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Chemical Engineering and Allied Processes Research Centre (CEAP-RC)

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND ALLIED PROCESSES RESEARCH CENTRE (CEAP-RC)

CEAP-RC undertakes industrial research in process development; plant design, optimization and scale, industry processing aids, bioactives compounds and polymers, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, agrichemicals (bio pesticides, bio-fertilisers, feeds/emerging feed sources), biofuels, pharmaceuticals (extract actives) and phytochemistry. Our task is to develop processes and value added-products from basic chemicals, specialty chemicals and consumer chemicals, that are responsive to sustainable manufacturing and support transfer technologies to industry. The future research areas are projected to include nanotechnology, biomass conversion to polymers for use as speciality chemicals, computational fluid dynamics modelling, catalysis, cosmetic science, feed science, chemical toxicology and e-waste material recovery.

Research and Development Activities

  • Application of natural products  of plants such as myrrh, opopanax, frankincense and eucalyptus trees in pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals and agrichemicals, cleaning solutions for households, textiles and industries.
  • Process development (lab-pilot-commercialization), plant designs, optimization and scaling-up industry processing aids from natural products.
  • Natural products extractives (phytochemistry) for application in pharmaceuticals, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical (gum resins), agrichemicals (bio-pesticides, bio-fertilisers, feeds).
  • Process development, plant designs, optimization and scaling-up of industry processing aids for leather, cosmetics, cleaning products, feed, textile processing among others.
  • Polymers and complex fluids design and synthesis for use in coatings, rheology modification, membrane separation and adsorbents with application in cosmetics, energy and water treatment. 
  • Catalysis and reactions targeting biomass conversion to fuels and chemicals, plasma chemistry, environmental catalysis and fuel cells.                                                                                                                                                                         
  • Computational, experimental and modelling approaches for fluid dynamics.

Capacity Building Programmes

  • Cosmetic science (skin creams, serums, cleansers, scrubs, oils and gels, hair care {sprays, conditioners, shampoo, treatment, conditioner, gels, curl products, oils, styling products, relaxers}, nail care, lip care, perfumery)
  • Soap technology (beauty bars laundry bars, castile soap, shampoo bars among others
  • Detergent technology (personal hygiene {body/bath wash and gels, handwash,}, carpet and upholstery, household {general cleaning products, tiles & bathroom, floor, window}, textiles (softening and bleach agents) and industrial cleaning products (dairy, packaging and metal cleaning). 
  • Extractive technologies for cross cutting sectors, oil extraction via mechanical or solvent oil from extraction from seed/fruit/nuts for non-food applications}, essential oil extraction from gum resins and vegetative feedstock, crude nutra-pharmaceutical extracts from selected plant metabolites, and resinoid extractions
  • Develop and transfer technologies on powdered detergents, petroleum jelly, lotions, creams, disinfectant, bleaches and antiseptic technologies
  • Animal feeds formulation training 

Research laboratories

Our research laboratories have specialized equipment for separation techniques (column chromatography, TLC), UV Visualizer and distillation. The laboratories also support formulation, product and process development, prototyping, testing, product validation), product evaluation (shelf life, stability), proof of concept and training.

Incubation and Common Manufacturing Facilities

Our facilities promote Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliance in production, market testing, product certification, and capacity development (skills, technological and financial). The facilities are also technology demonstration hubs for on-boarding investors and branding in one vertical pipeline and have the following assorted equipment; stainless-steel jacketed reaction vessels, soap plodder, oil press, distillation vessel, bench and industrial weighing scales, disc mill, ribbon mixer, pilot mixer and stainless steel settling vessels.