Innovation Seminar Series | On the New Phenomena Arising During Exotic Combustion in Supercritical Water, by Dr. Janusz Kozinski

Thursday, November 29, 2018 11:30 am - 11:30 am EST (GMT -05:00)

Professor Koziński will discuss combustion in supercritical water (SCW), which is one of the least explored processes. He will also present a novel concept for the in situ study of SCW flames, flameless oxidation and gasification.

Original data on the fundamental behaviour of organic compounds and the structural and chemical evolution of these compounds has been determined for the first time. Koziński will focus on the mechanistic explanation of the combustion pathways of the main components and their interactions during SCW combustion. He will discuss a variety of novel experimental set ups, including diamond/flames cells and synchrotron beams that allow for simultaneous observation and measurement of chemical reactions. He will propose a relevant evolution mechanism based on the time-resolved profiles of intermediates formed during the SCW combustion.

The results suggest that complex organics can be completely decomposed in SCW and that combustion of different hydrocarbons in the supercritical region seems to be alike.

Biographical Sketch
Professor Koziński, Adjunct Professor in the University of Waterloo's Department of Chemical Engineering, has enjoyed a distinguished academic career in leading institutions in the USA, Europe and Canada. He is an internationally-renowned higher education leader, researcher and entrepreneur, and one of the world’s most widely acknowledged experts in sustainable energy systems.

Educated in Kraków, Poland, he subsequently conducted research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and spent much of his academic career at McGill University, where he was Associate Vice-Principal for Research and International Relations.

He was Founding Dean of the Lassonde School of Engineering in Toronto and Founding President of a new University in Hereford, which is one of the most ambitious ventures in British higher education. 

He is currently leading a new trans-disciplinary initiative applying key driving forces in 21st century science and engineering to create a novel type of research-based academic program. The emphasis of his own research is on symbiosis between energy and the environment.