(54bb) Teaching Particle Technology in Portugal – University of Coimbra

Education in Particle Technology started in Portugal in the 80’s (last years of the decade). The Chemical Engineering degree of the University of Coimbra was the first engineering degree, in the country, to include this topic in the curriculum. Particle Technology was recognized by us, at that time, essential for the education of chemical engineers, in parallel to education in the traditional areas of Chemical Engineering which were still focused on monophasic systems.

Since then, Particle Technology has always been present in the Chemical Engineering curriculum of the University of Coimbra, in different configurations. During the first years particle characterization was combined with design of operations involving particulate systems (grinding and pneumatic and hydraulic transport). From 2005 to 2010, with the curriculum reformulation in relation with the Bologna Process, the two topics started to be addressed in different courses: one course on Materials Characterization and the process topic in a course entitled Structuring and Stabilization Processes, dealing with colloids and emulsions, grinding, agglomeration and spray drying and, for the first time, an integrated modelling strategy for particulate processes based on the population balance formulation was introduced in this course. The two courses were compulsory, at this time.

From the school year 2011/2012 till present, the configuration of this area in the Chemical Engineering degree of the University of Coimbra changed again, even if not deeply (see https://apps.uc.pt/courses/EN/course/361). The course on materials characterization, which includes general notions on particle characterization is kept as an autonomous course included in the 1^st cycle of the Chemical Engineering degree of the University of Coimbra. A second course on design of processes involving particulate systems now exists in the 4^th year of the MSc degree (1^st year of the 2^nd cycle), entitled Disperse Systems Technologies, which is an optional course, and which deals with all types of disperse systems, i.e gas, liquid or solids as disperse phase. This course starts with a review of the mechanisms/interactions occurring at the interface with the disperse phase, goes on, again, with a chapter on population balances modelling, and proceeds with strategies for disperse systems stabilization, linking this subject with formulation concepts, ending with the design of some processes involving particulate systems, such as colloids and emulsions, crystallization, grinding, agglomeration and spray drying. This course is also offered to other engineering degrees, such as Materials Engineering and Biomedical Engineering.

Also at the PhD level a course on Disperse Systems Technologies can also be offered during the formal lectures period of the PhD program on Chemical Engineering (or others), depending on the students background and interests.

Since the introduction of the Particle Technology topic in the curriculum of the Chemical Engineering degree of the University of Coimbra, the feedback from employers has been very positive, and the competences in this field acquired by our students have been quite valued by the job market. Till today, the Chemical Engineering degree of the University of Coimbra is still the one, in Portugal, with a stronger emphasis on this topic in the curriculum. In our curriculum, the topic of Particle Technology interacts directly with another course on Product Design, also in the 4^th year of the MSc degree and, of course, also with the Project Design course (5^th year of the MSc degree), besides other more traditional courses in a Chemical Engineering degree such as in Reaction Engineering and with courses related to environmental technologies.

At present, we have started developing multimedia tools for the teaching/learning of this topic, especially in the field of particle characterization, to be made available on-line, as is the case of the interactive video on nanoparticles characterization (http://labvirtual.eq.uc.pt/siteJoomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=..., in Portuguese). Also, the European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE) is considering investing in this type of tools for the field of particle technology, as the result of a collaboration between the Working Groups of Characterization of Particulate Systems and Education.

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of Pest/C/EQB/UI0102/2013 from FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the program COMPETE (POFC).