2016 J.Y. Oldshue Lecture | AIChE

This lecture will take place at the XXVIII Interamerican Congress of Chemical Engineering in Cuzco, Perú.

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Dr. Axel Meisen, C.M., Ph.D., P.Eng, EurIng., FCAE, FCIC, FIEI, Emeritus Professor, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, XXVIII Interamerican Congress of Chemical Engineering; Cuzco, Perú (2016)

This lecture was jointly established, in 2008, in memory of James Y. Oldshue by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and the Interamerican Confederation of Chemical Engineering (CIIQ/IACChE). Jim Oldshue was an important leader and supporter of the CIIQ/IACChE. He was President of the AIChE in 1979 and President of the CIIQ/IACChE in 1995. Jim was a recipient of the prestigious Víctor Márquez award in 1983, which is conferred by the CIIQ/IACChE. Jim was an ambassador of the profession who visited more than 100 countries. It is envisioned that this lecture provide a global perspective of a specific contingent topic. The Oldshue Lecture alternates between the AIChE Annual Meetings and the Interamerican Congresses, which take place every two years.

The following is a list of distinguished Jim Oldshue Lecture speakers:

  1. Mr. Carlos Cabrera; President & CEO, UOP; AIChE Centennial and XXIII Interamerican Congress of Chemical Engineering; Philadelphia, PA, USA (2008)
  2. Dr. Arthur W. Etchells III, Principal, AWE3 Enterprises; 8th World Congress and XXIV Interamerican Congress of Chemical Engineering; Montreal, QC, Canada (2009)
  3. Dr. Esteban Alberto Brignole; Professor of Chemical Engineering at Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca, Argentina, and Senior Researcher of the Argentina’s National Research Council of Science and Technology (CONICET); 2010 Annual Meeting, American Institute of Chemical Engineers; Salt Lake City, UT, USA (2010)
  4. Dr. Eduardo Falabella Sousa-Aguiar; Senior Consultant, Leopoldo Américo Miguêz de Mello R&D Center, Adjunct Professor at Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Consultant at the International Centre for Science and High Technology; XXVI Interamerican Congress of Chemical Engineering; Montevideo, Uruguay (2012)
  5. Dr. Carlos R. Apesteguía, Professor, National University of Litoral (UNL), School of Chemical Engineering (FIQ). Member of the CONICET's Research Staff, Institute of Research on Catalysis and Petrochemistry (INCAPE), Santa Fe, Argentina.  2013 Annual Meeting, American Institute of Chemical Engineers; San Francisco, CA, USA (2013)
  6. Dr. Ignacio Grossmann, Rudolph R. and Florence Dean University Professor, Carnegie Mellon University; XXVII Interamerican Congress of Chemical Engineering; Cartagena, Colombia (2014)
  7. Dr. John R. Grace, Emeritus Professor, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 2010 Annual Meeting, American Institute of Chemical Engineers; Salt Lake City, UT, USA (2015)
  8. Dr. Axel Meisen, C.M., Ph.D., P.Eng, EurIng., FCAE, FCIC, FIEI, Emeritus Professor, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, XXVIII Interamerican Congress of Chemical Engineering; Cuzco, Perú (2016)

Program:

8:30 AM Welcoming Remarks, L. Antonio Estévez
8:33 AM James Y. Oldshue: Life and Legacy.
Lecture Series Description, L. Antonio Estévez
8:43 AM Speaker Introduction, L. Antonio Estévez
8:45 AM A Future of Chemical Engineering Independent of Fossil Fuels, Axel Meisen
9:40 AM James Y. Oldshue Lecture Award Presentation
9:50 AM Adjourn

A Future of Chemical Engineering Independent of Fossil Fuels

Fossil carbons (i.e., coal, oil and natural gas) were essential to the development of modern life and commerce throughout the world.  Their primary uses are fuels for the generation and storage of thermal, electrical and motive energy.  The history of Chemical Engineering, especially in the Americas, is intimately intertwined with fossil carbons and major chemical industries such as petroleum refining, petro- and agro-chemicals production, and mineral processing are heavily dependent on them.  Most important unit operations, including steam generation, distillation, evaporation, crystallization, and electrolysis, largely depend on energy derived from fossil fuels.

This dependency is, however, likely to change for three important reasons:  concerns about green house gas emissions and potential climate change resulting from the combustion of fossil carbons, the low thermodynamic efficiency of converting the chemical energy of fossil carbons, and the potential advent of copious and inexpensive electricity from sources other than fossil fuels.  The profound implications of these changes for Chemical Engineering are explored, with special emphasis on the Americas.

The advent of new large-scale sources of heat and electricity (derived particularly from renewables and nuclear fusion) is foreseen, leading to major opportunities for new process technologies, notably electrochemical and electrically powered endothermic reactors.  Furthermore, the production of new energy-intensive, high-performance materials (such as carbon fibres and graphene) will become commercially viable, thereby creating new opportunities for fossil carbons even if their traditional demand as sources of energy declines.

Consistent with the thinking and global perspectives of James Y. Oldshue, it is shown how Chemical Engineering education, research, and practice must evolve to take advantage of these opportunities for the benefit of the global environment and people throughout the world.

Upcoming Lectures

  1. 2017 Annual Meeting, American Institute of Chemical Engineers; Minneapolis, MN, USA (2017)
  2. XXIX Interamerican Congress of Chemical Engineering and 68th Canadian Conference of Chemical Engineering; Toronto, Canada (2018)
  3. 2019 Annual Meeting, American Institute of Chemical Engineers; Orlando, FL, USA (2019)
  4. 2020 Annual Meeting, American Institute of Chemical Engineers; San Francisco, CA, USA (2020)
  5. 11th World Congress of Chemical Engineering, XXX Interamerican Congress of Chemical Engineering, and X Congreso Argentino de Ingenería Química, Buenso Aires, Argentina, (2021)

Axel Meisen

Axel Meisen is the former Chair of Foresight, at Alberta Innovates - Technology Futures (AITF), working on long-term, strategic issues where AITF and Alberta can excel in building globally competitive commerce. Specifically, he leads the annual Jasper Innovation Forum where important future opportunities for Alberta (e.g., Health and the Global North) are explored.

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