Contact Dr Rylan Cox
Areas of expertise
- Aerospace Manufacturing
- Biomass and Waste
Background
Rylans graduated with a BEng in Mechanical Engineering in 2017 from Brunel University having conducted his first bioprocessing project on biodegradable insulation for the construction industry.
He then continued at Cranfield University for his MSc in Advanced Materials and undertook two different projects which were developing nanocoatings for medical detection devices followed by optimising the production of microalgae through process intensification technology and media optimisation graduating in 2018.
Rylan then continued with an EngD in process intensification for producing value-adding chemicals. During his EngD he published 7 peer-reviewed journal publications and presented at 4 conferences with one best poster award. The work focuses on producing platform chemicals like lactic acid and ethanol from bread waste, as well as other products such as xylitol, succinic acid and beta-carotenoids from various feedstocks. Additionally, the EngD focused on the oscillatory baffled flow reactor on its ability in batch and continuous fermentation. After successfully defending his Viva in 2023,
Rylan now continues as a Research Fellow in sustainable aerospace manufacturing where he is part of a dynamic team developing a multi-decision-making platform to enable eco-socially driven choices. He focuses on the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies for environmental mapping through sensory and blockchain integration.
He also continues his research in the conversion of waste into value-adding chemicals such as pigments and citric acid as well as exploring the oscillatory baffle flow for application within bioprocessing to improve production rates including microalgae production. He recently won his first small grant of 10K to evaluate the oscillatory baffle flow reactor as a modular, mobile waste valorisation platform in which the current design is being modified and improved.
Research opportunities
Transitioning batch to continuous flow processes.
Feasibility and scale-up assessments of the Oscillatory Baffled Flow Reactor
Implementation of Industry 4 technologies for environmental footprint managing
Waste valorisation and fermentation into value-adding chemicals including:
- lactic acid
- succinic acid
- xylitol
- ethanol
- beta-carotenoids
- citric acid
Improved production of microalgae using optimisation and process intensification technologies.
- haematococcus pluvialis
- chlorella vulgaris
- chlorella protothecoides
- botryococcus braunii
Intensifying processes to enable clean and economically feasible bioprocessing such as:
- Fermentation
- Microalgae production
- Polymerisation
Current activities
Research fellow in sustainable aerospace manufacturing:
- Development of a multi-decision-making platform for eco-social scoring.
- Planning and implementation of Industry 4.0 for environmental, and social scoring within manufacturing and supply chain.
Development of continuous flow technologies for the production of value-adding chemicals and polymers:
- Investigating optimal flow conditions for continuous operation and scale-up implications.
- Evaluating the feasibility of glucose production in a continuous bioreactor compared with batch technologies.
- Evaluating growth profiles for enhanced microalgae production in oscillatory flow.
- Assessing the oscillatory baffle flow reactor under batch and continuous conditions to identify optimal performance for polymerisation.
Production of value-adding chemicals and pigments from waste
- Manufacture of glucose-rich syrups from industrial food waste (lignocellulosic biomass, potato and bread)
- Production of platform chemicals from beverage manufacture (lactic acid, xylitol)
- Developing organic pigments and carotenoids derived through microbial cell factories.
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Yuksek YA, Haddad Y, Cox R & Salonitis K. (2024). A Unit Product Energy Mapping Framework for Operation Management in Manufacturing Industries. Procedia CIRP, 122
- Cox R, Salonitis K, Impey SA & Rebrov E. (2023). Characterising flow with continuous aeration in an oscillatory baffle flow reactor using residence time distribution. Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, 8(12)
- Cox R, Narisetty V, Castro E, Agrawal D, Jacob S, .... (2023). Fermentative valorisation of xylose-rich hemicellulosic hydrolysates from agricultural waste residues for lactic acid production under non-sterile conditions. Waste Management, 166(July)
- Cox R, Salonitis K, Rebrov E & Impey SA. (2022). Revisiting the Effect of U-Bends, Flow Parameters, and Feasibility for Scale-Up on Residence Time Distribution Curves for a Continuous Bioprocessing Oscillatory Baffled Flow Reactor. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 61(30)
- Cox R, Narisetty V, Nagarajan S, Agrawal D, Ranade VV, .... (2022). High-Level fermentative production of Lactic acid from bread waste under Non-sterile conditions with a circular biorefining approach and zero waste discharge. Fuel, 313(April)
- Narisetty V, Prabhu AA, Bommareddy RR, Cox R, Agrawal D, .... (2022). Development of Hypertolerant Strain of Yarrowia lipolytica Accumulating Succinic Acid Using High Levels of Acetate. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 10(33)
- Narisetty V, Cox R, Bommareddy R, Agrawal D, Ahmad E, .... (2022). Valorisation of xylose to renewable fuels and chemicals, an essential step in augmenting the commercial viability of lignocellulosic biorefineries. Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 6(1)
- Narisetty V, Cox R, Willoughby N, Aktas E, Tiwari B, .... (2021). Recycling bread waste into chemical building blocks using a circular biorefining approach. Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 5(19)