UCL Department of Chemical Engineering

Department of Chemical Engineering

• Home
• People
  • Academic Staff
  • Teaching Fellows
  • Academic Researchers
  • Professionals
• Research
• Prospective Students
• Alumni
• Contact Details
• Student Intranet
• Staff Intranet
• News
• Departmental Vacancies
• Careers

Achilleas Constantinou's Webpage

Postgraduate Researcher Phone: +44 (0)20 7679 0491 Email: axilleas.constantinou@ucl.ac.uk

Address: Department of Chemical Engineering University College London Torrington Place London WC1E 7JE United Kingdom

Achilleas Constantinou received his undergraduate diploma (5 years) in Chemical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens. His diploma research thesis was constructed around the analysis and evaluation of various forms of biomass waste for the production of biomethanol, using gasification with partial oxidation towards the establishment of a new farming system.

Currently he is a teaching fellow at the Chemical Engineering Department, involved in Introduction to Chemical Engineering (CENG1004), Process Engineering (CENG 2003) and Computer Aided Process Engineering (CENG 2005).

Research project

Title: CO₂ Absorption in Microstructured Membrane Reactors

Supervisors: Professor Asterios Gavriilidis

His PhD work focuses on theoretical and experimental studies of novel reactors to intensify carbon dioxide capture, particularly contactors manufactured through microtechnology. More specifically, he is using membranes of a few micron pores diameter to absorb CO₂ in a variety of absorbent solutions such as sodium hydroxide and amine solutions. Figure 1 shows the device used for CO2 absorption experiments, and images of the microstructured membranes.

The main advantages of microreactors are that due to their large surface to volume ratio, mass and heat transfer are intensified. This allows achieving isothermal conditions very easily resulting in greater conversions and selectivities than in conventional reactors.

Publications 

Constantinou, A. and Gavriilidis, A., CO₂ Absorption in a Microstructured Mesh Reactor, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2010, 49, 1041-1049.

Sun, X.; Constantinou, A.; Gavriilidis, A, Stripping of Acetone from Isopropanol Solution with Membrane and Mesh Gas-Liquid Contactors, Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intesnsification, 2011. doi:10.1016/j.cep.2011.06.004

Roydhouse, M.D, Constantinou, A, Ghaini, A, Cantu-Perez, A, Motherwell, W.B, Gavriilidis, A,  Ozonolysis in Flow using Capillary Reactors, Organic Process Research&Development, 2011. dx.doi.org/10.1021/op200036d

---