Alex De Visscher
Associate Professor
Canada Research Chair (CRC)
in Air Quality and Pollution Control Engineering
- Room: ENB 204K
- Telephone: (403)220-4739
- Fax: (403)284-4852
- E-Mail:adevissc [at] ucalgary [dot] ca
- Web:www.alexdevisscher.com
M.Sc. Chemical Engineering, Ghent University, Belgium (1993)
Ph.D. Applied Biological Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium (2001)
Dr. De Visscher's research focuses on the application of mass transport, chemical kinetics and thermodynamics on various problems in environmental science and engineering. The main purpose of the research is the development of innovative chemical and biological waste gas treatment techniques. A number of research themes are summarized below.
Air quality and its control
Kinetics of photocatalytical processes: Photocatalysis is a promising waste gas treatment technique for a number of organic compounds that are difficult to degrade biologically. To facilitate scale-up of this technique, new, more fundamental kinetic models of the process are being developed.
Methane biofiltration: The oil and gas industry leaks methane emissions from thousands of small sources. Together, these emissions add up to a substantial burden to the environment because methane is a strong greenhouse gas. Individually, though, many of the sources are too small to be treated economically by combustion. Techniques are being developed to treat these leaks biologically. Related research involves the oxidation of methane from landfill gas by landfill cover soils. By means of stable isotope measurements, new and improved measurement techniques are being developed.
Trace gas emission from agriculture: Agricultural activities lead to the emission of gases like ammonia, nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and methane. Mathematical models are being developed to better understand the mechanisms leading to these emissions, and to improve their quantification.
Other projects
Aqueous solution thermodynamics: Knowledge of the water solubility of alkaline earth carbonates is important to predict scale formation in chemical engineering, but also to understand the alkalinity and carbon dioxide solubility in natural waters, with far-reaching consequences for the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Thermodynamic models are being developed to better understand the behaviour of carbonates in water.
Sonochemistry: Strong ultrasound waves induce the destruction of volatile organic compounds dissolved in water. Kinetic models have been developed that accurately describe the reaction kinetics of apolar monocyclic aromatic compounds under these circumstances.