Head of Department:

Dr. Lawrence Darkwah

Dr. Lawrence Darkwah has been teaching at the Chemical Engineering Department of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology for the past ten years. He teaches at both postgraduate and undergraduate levels. He teaches Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, Drawing for Engineers, Mechanical Separation Processes, Environmental Engineering, Fuels and Energy, Chemical Separation Process Technology, Experimental Data Analysis and Corrosion Engineering.

He has supervised many MSc theses and co-supervised a PhD thesis both in the Energy and Environmental Engineering aspects of Chemical Engineering especially utilizing biological systems for process development and plant designs. These projects had to assess both the technological and economic feasibility of such plants.

Lawrence has research interests in biological and pyrolytic conversion of biomass resources into energy for productive use. He has over the last three years being teaching postgraduate students how to produce liquid biofuels from diverse feedstocks and giving global case studies for emulation in West Africa. These have been done both as a formal course that counts for some students curricula whilst for others, it has been skills development and knowledge acquisition for future and entrepreneurship possibility in biogas.

He also researches into biological oxidation for mineral extractive purposes and designs, demonstrates and impletes environmental mitigation systems for field applications, based on his previous industrial practice and consultations.

Lawrence has been the moderator for KNUST for the Oil & Gas Department of the All Nations University College in Koforidua since 2012. He is has also been the International Students Officer at the College of Engineering, KNUST since 2010.

Dr. Darkwah is a fellow of The Energy Center (TEC-KNUST) and a theme leader in Biogas technology in the collaboration between (TEC-KNUST) and North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) in which a biogas laboratory has been setup in the Chemical Engineering Department of KNUST to advance capacity-building and training in that area.

Lawrence graduated with a PhD in Chemical Engineering from The Birmingham University in United Kingdom and holds a Masters in Science degree in Industrial Biotechnology having previously been awarded a Bachelor’s degree with honours in Metallurgical Engineering from the then University of Science & Technology, Kumasi.

He is a happily married man blessed with three children and has been a Presbyter at the Christ Congregation, Presbyterian Church of Ghana on KNUST campus for the past five years.