Dr Woei Saw
Grant-Funded Researcher (C)
School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD, but is currently at capacity - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Dr Woei Saw is a senior Research Fellow in the School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials at the University of Adelaide (UA). He has research and hands on experience in designing and operating pilot scale systems, and expertise relevant to thermal conversion technologies. He has been heavily involved in concentrated solar thermal (CST) research projects funded by ARENA. Currently, he is project managing one of the ARENA funded R&D projects, 'Integration of CST energy into the Bayer process'.
Furthermore, he is working towards on a transformation of agricultural waste through the development of technologies to produce value-adding energy co-products. The work targets on converting organic matter to both ‘liquid smoke’ and much more energy dense and stable ‘bio-coal’. He is also target on the development of solar gasification technologies that convert agricultural products to solar syngas or solar fuels that can be transported as liquids (green biodiesel). These technologies are delivering a low cost route to a sustainable and carbon neutral fuel to replace both conventional diesel and kerosene.
Prior to his position at UA, he held a research position at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, as the project leader leading one of the four research programs, 'Thermal conversion of biomass to H2-rich syngas and liquid fuel', funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment.
Research Interests
- Concentrated solar thermal for power generation, liquid fuel production and mineral processing
- Gasification of biomass for production of synthetic gas (H2,CO) for biofuel or H2
- Waste (including Food waste) to value
- Process modelling and Techno-economic assessment
- Torrefaction and pyrolysis of biomass for high value products
- High temperature thermal energy storage
| Date | Project | Investigators | Funding Body | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Feasibility study of co-gasification of bagasse and solid waste in a sugarcane mill | Saw, Woei Lean; Kwong, Philip; Nathan, Graham; Ashman, Peter | Department of Industry, Innovation and Science | $50,000 |
| 2019 | Development of biochar briquette and low cost kindling for energy |
Saw, Woei Lean; Kwong, Philip; Nathan, Graham; Ashman, Peter | Department of Industry, Innovation and Science | $70,545 |
| 2018 | Establishing new, leading interdisciplinary capability and solutions for secure, affordable and sustainable energy | Maier, H.; Nathan, G.; Ashman, P.; Burton, R.; Cavagnaro, T.; Riddell, G.; Dally, B.; Binenbaum, E.; Adamson, D.; Lewis, M.; Simpson, A.; Saw, W.; van Eyk, P.; Packer, J. | University of Adelaide, Interdisciplinary Fund | $65,000 |
| 2018-2021 | Converting Sunlight Innovation Challenge, Building Australia’s international partnerships in solar fuels research and innovation for energy |
Nathan, G; Stein, W; Dally, B; Stechel, E; Steinfeld, A; Kodama, T; McDaniel, A; Saw, W; Chinnici, A | Australian Renewable Energy Agency | $494,000 |
| 2017-2018 | Potential for reduction in the cost and carbon emissions for energy |
Jafarian, Mehdi; Saw, Woei Lean; Nathan, Graham | Department of Industry, Innovation and Science | $110,215 |
| 2016-2020 | Integrating concentrating solar thermal energy into the Bayer alumina process; | Nathan, Graham; Saw, Woei Lean; Alwahabi, Zeyad; Arjomandi, Maziar; Ashman, Peter; Dally, Bassam; Hawkes, Evatt; Hinkley, Jim; Steinfeld, A; Taylor, Robert; Tian, Zhao Feng; van Eyk, Philip Joseph; Yeoh, Guan Heng; Chatfield, Ray; Abraham, John; Harrison, Ian; Haywood, Ross; Lovegrove, Keith; Stein, Wes; Stephenson, Ian; | ARENA: Emerging Renewables Program: | $4,490,752 |
| 2016-2017 | Design tools for complex solar hybrid thermochemical processes | Nathan, Graham; Dally, Bassam; Pitsch, Heinz; Medwell, Paul; Jafarian, Mehdi; Saw, Woei Lean; Chinnici, Alfonso; | Universities Australia - DAAD - Australia Germany Joint Research Cooperation Scheme | $25,000 |
CHEM ENG 1007 Introduction to Process Engineering
ENG 1001/1011 Introduction to Engineering
CHEM ENG 4058/7058 Hydro and Electrometallurgy
CHEM ENG 4014 Plant Design Project
CHEM ENG 4054 Research Project
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