Nuclear energy and sustainability experts heading to Manchester

LEADING engineering experts in nuclear energy and sustainability will deliver keynote speeches at two technical conferences in Manchester, UK later this year.

The International Sustainable Production and Consumption Conference (ISPCC) will explore progress made by chemical engineers in sustainable production and consumption methods; whilst the International Nuclear Engineering Conference (INEC) will look at the development of nuclear energy by chemical engineers, from cradle to grave. The events, organised by IChemE, will take place on 4–5 October.

Chaired by Adisa Azapagic, professor of sustainable chemical engineering at the University of Manchester, the ISPCC conference programme has been designed in collaboration with IChemE’s highly-regarded journal Sustainable Production and Consumption and with the support of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE) Sustainability Section. This is the first time an IChemE journal has produced a technical conference of this kind.

The organising committee announced the speakers line-up earlier this week, with many leading academics and researchers confirmed.

Raimund Bleischwitz, chair of sustainable global resources at University College London, will present on The role of resources in transformations towards sustainability. His extensive international research experience in resource efficiency, and the interface of policy and industry, has resulted in more than 200 publication contributions.

He will be joined by Sandra Venghaus, senior scientist at Germany’s Juelich Research Centre’s Institute for Systems Analysis and Technology Evaluation. Venghaus heads up the Ethics, Sustainability, and the Food, Energy, Water Nexus Research Group at Juelich, and is an expert in evaluating the impact of political action on society and the environment, with a particular focus on the sustainability of food, energy and water.

Other confirmed speakers include: Carmen Teodosiu, director of the department of environmental engineering and management at Romania’s Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași; Stefan Hirschberg, senior advisor in energy divisions at Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland; and David Greenfield, managing director at Social Environmental and Economic Solutions (SOENECS), an independent research and innovation practise that advises public and private companies.

INEC, to be chaired by Bruce Hanson, professor of nuclear process engineering at the University of Leeds, UK will run parallel to ISPCC. It will focus on how developments in nuclear engineering could underpin a sustainable nuclear power industry worldwide.

Tim Milner, chief technology officer at Atkins, has been confirmed as a keynote speaker and will discuss technology in nuclear decommissioning and waste management. With over 20 years of experience in nuclear engineering internationally, his specialist subject is the development and application of chemical processes in supporting nuclear power plants.

Additionally, in his presentation Advanced Reactor Development in the US: Evolution or Revolution?, Andrew Worrall will explore the benefits of nuclear as a secure and clean source of electricity. Worrall, fuel cycle technology integration leader at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US, has worked in reactor physics, fuel and core design, fuel development, and analysis for more than 25 years.

Ian Scott, president of Moltex Energy, and California State University’s Dr Stephen Mezyk, professor of physical environmental chemistry, will also present at INEC.

Jarka Glassey, vice president (technical) of IChemE, said:

“ISPCC and INEC will both shine a light on the important developments championed by chemical engineers in core areas of the process industry. 

“The world we know today faces challenges on several fronts, and much of the solutions required are underpinned by the need for sustainable processes and products. Chemical engineers have a unique skill set and are best-placed to develop these sustainable solutions. What’s more, nuclear energy will be key to delivering an energy mix that will help us to achieve our global emissions targets as we learn to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels.

“These conferences provide a fantastic opportunity for chemical, process, and biochemical engineers from research and industry to come together and learn from each other. We have an impressive speaker line-up for both conferences, and I’m looking forward to hearing their take on the challenges as well as the opportunities.”

Register for ISPCC or INEC.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available for INEC and ISPCC.