prof.dr.ir. B. Schuur (Boelo)

Boelo Schuur is Professor Separation Technology in the cluster Process & Catalysis Engineering. Key research field is sustainable separation engineering, including both development of new and innovative, more sustainable separation processes for existing chemical operations, and enabling completely new separations. In that last category, biorefinery applications and circular economy applications are key topics. This includes recovery of volatile fatty acids from fermented waste water and downstream conversion into high value chemicals, extraction of lipids from microalgae, and downstream fractionation of pyrolysis oils. In several occasions, the use of innovative technologies such as stimuli responsive materials for smart separations helps making these complex separations possible and more sustainable.

Also in teaching, Boelo Schuur is involved in sustainability. He teaches BSc courses on industrial chemistry and processes, and a project sustainable chemical industry. Furthermore he teaches the MSc course advanced molecular separations.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Since March 2019

Professor Separation Technology, Sustainable Process Technology group, University of Twente, The Netherlands

June 2016 - March 2019

Associate Professor Separation Technology, Sustainable Process Technology group, University of Twente, The Netherlands

July 2011 – June 2016
Assistant Professor Separation Technology, Sustainable Process Technology group, University of Twente, The Netherlands

Research: Principal Investigator and supervisor of a group of researchers working on separation technology (typically one or two postdocs, some 5-7 PhD-students and several MSc-students and BSc-students).

for publications, see: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=IAQAH6MAAAAJ&hl=nl

Education: 
BSc: Module Industrial Chemistry & Processes, Lecturer Industrial Processes and Project Sustainable Industrial Chemistry (responsible for 6.5 ects); Introduction Process Technology tutor; Student mentor in 2012 and 2014.
MSc: Advanced molecular separations (5 ects);
PhD/PDEng: Molecular Affinity Separation course leader and lecturer on liquid-liquid extraction.

PREVIOUS POSITIONS:

September 2008 – July 2011
Assistant Professor Affinity Solvent Design, Process Systems Engineering group, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands.

November 2010 – December 2010
Visiting Researcher at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal (group of Prof. Fernando Pina). Acquainted experimental and analytical skills required for the characterization of the photochemistry of the flavylium based surfactants; presented lectures at Universidade Nova and at the Instituto Superior Téchnico (Lisbon).

July 2009 – January 2010
Visiting Research Associate at MIT, Cambridge MA, USA (group of Prof. T. Alan Hatton). Started up a research project on a new class of photoresponsive surfactants derived from synthetic flavylium salts. The research activities have been continued in Eindhoven and Lisbon, and still active in Twente.

EDUCATION:
September 2004 – September 2008
Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. Graduated on a thesis entitled “Enantioselective liquid-liquid extraction in centrifugal contactor separators.” Also active in research on conversion of biological oils in green chemicals and in biodiesel production. Active in the field of education as teaching assistant for the courses “Introduction in Process Technology” and “Multiphase Reactors”. Graduated on November 24, 2008.

September 2003 – September 2004
M.Sc. student in Chemistry Education, graduated in August 2004 as 1^st degree teacher chemistry for high school.

September 1996 – May 2003   
Student Chemical Engineering, University of Groningen. Graduated as M.Sc. on May 28,  2003. Topic of M.Sc. research was synthesis of bolaform amphiphiles. Part of this work was published.

OTHER ACTIVITIES:

Representative of the Royal Dutch Chemical Society (KNCV) in the general assembly of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE).

Member and secretary of the Working Party on Fluid Separations at the EFCE.
https://efce.info/WP_FS.html

Treasurer of the foundation “Stichting Financieel Beheer ten behoeve van EFCE activiteiten”, a foundation for financial guarantees for organizers of international conferences in The Netherlands.

Guest Editor Separation and Purification Technology, special issue Ionic Liquids in Separation Technology (ILSEPT4 2019)

Guest Editor Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry - Special Issue on Green Solvents 2021

Member of the Royal Dutch Institution for Engineers (KIVI), Royal Dutch Chemical Society (KNCV), NPT (Netherlands Process Technologists), the American Chemical Society, the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), and of DECHEMA.

PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES:

Board member of NPT, the Netherlands Process Technologists (2012-2018). In my first three years I combined the positions of treasurer and education and career, since 2015 I focused completely on education and career.

Organization of NPS14, the Netherlands Process technology Symposium (550 participants).

Guest Editor Separation and Purification Technology, special issue Ionic Liquids in Separation Technology (ILSEPT2 2014) (volume 155, 26 November 2015).

Member of technical/scientific committees of the:
-International Solvent Extraction Conference, ISEC 2014, Würzburg, Germany;
-International Solvent Extraction Conference, ISEC 2011, Santiago, Chile;
-International Conference on Chemical & Process Engineering, Florence, Italy, 2011

Organisations

• Faculty of Science and Technology (TNW), Sustainable Process Technology (SPT)