Epaminondas Voutsas

Epaminondas Voutsas serves as Professor at the School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece, within the Department of Analysis, Design and Development of Processes and Systems. He leads the Thermodynamics and Transport Phenomena Lab (TTPL), established in 1988, focusing on fundamental chemical engineering research with industrial applications.

His primary research spans Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, Natural Gas Processing, Supercritical Fluid Extraction, and sustainable solvent applications including Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents. Key contributions include developing the UMR-PRU model for natural gas dew point prediction, phase equilibrium modeling for reservoir fluids, and green extraction methods for bioactive compounds from algae. His work bridges biotechnology, environmental engineering, and waste-to-energy conversion through thermodynamic principles.

Recent publications from the BIOMALGA project (2019-2022) demonstrate significant advances in sustainable extraction of bioactive compounds from micro/macroalgae using green solvents, with applications in anti-aging products and antioxidant development. These studies emphasize environmentally friendly processes using Deep Eutectic Solvents and supercritical CO₂.

As coordinator of the €198,919.55 BIOMALGA project funded by Greece's National Action 'Special Actions', he led collaborative research between NTUA and the University of Ioannina. The project developed green processes for recovering bioactive products from seaweed, involving optimization of microalgae cultivation, magnetic biomass harvesting, and enzymatic modification of extracts. He actively supervises researchers in thermodynamic modeling and sustainable process development.

The Thermodynamics and Transport Phenomena Lab (TTPL) specializes in experimental measurements and modeling of complex mixtures including supercritical fluids and ionic liquids. The lab maintains pilot-scale units for supercritical extraction and collaborates with industry on applications in carbon capture, plastics recycling, and environmental pollutant fate prediction. Current research focuses on integrating thermodynamic models with circular economy principles for sustainable industrial processes.