On 19 October 2026, the research group was honored to host Prof. Suttichai Assabumrungrat, Assoc. Prof. Suwimol Wongsakulphasatch, and Assoc. Prof. Siti Zullaikah to visit us and deliver academic talks.

Prof. Suttichai Assabumrungrat is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, affiliated with the Center of Excellence on Catalysis and Catalytic Reaction Engineering. His research covers reaction engineering, process intensification (PI), multifunctional reactors (MFRs), and biorefinery systems, with applications in hydrogen production, sustainable fuels, biodiesel/BHD, bio-based chemicals, and CO₂ conversion. In his talk, he outlined PI’s role in advancing Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy, highlighting MFR-enabled integration for more sustainable and efficient processes. He focused on PI/MFR applications in biofuels and biochemicals from palm oil and biodiesel industries—including spinning disc reactors, rotating tube reactors, sorption-enhanced reactions, and reactive distillation for biodiesel, BHD, hydrogen, and glycerol valorization—and introduced two Elsevier books: A–Z of Biorefinery and Process Intensification for Carbon Capture and Utilization (2026), supporting Thailand’s net-zero and BCG goals.

Assoc. Prof. Suwimol Wongsakulphasatch is affiliated with the Department of Chemical Engineering at King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, Thailand. Her research focuses on porous solid adsorption, carbon capture, hydrogen production, and sorption-enhanced reforming, with recent work integrating multifunctional catalytic and sorbent materials for improved H₂ production and in-situ CO₂ utilization. In her talk, she noted that while global warming is driving hydrogen (H₂) to become a key clean energy carrier, the transition to green H₂ still faces challenges in technology, economics, and policy, making the adaptation of existing technologies a practical interim solution. She therefore focused on an intensified sorption-enhanced reforming process that combines reforming with in-situ CO₂ capture for hydrogen production, particularly highlighting the development of multifunctional materials using gaseous and liquid feedstocks.

Assoc. Prof. Siti Zullaikah is a professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Indonesia. Her research focuses on biorefining, biomass conversion, renewable energy, and the circular economy, particularly the value-added utilization of agricultural and lipid resources. In her talk, she emphasized that biomass valorization requires the selective recovery and conversion of diverse components, and introduced an integrated circular-carbon strategy. She highlighted the selective valorization of agro-industrial feedstocks via microwave-assisted processing, deep eutectic solvents, and intensified reactors, as well as thermochemical carbon engineering via microwave-assisted co-pyrolysis. These studies demonstrate a multiscale approach linking feedstock chemistry, reactor engineering, and carbon structure to advance scalable circular-carbon technologies.

Beyond being an intellectual exchange, this visit marks a fresh starting point for deepening bilateral cooperation.