Daniel Alexander Florez Orrego

Daniel Alexander Florez Orrego is a Senior Researcher at the Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering (IPESE) laboratory within the School of Engineering at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. He also holds a Lecturer position at the School of Management (SGM-ENS). His research focuses on energy systems optimization, industrial decarbonization, and sustainable process engineering with particular expertise in exergy analysis and heat integration.

Dr. Florez Orrego earned his Mechanical Engineering degree as valedictorian from the National University of Colombia (2011), followed by a Master's (2014) and Doctorate with honors (2018) in Mechanical Engineering with emphasis on Energy and Fluids from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. His academic journey reflects a strong foundation in thermodynamics and energy systems engineering.

His research interests center on exergy and energy integration of industrial processes, with specific focus on decarbonization pathways for hard-to-abate sectors including aluminum production, cement manufacturing, and chemical industries. He specializes in thermodynamic optimization, process integration, and the application of high-temperature heat pumps for industrial decarbonization. His work bridges theoretical thermodynamics with practical industrial applications, emphasizing technical, economic, and environmental analyses of energy conversion systems.

Dr. Florez Orrego's publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to industrial decarbonization research, with recent work focusing on circular economy approaches, carbon management strategies, and integration of renewable energy into industrial processes. His research spans multiple sectors including aluminum, glass, cement, and chemical manufacturing, with particular emphasis on process integration techniques that reduce energy consumption and emissions.

• ABCM Embraer Award 2019 for Best Research Thesis in Mechanical Engineering
• Honorable Mention in the Outstanding Thesis USP Award 2020
• Best technical article at the ECOS Conference 2016

As an advisor, Dr. Florez Orrego supervises PhD candidates like Baibhav Vibhu while collaborating on multiple research projects funded by prestigious organizations including the Swiss Federal Office of Energy via IEA Annex 58, Aditya Birla Group (Novelis), ANP & CENPES (Brazil), and MinCiencias (Colombia). His current projects focus on decarbonization of aluminum production, high-temperature heat pump integration, and industrial process optimization for net-zero emissions.

He leads research within the IPESE laboratory at EPFL's Energypolis campus in Valais, collaborating with the NetZeroLab Valais initiative that brings together Novelis Sierre, HES-SO, and local energy distributor Oiken. His work bridges academic research with industrial application, particularly in the context of Swiss industrial decarbonization efforts.