Andrzej Górak

Andrzej Górak (born February 15, 1951, in Andrychów, Poland) is a Polish process engineer and the Head of Laboratory of Fluid Separations at the Department of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering at the TU Dortmund University.

Career Professor Andrzej Górak studied chemistry at the Technical University of Lodz in Poland. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Faculty of Process Engineering in 1979. His thesis treated continuous distillation of multi-component mixtures. He worked at the same faculty as senior researcher until 1988. The following four years he spent as a researcher at Henkel KGaA in Düsseldorf. Having completed his “habilitation” at RWTH Aachen in 1989 and at Technical University Warsaw in 1990, Andrzej Górak became professor at the chair of fluid separation processes at TU Dortmund University in 1992. In 1996 he took over the chair of fluid separation processes at the University of Essen. Four years later, in 2000, he returned to TU Dortmund University to become the head of Laboratory of Fluid Separations, former chair of fluid separation processes. Apart from this, he has been full professor at the Technical University of Lodz since 2003. Since 2009 he has been decan of the Faculty of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering until the University Council of TU Dortmund University elected him as prorector for research in April 2011. He kept this position until January 2014. Between 2010 and 2012 he was member of Council of National Centre for Research and Development, appointed by Polish minister of science.

The scientific activities of professor Andrzej Górak are focused on the computer aided simulation and experimental validation of integrated reaction and separation processes, like reactive distillation and reactive absorption as well as on the analysis of hybrid separation processes. Professor Górak is an editor of the journal "Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification“. In 2010 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon (Verdienstkreuz am Bande) of the Federal Republic of Germany on 29 June 2010 for his contributions to international understanding between Poland and Germany. In 2013 President of Republic Poland awarded him with Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. In 2014 he was also awarded by DECHEMA and Verein Deutscher Ingenieure with Kirschbaum-Medaille for his outstanding achievements in fluid separations. He is also editor of the series of three books on distillation (2014), which are the most comprehensive review on this technology ever published. In 2018 professor Górak received the North Rhine-Westphalia order of merit in recognition of his social commitment.

Research Overview Conventional Fluid Separations Distillation, absorption and extraction Mass and heat transfer in multi-component systems Experimental determination of model parameters Rigorous modelling and simulation (continuous and batch) Reactive Separations Reactive distillation, absorption and extraction Modelling, simulation and experimental investigation Process design and -optimization Membrane Separations Pervaporation and vapour permeation Nanofiltration and membrane reactors Detailed modelling and simulation Experimental determination of model parameters Hybrid Separations Combination of conventional fluid separations Membrane-assisted separation processes Modelling, simulation, optimisation and experimental investigation Process Intensification Using reactive and hybrid separations Combining membranes with reactive separations Investigation of rotating packed bed separations Bioseparations Application of ionic liquids for bioextraction Bioalcohol separation by organophilic membranes Optimisation of downstream processing

Honours and awards 2018: Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia

Selected functions Since 2010: Regional coordinator, SFB TR63 InPrompt, founded by DFG Since 2000: European Federation of Chemical Engineering, Working Party on Distillation, Absorption and Extraction, Process Intensification Since 1995: Editor of Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification 2005-2010: ProcessNet, member of executive board 2005-2010: ProcessNet, Section Fluid Dynamics and Separation Technology, chairman 2002-2008: ProcessNet, Technical Committee on Fluid Process Engineering, chairman 1999-2005: DECHEMA, Working Committee on Process Simulation und Synthesis, chairman