UC research article in the Editor's Choice of "Chemical Engineering Research and Design"
The research paper was selected from among the 408 articles published in the British journal in this field in 2022, and is the only one authored by a Portuguese researcher.
Abridged version in English by Diana Taborda
The research paper "Particle technology's contributions to the major challenges of the 21st century A predictive retrospective as a special birthday present of IChemE", co-authored by Graça Rasteiro, Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering (DEQ) of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC), was one of the articles selected for the 2023 editorial of the Journal "Chemical Engineering Research and Design" published by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).
The research paper was selected from among the 408 articles published in the British journal in this field in 2022, and is the only one authored by a Portuguese researcher.
"This article is a collection of ideas about future developments in particle technology and its applications in different sectors, resulting from local brainstorming in the research groups of the various authors from different European universities," says Graça Rasteiro, coordinator of the DEQ research group "Particles, Polymers and Biomaterials Technology".
Particle technology is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that deals with processes involving particles, whether in aerosols, pharmaceuticals, medicine, soils, detergents, the environment, food, etc. According to Graça Rasteiro, the first laboratory in this field in Portugal was set up in Coimbra, at DEQ.
In short, "the article shows how sectors such as energy, the fight against global warming and medicine, among others, may benefit from developments in the field of particle technology. The article also shows how we can improve the different processes involved and the design of new particle-based products through the use of artificial intelligence," she explains.
The article also establishes a connection to the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields, believing that in a few years' time, it will be possible to develop "intelligent particles that know where to go in our bodies and, based on the information they gather from the body, act and release the most appropriate active ingredient where it is needed", Rasteiro concludes.
Discover the 2023 editorial of Chemical Engineering Research and Design. The selected articles will be available to the general public until the 31st of October.