CJCE June Issue – Perspectives in Chemical Engineering Special Series

The June issue of CJCE features the latest addition to the ongoing Perspectives in Chemical Engineering Special Series as well as three other exciting issue highlight articles.

The Editor’s Choice article of this issue is a review article titled “Review: Sustainable electrochemical lithium extraction from brine and seawater” by Samudrika Aththanayaka and Yulin Hu from University of Prince Edward Island, Canada. In this article, the authors note that “lithium (Li) is a critical element driving the transition toward a decarbonized environment by enabling sustainable energy storage and use in modern infrastructure”, continuing that “over the past decades, the widespread exploitation of electronic devices and electric vehicles (EVs) has significantly driven global demand for Li.” This review highlights “advancements in the synthesis of working electrode materials (i.e., lithium iron phosphate [LiFePO₄]), electrode modifications, and membrane modifications for enhancing Li recovery and selectivity” as well as “current challenges and future perspectives, particularly on scaling these innovations from bench-scale to industrial applications, and the technical challenges relating to the process scale of electrochemical extraction approaches”.

The second issue highlight is an open access article and the latest addition to the Perspectives in Chemical Engineering Special Series: “How to ‘survive’ after graduating in science or engineering: Becoming an academic administrator” by Federico Rosei from University of Trieste, Italy. In this article the author expresses their “views, based partly on personal experience, about pursuing an alternative career path within academia: becoming an administrator (e.g., Department Chair, Dean, Vice-President, President, etc.), either as a temporary detour, or as a permanent shift” in addition to sharing “the main lessons learned through personal experience” from their work as Director. Finally, they discuss the leadership traits that they “believe to be necessary and sufficient to inspire faculty and staff in your unit to go ‘above and beyond’ towards collectively and effectively pursue common goals, fostering a sense of belonging and nurturing a welcoming, positive work environment.”

The next issue highlight is another open access article, titled “Interfacial adsorption characteristics of surfactant-modified nanoparticles: Equilibrium and dynamic effects of salinity at the oil–water interface” by Behrooz Ahmadi, Eghbal Sahraei, and Amir H. Mohammadi from Sahand University of Technology, Iran, and University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This study “systematically investigated the interfacial behaviour of silicondioxide (SiO₂) and aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized with cationic (CTAB), anionic (SDS), and nonionic (Triton X-100) surfactants under varying MgCl₂ salinities.” The findings reported in this article “provide direct mechanistic evidence of how surfactant type and NP surface chemistry jointly dictate salinity-dependent interfacial activity, offering a novel framework for tailoring nanofluid interfaces.”

The final issue highlight is an open access review article titled “Production of middle distillates through olefin oligomerization using ZSM-5 as a catalyst” by Thembekile Hoyi, Masikana Milan Mdleleni, Ntalane Sello Seroka, and Lindiwe Khotseng from University of the Western Cape, South Africa, and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa. In this article, the authors note that the “global transportation sector relies heavily on gasoline (C₅–C₁₂) and diesel (C₁₁–C₂₄)” and “diesel consumption is out-pacing gasoline, with projections estimating global demand by 2035 at 27 million barrels per day for gasoline and 37 million barrels per day for diesel.” This review “examines advancements in diesel production through olefin oligomerization, highlighting the efficacy of hierarchical ZSM-5 catalysts, which enhance fuel production efficiency through improved pore structures.” It also “explores sustainable feedstocks, such as light cracked naphtha, which reduce environmental impact” and “discusses refinery strategies like FCC unit optimization to boost olefin yields.”

Have you accessed CJCE’s latest virtual issue Perspectives and Conversations in Chemical Engineering? In this virtual issue, CJCE features articles from the ongoing Perspectives in Chemical Engineering Special Series as well as the Conversations in Chemical Engineering Special Series published from 2023 to 2026. Be sure to check it out while it is free to read!