis reactor |
| Wood-plastics composites | S. Pang M. Staiger |
Chemical and Process Engineering, Mechanical Engineering | Twin extruder; Hot platen press; Instrument for stability and durability measurements |
| Wood properties on molecular scale | C. Altaner | Forestry, Chemistry, Biological Sciences | Electron microscopy; Spectroscopy; Diffraction; Chromatography |