The talk was presented by researcher Nabhan Ahmed, which was titled Towards a compartmentalised model for spray fluidised bed granulation: A mechanistic approach to modelling liquid layered growth and received positive feedback among the panellists.
The conference is an annual event held by Syngenta, which is is a leading global provider of agricultural science and technology. During the event sponsored students present their research to the members of Syngenta and academic collaborators. There were multiple presentations which were held by leading institutions (including Oxford, Leeds, Manchester and Imperial) where we the University of Sheffield came out on top within the formulation category.
Nabhan is 3rd year PhD student in the department and is supervised by Head of Department Professor Jim Litster. He graduated with a master’s in chemical engineering also in the department, having been awarded the prestigious Siddall Award.
His current research focuses on developing a mechanistic model structure for fluidised bed spray granulation. The key aim is to capture the descriptions of particle flow, particle growth and heat and mass transfer properties using a 'from first principles' approach. He aims to validate the model against Syngenta’s continuous pilot plant situated at Münchwilen (Switzerland) with the goal of enhancing Syngenta’s capabilities of process optimisation for fluidised bed processes.
Nabhan commented:
"Honestly, it feels exhilarating knowing that my work has been acknowledged by the industrialists at Syngenta. The conference was a good way to enhance our connections with industry and to really demonstrate the value that we in academia bring.
The quality of the other presentations was so high it really helped emphasise the impact which Syngenta has on sponsored research. It was particularly interesting seeing the diversity of science, which included talks on synthetic chemistry, electro-chemistry, formulation science and process engineering.
The experience was certainly valuable, and I hope to continue deliver on this research to maintain our positive ties between academia and industry."