Chemical Technology September 2016

SAICHE ICHEME SPOTLIGHT

Interviewwith Prof Sunny Iyuke

by Michelle Low

grow into successful chemical engineers or academics.

Liaison for SAIChE-IChemE Western Cape member group, thanked Roland Moollan of City of Cape Town for as- sisting him in facilitating the event. The Western Cape member group looks forward to more similar events as del- egates expressed interest in more such tours as they give wider exposure of the Process Engineering discipline. engineering. Upon graduating I went to work in industry. When I was general manager for Sea Petroleum & Gas Company. I felt that I could do more than just routine work, and therefore decided to pursue my PhD at the National University of Malaysia. ML: How did your research interests evolve from nanotechnology to petro- leum? SI: At my time in Malaysia, I was teaching topics in nanotechnology and fuel cell tech- nology, and particularly carbon nanotubes, which is graphite too. Furthermore, Giem had won the Nobel prize for his work in graphene, which highlighted its application to research. That material can be used for nanotubes which can be used for various applications, ie, from drug delivery, water treatment, drilling fluids, to fuel cells which can be an alternative to fossil fuels. Seeing that nano-graphite has various research ap- plications helped to progress my research. As for the biomedical interests, that was from my undergraduate degree, as we had exposure to dissection work, and my petroleum interests which were from my work experience. ML: What inspired you to study and stay in chemical engineering, particularly academia? SI: I remained in academia as it is not about routine work. Research is exciting in a sense that one can make new discoveries and add value to problems. Furthermore, I get to train students to be engineers by imparting my knowledge and interests to them. Part of the job satisfaction is that it is pleasing to see the students that I train

ML: What will your new job entail? SI: The Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) is a Parastatal of the NigerianMinistry. As CEO, it will be in the academia environment, where I will be responsible for skills developments in the oil and gas sector for the Nigeria Petroleum industry. That includes having to train technicians to overseeing degrees. Thus training students in Nigeria for Nigeri- ans and the global work force. SI: We have good students, and we need to push them to be great. My advice to the students that I have taught over the years is to not be in a hurry. Take responsibility for when you work alone and when you work in a group. Remember when there is time to play, play, as that allows one to cross- pollinate ideas and therefore advance them. To my colleagues in chemical engineering, be focused in your research area, you can- not research everything. However, produce and solve problems, but do them in such a way that they are applicable. Enjoy research so that it can be seen and heard by the world. You learn a lot from people, so have an open mind when you meet them, young or old. Continue to help people (such as reviewing papers) and keep your networks from conferences. Remember, the things you do speak for you. Connect with Professor Sunny Iyuke: Email: sunny.iyuke@pti.edu.ng Alternative email: sunny.iyuke@wits.ac.za ML: Any advice for students and col- leagues?

Thismonth we speak to Sunny Iyuke (CEng, MIChemE), a professor of Chemical Engineering at the School of Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He was recently appointed by theMinister of State for PetroleumResources, as the Principal/ Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State, Nigeria. ML: Tell me about where you obtained your degrees? SI: I did my high school qualification, un- dergraduate (BSc) and masters (Chemical Engineering) qualifications in Nigeria. Dur- ing my university career I was exposed to topics in medicine, chemistry and chemical Several SAIChE-IChemE members showed up and toured the 500 Mega Litres per day City of Cape Town’s Faure potable water treatment plant, one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. There was a lot of enthusiasm ex- pressed by the delegates during the tour and this led to a lively question and answer session. The event, which took place on 4 August 2016, provided an opportunity for exchanging notes and networking for Chemical Engineers. Ronald Gunda, the Industrial

Western Cape capers at Cape Town ’ s Faure water treatment plant

Written by Ronald Gunda on behalf of the WC membership group.

30

Chemical Technology • September 2016