Event
CHBE Seminar: Dr. Seung Young Park, W.R. Grace
Friday, October 17, 2025
11:00 a.m.
Room 2108 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building
Patricia Lorenzana
301-405-1935
plorenza@umd.edu
"Process Technology for Production of Silica Gel at Scale"
Abstract: Silica gel is a highly versatile inorganic material, widely used as a processing aid in pharmaceutical and coating technologies, a catalyst support in oil/gas and polymer production, a chromatographic resin in the purification of complex mixtures, and more. These diverse applications are enabled by silica gel’s unique mesoporous structure, controllable particle size, tunable surface properties, and safety profile. Designing and scaling up silica gel production process requires a strong understanding of chemical engineering principles. This seminar will introduce key process technologies used in industrial silica gel manufacturing and discuss current challenges and opportunities for innovation in the field.
Bio: Dr. Seung Young Park earned his B.S./ M.S. degrees in chemical engineering from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon, South Korea in 1991/ 1993. He began his career as a research engineer at LG Chem and completed his Ph.D. in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park in 2003. He currently serves as a senior process technology engineer in Materials Technologies, W.R. Grace & Co., based in Baltimore, Maryland, focusing on scalable process innovations and industrial applications of silica and related materials.
