Plenary Speaker Ⅰ

Prof. Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA

 

Bio: Dr. Muthanna Al-Dahhan is the University of Missouri System Curators' Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) (the highest academic rank in the University of Missouri System), and the Wayne and Gayle Laufer Endowed Chair in Energy. He is the former chair of the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering (January 2009 – June 2019), an AIChE Fellow, ABET Program Evaluator and he is becoming ABET Commissioner. He is an affiliated Professor with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), ACER CoE, Morocco.

Professor Al-Dahhan was a UNESCO expert on quality assurance of engineering and science education from 2010 to 2016. He has developed a state-of-the-art Multiphase Flow and Reactors Engineering and Education Laboratory (mFReel), which is unique in the USA and in the world and can be considered a global resource. Before Missouri S&T, he was a Professor at Washington University in St. Louis (1994-2008), Associate Director of the Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory (CREL) (1994-2008), Project Manager at Xytel Corporation, USA (1993/1994), Head of process, process engineer and project engineer in pilot plants – Iraq (1979-1985). He holds three degrees in chemical engineering (BSc in 1979, University of Baghdad, Iraq; Master of Science degree in 1988, Oregon State University and Doctor of Science degree in 1993, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri). He directed the industry-academia consortium from 1999 to 2008 on gas conversion to alternative clean fuels/chemicals using slurry bubble columns. He obtained over $20 million in external funding as PI, Co-PI and Co-I. He has graduated over 55 PhD and 35 MS students and supervised over 15 international graduate students and over 55 postdocs, research associates, visiting/sabbatical faculty. Over 130 undergraduate students trained and worked in his laboratory with his graduate students and co-workers. All his students and co-workers are holding leading positions in industry and academia in the United States and around the world. His research contributions have resulted in over 360 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious scientific journals and conference proceedings with h-Index of 50 (Scopus, Oct. 2023); 59 (Google Scholar, Feb. 2024), Citations: 9299 (Scopus, Oct. 2023); 13399 (Google Scholar, Feb. 2024), i10-Index: 20448 (Scopus), 61 Invited Plenary and Keynote Lectures, 169 Invited Talks and over 523 Conferences Presentations. He has been listed among the 2% of scientists in the world of highly cited by Stanford University's study since its inception in 2019.

Professor Al-Dahhan has received many awards and recognitions nationally and internationally and his graduate and undergraduate students have received many awards and recognitions for the work done under his supervision. He founded and chaired several national and international conferences and technical sessions. He has been an expert and consultant to IAEA, UNESCO, CRDF, IREX, US State Department / Sandia National Laboratory, many companies and research organizations in USA and from around the world. Dr. Al-Dahhan has established extensive collaboration in the USA and around the world with academia, industry and research centers.

 

Speech Title: TBD

 

Abstract: TBD

 

 

Plenary Speaker Ⅱ

Prof. Li Wang

Non-EU Member of EURASC & Foreign Member of RAE

Zhejiang University, China

 

Bio: Li Wang got his Ph.D. degree at Zhejiang University and was a postdoctor in University of Waterloo in Canada. He currently is a professor and doctor tutor of Zhejiang University, Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Engineering and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK (FRSC). He has been granted the Special Government Allowances of the State Council. He was a visiting professor of Yale University, University of Washington and University of California, Irvine. He is the Commissioner of the Committee of the Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy under Chinese Physical Society, Member of the Director Board of Zhejiang Chemical Society, and Member of Editorial Board of "Pigment & Resin Technology", "Innovations in Corrosion and Materials Science", "Journal of Zhejiang University Science A", "China Coatings Journal", "Chinese Journal of Magnetic Resonance" and was the Member of Editorial Board of "Liquid Crystal". His research interests mainly focuses on functional polymers, nanomaterials and so on. He has held more than 70 research programs as the project director. He has published more than 400 SCI cited papers and so on in the journals and 2 books. He has been invited to academic communicate or to give presentations in more than 150 universities and institutes at more than 40 countries.

 

Speech Title: Ferrocene-Based Polymer Networks for Anti-Migration Burning-Rate Catalysts

 

Abstract: Composite solid propellants have been widely employed in the propulsion systems of spacecraft and aerospace launch vehicles due to their characteristics of high specific impulse, excellent mechanical properties, and superior safety factors. As one of the commonly used oxidizers, ammonium perchlorate (AP) typically constitutes approximately 70% of the total mass of composite solid propellants. Consequently, its thermal decomposition characteristics directly impact the ultimate burning performance. Research indicates that enhancing the thermal decomposition properties of AP through burning-rate catalyst addition is an effective approach to improving the burning performance of composite solid propellants. However, conventional ferrocene-based burning-rate catalysts (such as Catocene) exhibit issues like migration propensity, which severely compromises the storage stability and operational safety of composite solid propellants. To address these challenges, reactive groups were introduced into ferrocene-based compounds. By co-crosslinking with the binder system of the solid propellant, ferrocene-based polymer networks were constructed and the ferrocene-based burning-rate catalyst showed zero migration. This innovation effectively resolved the migration issue of ferrocene-based burning-rate catalysts within composite solid propellants, while also exhibiting outstanding catalytic efficiency for burn rate.

 

 

Plenary Speaker Ⅲ

Prof. Rosa María Martín-Aranda

Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain

 

Bio: Prof. Martín-Aranda studied Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, focused on Materials Sciences (synthesis, composition, structure, application). Prof of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry at UNED since 1992. Head of the UNESCO Chair "Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development: Global Food Production and Food Safety" UNED-Triptolemos Foundation (Dec. 2018- Feb. 2025). FULL PROFESSOR (since 2011), First Vice-chancellor of UNED, Vice-chancellor of Research (Dec. 2018-Feb. 2025). She was Vice-chancellor of evaluation procedures (2010-2015) and Dean of Environmental Sciences (2006-2010) at UNED. She was Coordinator of Studies and Programs at Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP) (2017-2018). Her research focuses on UNDERSTANDING STRUCTURE-PERFORMANCE relationships in catalysis for Fine Chemical preparation under sustainable alternative methodologies, and environmental research and health.
·Publications
Representative publications out of 107 papers and book chapters
https://portalcientifico.uned.es/investigadores/183190/publicaciones
·Awards
2026 Científicas con Liderazgo Cívico. Premio Julio Peláez X edición. Fundación Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno
2025 Honorífica Orden Internacional del Mérito
2025 Día de Castilla-La Mancha. Knowledge transfer-international cooperation
2018 Dissemination of Science and STEM area

 

Speech Title: Driving the Circular Transition: The Role of Green Chemistry and Advanced Catalysis

 

Abstract: The global transition from a linear "take-make-dispose" economy to a regenerative circular model requires a fundamental redesign of chemical processes. This presentation explores how the principles of green chemistry and advanced catalysis serve as the primary engines for this industrial shift. By utilizing renewable feedstocks, minimizing hazardous waste, and maximizing atom economy, green chemistry redefines waste as a valuable resource. Crucially, novel catalytic systems provide the low-energy pathways necessary to selectively deconstruct complex waste streams, such as post-consumer plastics and agricultural biomass, into high-value chemical building blocks. Through recent case studies in plastic upcycling and bio-based manufacturing, we demonstrate how integrating these disciplines creates economically viable, closed-loop systems. Ultimately, this session highlights the critical need for cross-sector collaboration among chemists, engineers, and policymakers to scale these sustainable innovations from the laboratory to global supply chains.

 

 

Plenary Speaker Ⅳ

Prof. Elisa Moretti

Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy

 

Bio: Elisa Moretti (EM) is Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy. 
She is leading a multidisciplinary team focused primarily on the development of 0-2D advanced ceramics with tunable size, morphology, porosity, and crystalline phases, for environmental and energy-related applications (e.g., photocatalysis and electrocatalysis for H2 production, drug photodegradation for water remediation, water desalination).
Since 2023, EM has been the Chair-holder of a UNESCO Chair on Technologies and Materials for Green and Energy Applications (AID4GEA).
She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK, and Global Ambassador of the American Ceramic Society, ACerS.
She has been a visiting scholar/professor at several universities/research centers (China, Sweden, Spain).
Prof. Moretti has a strong and consolidated expertise in leading industrial research projects with small, medium, and large industrial partners, having several industrial projects funded in recent years.
EM is the founder and scientific supervisor of the Company ChEERS Ltd. - Circular Economy for Energy Recycling Solutions, working on a sustainable upcycling and valorization of industrial and agri-food wastes to facilitate the lab-to-fab transition of innovative processing and advanced materials.

 

Speech Title: Engineering Functionality in Inorganic Nanomaterials: From Nanoscale Design to Sustainable Technologies

 

Abstract: Nowadays, a major technological challenge is ensuring a sustainable supply of clean energy, with solar energy standing out as the most promising renewable source. In recent years, advanced synthetic strategies have enabled the preparation of nanostructured materials with properties that differ significantly from their bulk counterparts. These materials exhibit controlled and tunable morphologies that can enhance both the activity and selectivity of catalytic processes. In particular, nanostructures obtained through bottom–up approaches offer significant opportunities for next-generation device manufacturing. Additionally, defect engineering has emerged as a powerful strategy to tailor the performance of photocatalytic materials.
This talk will highlight the crucial role of controlling both morphology and defect structures to improve photocatalytic activity. Emphasis will be placed on the rational design of inorganic low-dimensional nanomaterials, demonstrating how nanoscale engineering leads to optimized structures for enhanced catalytic performance in processes of industrial and environmental relevance. Finally, selected environmental applications involving multi-component oxide systems synthesized via bottom–up approaches will be discussed, focusing on structure–reactivity relationships.

 

 

Plenary Speaker Ⅴ

Prof. Atsushi Urakawa

Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

 

Bio: Atsushi Urakawa obtained his BSc degree in Applied Chemistry at Kyushu University (Japan) with a one-year stay in the USA. He then moved to Europe and studied Chemical Engineering at TU Delft (The Netherlands) for his MSc degree and obtained his PhD in 2006 at ETH Zurich (Switzerland). He worked as a Senior Scientist and Lecturer at ETH Zurich and in 2010 he joined ICIQ (Spain) as Group Leader. In 2019, he undertook a new challenge as Professor of Catalysis Engineering at TU Delft. Rational catalyst and catalytic process design is the goal of his research and his team develops tools and performs research towards that. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2016) and the recipient of the JSPS Prize (2020) and the Japan Academy Medal (2021).

 

Speech Title: Spatiotemporal Resolution at the Reactor Scale: Understanding and Boosting Catalysis

 

Abstract: Heterogeneous catalysis plays a vital role in the production of chemicals and fuels, in environmental protection, and as an enabler of future technologies for sustainable, circular development. Yet only a minute fraction of such technologies ever reaches commercial deployment, only after decades of research and development. The need to accelerate the development of catalytic technologies is clear if we are to address the environmental and energy challenges we face. To better understand catalytic materials and reactions, in situ and operando spectroscopic methods are now widely employed, with the aim of rationally designing and improving catalysts. The question is: do these methods actually bring us closer to that goal? In this talk, I outline what I see as the major challenges and gaps in the field, and then introduce promising operando methodologies, particularly with spatial and temporal resolution at the reactor scale. Selected examples from C1 chemistry and environmental catalysis are presented. Finally, I present our recent efforts to boost reactivity by exploiting reactor space as a design variable.