Research Group: Separation Engineering and Technology (SET)

Separating molecules is at the heart of many chemical and biological processes - you will know that things are just not the same when they are all mixed up as when they are all sorted out! In the separation processes theme we create, research and develop new separation techniques and new applications of separation techniques. Many of the projects we undertake are connected with membranes, and so our research ranges from fundamental research into materials synthesis, through membrane formation and transport processes occurring in separations, to process applications of separations which often involve the wider chemical/biological process.

Some recent examples from current work include: (i) the formation of new polymeric membrane materials for improved pH resistance, where we have created a new range of polyethers with remarkable chemical resistance and permeability: (ii) the formation of hollow fibre membranes comprised of inorganic materials, where we have led the development of membrane fabrication techniques which enable, for the first time, the formation of dual layer ceramic hollow fibres; (iii) developing the understanding of the transport of molecules during the nanofiltration of organic solutions (iv) developing separation processes for production of chiral molecules; (v) integrating separations into processes for biopharmaceutical production, ranging from peptides to monoclonal antibodies.

Our research uses both experimental and theoretical tools - one of our aims is for our researchers to get a wide exposure to a range of techniques. We have excellent facilities for polymer synthesis, membrane formation, organic chemistry, biological engineering and process scale up. Our funding is drawn from a range of sources, with the pharmaceutical industry being a major source of support, and we strive to stay the cutting edge of new and emerging areas of research. Innovation and technology transfer to industry are an important facet of our research, and we have invented processes that have gone on in a short space of time to commercial application at large scale.

Prof Andrew Livingston
Programme Co-Ordinator