Professor Davide Dionisi | School of Engineering

Professor Davide Dionisi

PhD CEng FIChemE

Personal Chair

About

Email Address: davidedionisi@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number: +44 (0)1224 272814
Office Address: 280 Fraser Noble Building
Old Aberdeen Campus
Elphinstone Road
AB24 3UE
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School/Department: School of Engineering

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Biography

August 2021-present. Personal Chair, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen.
August 2018-July 2021. Reader, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen.
Aug 2016-July 2018. Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen.
Aug 2012-July 2016. Lecturer, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen.
2007-2012. Process Engineer/Principal Process Engineer at Syngenta, Jealotts Hill Research Centre, Bracknell, Berkshire, UK.
2004-2007. Lecturer ("Ricercatore"), Faculty of Mathematical, Physical, Biological Sciences, Dept of Chemistry, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
2001-2003. Research assistant, Dept of Chemistry, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
2001. PhD ("Dottorato di Ricerca") in Industrial Chemical Processes, co-hosted by the Dept of Chemistry and the Dept of Chemical Engineering, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
1997. Master degree ("Laurea") in Chemical Engineering at Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships: Co-ordinator for the MSc programme in Renewable Energy Engineering.

Coordinator for the Chemical Engineering Lab (2014-2019)

Personal Tutor
External Memberships: Invited lectures:

- "Opportunities and challenges for small scale anaerobic digestion", CHAD (Cold and High Anaerobic Digestion) event: renewable energy from anaerobic digestion in remote and off grid applications, National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), Fairbanks, Alaska, 4^th-7^th March 2024.

- "Hydrogen from biodegradable organic waste using open mixed microbial cultures", BP-DNV Paving the Way for Digital Twinning Hydrogen Safety Workshop, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, 31^st January 2024

- "Biological processes for waste and wastewater valorisation: bioenergy, renewable chemicals, challenges and opportunities for a sustainable society", RRB 2022 (Renewable Resources and Biorefineries), Bruges, Belgium, 1^st-3^rd June 2022

- "Renewable Energy Scenarios from Africa", SCOTARG Online Alumni event, organised by University of Edinburgh, 31st March 2022.

- "Biological processes with open mixed cultures: potential and research challenges for wastewater treatment, bioenergy and waste valorisation", International e-Conference on: Development in Chemical. Biological and Environmental Sciences (DCBES 2021), GITAM School of Science, Hyderabad & GITAM Institute of Science, Visakhapatnam, India, 28th-30th June 2021

- "Towards 100% renewable energy", part of the event "How can we create 100% of our energy from renewables?" by the University of Aberdeen's Renewable Energy Society, Aberdeen, 14^th November 2019

- "Anaerobic Digestion for the Production of Chemicals and Energy", Su-Chem 2018. Sustainable Chemistry for Health, Environment and Materials, CSIR-IICT (Indian Institute of Technology) Platinum Jubilee (1944-2018), Hyderabad, India, 7th August 2018

- "Anaerobic Digestion for the Production of Chemicals and Energy", Sustainable Chemistry for Future, Palamuru University, Mahbubnagar, India, 8th August 2018

- "Reaction engineering challenges in bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass", ChemEngDayUK 2013, London, United Kingdom, 25th March 2013

Organisation/chairing of meetings/conferences/sessions:

- Chair of the webinar "Anaerobic digestion in the energy and biorefinery context", organised by the journal Processes, 8^th June 2022.

I have reviewed papers for the following journals:

ACS Omega; Anaerobe; Applied Sciences; Biochemical Engineering Journal; Bioengineering; Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering; Biomass and Bioenergy; Bioresources; Bioresource Technology; Biotechnology and Bioengineering; Biotechnology for Biofuels; Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering; Chemical Engineering Journal; Chemical Engineering Research and Design; Chemosphere; Desalination and Water Treatment; Ecotoxicological and Environmental Safety; Energies; Environmental Engineering and Mangament Journal; Environmental Pollution; Environmental Technology; Environment Protection Engineering; Food Technology and Biotechnology; Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research; International Journal of Environmenta and Pollution; International Journal of Molecular Sciences; International Journal of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering; Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology; Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering; Journal of Environmental Management; Journal of Water Process Engineering; Journal of Zhejiang University Science B; Macromolecular Bioscience; Maderas-Ciencia y Tecnologia; Marine Drugs; Materials; Microbial Ecology; Microbial Biotechnology; New Biotechnology; Online International Journal of Microbiology Research; Polymers; Process Biochemistry; Process Safety and Environmental Protection; Pure and Applied Chemistry; Renewable Energy; Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology; Science of the Total Environment; Scientific Reports; Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory; Sustainability; Waste Management; Water; Water Research; Water Science and Technology

I have reviewed papers for the following international conferences:

1^st International Conference on Sustainable Development of Water and Environment, Shenyan, China, 18-20/01/2018; Second International Conference on Energy Engineering and Environmental Protection, Sanya, China, 20-22/11/2017; 10^th IWA Specialised Conference on Design, Operation and Economics of Large Wastewater Treatment Plants, Vienna, Austria, 9-13/09/2007; 5^th IWA World Water Congress, Beijing, China, 10-14/09/2006; 4^th IWA World Water Congress, Marrakech, Morocco, 19-24/09/2004; 4^th IWA ASPD Specialised Conference – Microbial Population Dynamics in Biological Wastewater Treatment, Gold Coast, Australia, 17-20/07/2005; 3^rd IWA World Water Congress, Melbourne, Australia, 7-12/04/2002.

I have reviewed research proposals for the following organisations:

BBSRC; NERC; Israeli Ministry of Science, Technology and Space; Interface Food and Drink (Scotland); The Carnegie Trust for The Universities of Scotland; Innovation and Technology Commission, Hong Kong SAR Government; FinPiemonte (Italy); E2S (Energy Environment Solutions)-UPPA (Universite' de Pau et de Pays de l'Adour) (France); Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Hub (UK).

External examiner for Cranfield University, University of Bath, Abertay University, University of Manchester.

Research

Research Overview

My research interests are focused on the application of chemical engineering principles to the development of improved, more sustainable and environmentally friendly processes, with particular focus on biological processes with open mixed cultures.

My current areas of research are the following:

- innovative processes for chemicals (ethanol, organic acids, hydrogen, methane) and energy production from lignocellulosic biomass and organic waste;

- biological wastewater treatment: process optimisation aimed at minimisation of reactor volume and energy consumption and maximisation of energy recovery through combination of aerobic and anaerobic processes, biodegradation of xenobiotics;

I have published 69 papers on international peer-reviewed journals which have received over 3,000 citations and my h-index is 28. I have published 2 books, 2 book chapters and 2 patents. I have over 60 papers or abstracts published as conference proceedings. I have reviewed papers for over 60 international scientific journals, for various conferences and research proposals for several organisations. I am in the Editorial Board of the journal Processes. I have written over 100 internal industrial documents on various chemical engineering topics.

I am currently supervising 3 PhD students. The full list of my papers and citations is available here.

Supervision

Graduated PhD students (lead supervisor):

Chukwuemeka Chinaka Uzukwu (graduated 2017) "The biodegradation of hydrocarbons using open mixed culture for microbial enhanced oil recovery and bioremediation"

Adamu Abukabar Rasheed (graduated 2017) "Advances in the use of aerobic sequencing batch reactors for biological wastewater treatment"

Igor Maciel de Oliveira e Silva (graduated 2018) "Anaerobic mixed culture fermentation of organic waste for the production of carboxylates, molecular hydrogen and ethanol"

Ifeoluwa Bolaji (graduated 2018) "Anaerobic fermentation of organic waste for chemicals production: effect of operating process conditions"

Chinedu Casmir Etteh (graduated 2021) "Biological processes for removal of organic xenobiotics from wastewaters"

Serena Simonetti (graduated 2023) "Anaerobic fermentation of food waste for the production of chemicals"

Funding and Grants

IBioIC, Proof of Concept "Microbially Mediated Biological Treatment Of Primary Effluent From H2OPE Fertiliser Production" (PI with Waheed Afzal and the company SEM World), £29,807, 2023.
Interface, Innovation Voucher "Development of hemp based aerogel", (co-I with Israel Osofero (PI), Alexander Menshykov and the company Planet Cool), £,5000, 2023.
UK Government, Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme "Hydrogen from organic waste with an integrated biological-thermal-electrochemical process" (PI), £220,000, 2022
Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher with Redstag Materials Ltd "Development of Sustainable Alternative Material to Bitumen in Highway and Utility Applications" (co-I with Israel Osofero (PI)), £4,994, 2022.
Energy Technology Partnership (ETP), "Biohydrogen production from food waste and municipal wastewaters and digestate quality" (PI),£ 10,000, 2022
European Commission, “Add your Value” (co-I, with Alfonso Martinez-Felipe (PI), Claudia Fernandez-Martin, John Paterson, Waheed Afzal and David Vega-Maza), £46,406, 2019;
Scottish Funding Council, “Conversion of wastewaters and organic waste into chemicals, energy and organic fertiliser.” Studentship for Rita Noelle Moussa. (PI, with Graeme Paton), £159,816, 2019;
FoodWasteNet “Assessment of waste allium biorefinery comparing three extraction methods prior to anaerobic digestion”, (lead for University of Aberdeen, co-I with Sheffield Hallam University, Bangor University and two industrial partners), £10,000 for University of Aberdeen (£62,609 total value), 2018
The Leverhulme Trust, Centre for Doctoral Training in "Sustainable Production of Chemicals and Materials" (Scientific Lead, with 23 other academics), £1,050,000, 2018
Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW), Research and Development Project "Water and the circular economy-where is the greatest sustainable economic benefit for resource recovery in the water cycle?" (PI, with Josie Geris), £37,409, 2018
University of Aberdeen, Global Challenges Internal Fund "Production of bioenergy and smart materials from palm tree waste in Malaysia" (co-I, with Alfonso Martinez-Felipe (PI), Claudia Fernandez-Martin and David Vega-Maza), £9,850, 2018
Scottish Funding Council, Business Interaction Voucher "Anaerobic digestion of crab waste" (PI), £5,000, 2017
Scottish Funding Council, Business Interaction Voucher "Experimental investigation of an innovative process for the valorisation of raw cheese whey" (PI), £5,000, 2016
Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, Research Incentive Grant "Feasibility of anaerobic digestion of garden waste to produce ethanol, hydrogen and volatile fatty acids" (PI), £7,500, 2015
Anaerobic Digestion Network (a BBSRC Network), Business Interaction Voucher "Anaerobic digestion of vegetable waste from the food industry" (PI), £5,000, 2015
Interface Food and Drink Competition "An innovative process for the conversion of wastewaters from the food and drink industry into biofuels and chemicals" (PI), £40,000, 2015
Brathdair Ltd "An enhanced treatment process for pot ale" (PI), £5,500, 2015
University of Aberdeen, Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation Award "An innovative process for the conversion of wastewaters from the whisky industry into biofuels and chemicals" (PI), £10,000, 2015
Interface Food and Drink Proof of Principle "An Enhanced Treatment Process for Pot Ale" (PI), £25,000, 2014
Encompass Kick Start Award "Sequencing Batch Reactor to assess water treatment performance: laboratory translation to field deployment" (PI), £5,000, 2014
Encompass Kick Start Award "Feasibility of solid separation and evaporation for pot ale treatment" (PI), £10,000, 2014
Interface Food and Drink "Experimental study on the biotreatability of food industry effluents" (PI), £10,000, 2014
Energy Technology Partnership (ETP), "Experimental investigation of an innovative process for the treatment of wastewaters from the food and drink industry" (PI),£ 5,000, 2013
Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), “Olive oil mill effluents as a renewable feedstock for biodegradable polymers production through a sequential anaerobic-aerobic process” 2006-2007
Advanced Institute for Prevention and Safety in Workplaces (ISPESL), “Preparation of technical sheets on the most frequently used unit operations in Italian short-medium enterprises, with information on principles, vessels and equipment, control systems, graphical schemes and technical regulations”, 2003-2004
ISPESL, “Use of olive oil mill effluents as secondary feedstock for agro-chemical industry and as soil amendments” 2003-2004
MIUR, “Production of biodegradable polymers from wastes through activated sludge enriched under periodic conditions” 2001-2002
ISPESL, “Influence of activated sludge operating parameters on microbial population dynamics for bulking and foaming control” 2000-2002
National Agency for Environmental Protection (ANPA), “Development of mathematical dynamic and structured models for design and management of activated sludge plants”, 2000-2001
ISPESL, “Development of biological tests for toxicity monitoring in aquatic ecosystems, natural and/or artificial, subject to industrial and/or municipal contamination” 2000-2001

Also, I have been PI or Co-I in 5 research grants funded by industry

Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

I teach biochemical engineering, wastewater treatment and energy from biomass in our undergraduate programme in Chemical Engineering and in our postgraduate programme in Renewable Energy Engineering (which I also co-ordinate).

2016/17-present: Biochemical Engineering EX4016 (co-ordinator and 50% contributor), Renewable Energy 2 (Biomass) EG501K (co-ordinator and 50% contributor), EX501U Air and Water Pollution Control (co-ordinator and 50% contributor), EG5565 MEng Group Design (leader of the bioethanol project).

2015/16: Biochemical Engineering EX4016 (50% contributor), Renewable Energy 2 (Biomass) EG501K (co-ordinator and 50% contributor), EX501U Air and Water Pollution Control (co-ordinator and 50% contributor), EG5565 MEng Group Design (leader of the bioethanol project).

2014/15: Biochemical Engineering EG4016 (sole contributor), Renewable Energy 2 (Biomass) EG501K (sole contributor), Separation Processes 2 EG4530 (contributor)

2013/14: Process Control EG40HC (sole contributor), Process safety and reliability EG5560 (co-ordinator and contributor), Advanced Chemical Engineering EG5597 (contributor)

2012/13: Process Control EG40HC (sole contributor), Process safety and reliability EG5560 (co-ordinator and contributor)

2005/06, 2006/07: Wastewater treatment processes II (sole contributor), for the Master programme in Environmental Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome

2006/07: Wastewater treatment processes (contributor), for the Master programme in Geology Applied to Engineering and Territorial Planning, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome.

2003/04, 2004/05: Laboratory of Industrial Chemical Processes (contributor), for the Bachelor programme in Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences, “Sapienza”, University of Rome (course given in Rieti).

2002/03, 2003/04: Laboratory of wastewater treatment processes (contributor), for the Bachelor programme in Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome (course given in Rieti),

I have supervised over 50 undergraduate and graduate project students.

Publications

Update

Biography

Memberships and Affiliations

Research Overview

Supervision

Funding and Grants

Teaching Responsibilities

Household Mixed Plastic Waste Derived Adsorbents for CO2 Capture: A Feasibility Study

Greener carbon capture using microwave heating for the development of cellulose-based adsorbents

Comparison between batch aerobic biodegradation of paracetamol and glucose with open mixed microbial cultures: experimental data and kinetic modelling

Effect of feed concentration and residence time on anaerobic fermentation in CSTR and SBR to produce short-chain organic acids

Modelling the effect of water removal by reverse osmosis on the distillation of mixtures of short-chain organic acids from an-aerobic fermentation

Investigating the challenges of biogas provision in water limited environments through laboratory scale biodigesters

Sustainable microcrystalline cellulose-based activated carbons for a greener carbon capture at post-combustion conditions

Microwave pre-treatment of model food waste to produce short chain organic acids and ethanol via anaerobic fermentation

Effect of the operating conditions on the anaerobic digestion of wheatgrass for chemicals and energy production

Hydrogen Production from Biomass and Organic Waste Using Dark Fermentation: An Analysis of Literature Data on the Effect of Operating Parameters on Process Performance

Land and water requirements for the supply of renewable heating and transport energy using anaerobic digestion and water electrolysis: A case study for the UK

Anaerobic fermentation for the production of short chain organic acids: product concentration, yield and productivity in batch experiments at high feed concentration

Experimental investigation and mathematical modelling of batch and semi-continuous anaerobic digestion of cellulose at high concentrations and long residence times

Acidogenic fermentation of model food waste for the production of added-value chemicals: effect of substrate concentration and residence time

Effect of substrate concentration and retention time on the anaerobic digestion of food waste for the production of valuable chemicals

Model-based comparison of sequencing batch reactors and continuous-flow activated sludge processes for biological wastewater treatment

Theory and Design of Fermentation Processes

Product Concentration, Yield and Productivity in Anaerobic Digestion to Produce Short Chain Organic Acids: A Critical Analysis of Literature Data

Experimental study on the biotreatability of wastewaters from food processing industries in aerobic sequencing batch reactors

Effect of substrate concentration and retention time on the anaerobic fermentation of food waste

Biofuel production potential from wastewater in India by integrating anaerobic membrane reactor with algal photobioreactor

Effect of the process conditions on the anaerobic fermentation of glucose for the production of chemicals

Effect of Process Conditions on the Aerobic Biodegradation of Phenol and Paracetamol by Open Mixed Microbial Cultures

Anaerobic digestion of food waste for the production of chemicals

Effect of the operating conditions on the anaerobic digestion of wheatgrass for chemicals and energy production

Determining biokinetic coefficients for the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor treating sugarcane wastewater in hot climate conditions

Calculation of the potential production of methane and chemicals using anaerobic digestion

Combined quantitative FTIR and online GC study of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis involving co-fed ethylene

Maximisation of the organic load rate and minimisation of oxygen consumption in aerobic biological wastewater treatment processes by manipulation of the hydraulic and solids residence time

Water and the circular economy - where is the greatest sustainable economic benefit for resource recovery in the water cycle?

Acidogenic fermentation of vegetable and salad waste for chemicals production: Effect of pH buffer and retention time

Combined quantitative FTIR and online GC study of Fischer-Tropsch catalysts

Quantification and qualification by in-situ FTIR of species formed on supported-cobalt catalysts during the Fischer-Tropsch reaction

Quantification of hydrocarbon species on surfaces by combined microbalance-FTIR

Direct Visualization of Scale-Up Effects on the Mass Transfer Coefficient through the “Blue Bottle” Reaction

Calculation of the periodic steady state of sequencing batch reactors from oxygen uptake rate (OUR) measurements in batch tests

Experimental investigation of a new process for treatment and valorisation of pot ale wastewaters

Biological Wastewater Treatment Processes: Mass and Heat Balances

Anaerobic digestion to produce renewable chemicals

Comparison of the Biodegradation of n-alkanes and Readily Biodegradable Substrates Using Open Mixed Culture under Aerobic, Anoxic and Anaerobic Conditions

Direct visualisation of scale-up effects on the mass transfer coefficient through the “blue bottle” reaction

A new method to calculate the periodic steady state of sequencing batch reactors for biological wastewater treatment: model development and applications

Anaerobic digestion of wheat grass under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions and different inoculum sources

Production of ethanol, organic acids and hydrogen: an opportunity for mixed culture biotechnology?

Biorefinery with Open Mixed Cultures for Biofuels and Chemicals Production from Organic Waste: Biodegradation of Unpretreated Cellulose

Biodegradation of hydrocarbons as a mechanism of microbial enhanced oil recovery

Biodegradation of organic xenobiotics by open mixed microbial cultures

The potential of hydrocarbon biodegradation

The potential of anaerobic mixed cultures for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass

Bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass using microbial processes

Investigation of value-added chemicals production from lignocellulosic biomass with (open) mixed microbial cultures

Microbial enhanced oil recovery treatments to control paraffin wax deposition

The potential of microbial processes for lignocellulosic biomass conversion to ethanol: a review

Biological processes for removal of organic xenobiotics from waste waters

A new mathematical procedure to calculate the periodic steady state of sequencing batch reactors for biological wastewater treatment

Advanced Biological Processes for Removal of Organic Xenobiotics from Wastewaters

Anaerobic degradation of microcrystalline cellulose using open mixed culture microorganisms

Biorefinery with open mixed cultures for bioethanol production from renewable resources

Biotreatability of food processing industry wastewaters using sequencing batch reactors

Investigation of lignocellulosic and organic waste conversion into bioethanol, organic acids and hydrogen with open mixed microbial cultures

Microbial degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons

Microbial degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons as a mechanism for oil recovery

Process for Converting Distillation By-Products

Simulation and calculation of the periodic steady-state of sequencing batch reactors for biological wastewater treatment

The technology for the future

Theoretical investigation of different population coexistence in bioreactors with open-mixed microbial cultures

Effect of pH adjustment, solid-liquid separation and chitosan adsorption on pollutants' removal from pot ale wastewaters

Operation of fill-and-draw reactors fed with Bisphenol A as sole carbon and energy source

Open mixed cultures for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic materials

Potential and limits of biodegradation processes for the removal of organic xenobiotics from wastewaters

Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

Qualification and Quantification of species formed on the surface during Fischer-Tropsch reaction

Use of microbial cultures for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic wastes

Experimental study on the biotreatability of food industry effluents