Institute of Chemical Engineering

The Institute of Chemical Engineering (IChE) is a permanent scientific unit of BAS for chemical engineering and a principal national centre for chemical and biochemical engineering science.

Research and applied activity

At IChE, both fundamental and applied research is conducted, in priority scientific areas: new technologies, energy saving, new energy sources, environmental protection.
It works in the following main research fields:

• Hydrodynamics, heat and mass transfer processes in multiphase systems;
• Development of methods for optimal use and storage of energy;
• Engineering-chemical problems of catalytic processes;
• Applied aspects of biochemical processes;
• Energy efficiency;
• Ecology and environmental protection.

The aim is the development of new industrial processes, apparatuses and technologies, as well as the creation of methods of engineering and chemical systems for the optimal design, management and renovation of the chemical-technological systems.

More than 20 new processes, apparatuses and systems have been developed and implemented in industry with application in environmental protection and energy saving: contact economisers for the use of heat from the fumes of thermal power plants; technologies and apparatus for extracting toxic pollutants from waste gases; a new concept for heterogeneous catalytic reactors; extraction technologies to remove valuable but toxic substances from waste waters and their further utilization.

The scientific staff of the IChE is recognized at international level for contributions in the development of liquid membrane methods for simultaneous extraction and concentration of valuable and toxic substances from waste and natural waters.

The studies in the field of biotechnology relating to various fermentation and enzymatic processes are practically applicable in the pharmaceutical industry as well as for the biological treatment of waste water and the extraction of valuable components from unconventional raw materials. New methods have been developed for optimal energy use in batch and continuous chemical and biochemical processes as well as for the modelling of multicomponent liquid-vapour equilibrium.

IChE Research Groups participate in projects under the COST, COPERNICUS, TEMPUS, 7th Framework Program of the European Union and Horizon 2020. Specialized international scientific meetings and seminars are also organized periodically involving partners from foreign institutes to discuss joint developments . In cooperation with scientists from other European countries, information networks and educational programs are being developed.