Sena Mucklow graduated from Newcastle University on the 19th of July with an MEng in Chemical Engineering – Honours in Industry, and she was awarded the Project Performance Prize for Best Stage 4 MEng Research Project in Chemical Engineering 2020/21.
Sena’s research thesis was on “Development of Process Intensification Techniques for Liquid-Liquid Separation in Biorefining Processes”. In this project, she challenged design and fluid flow prediction models by developing novel prototyping methods for liquid-liquid separation equipment, and tested those for biorefining-relevant fluid systems. This allowed over an order of magnitude reduction in equipment size for liquid-liquid separation and separation time, showed great potential to increase yields for systems with highly reactive intermediates. The results will soon be submitted for publication to an scientific journal.
Sena states that “being involved in the BioSPRINT Project was an exciting opportunity to contribute to current research delivering innovative solutions for the biorefining industry”. Her supervisors, Dr Russo Abegão and Dr Boodhoo highlight that “This could not be a better outcome for Sena and for BioSPRINT, following what was a very challenging academic year. We are delighted that Sena has achieved such a prestigious prize and that her work has made a significant contribution to BioSPRINT and advances in process intensification for the biorefining industry”.
