Erik von Harbou | Forschungsmagazin Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau

Professor for Reaction and Fluid Process Engineering

Prof. Dr. Erik von Harbou

“Finding new ways through research to meet the challenges of the energy transition and breaking down old paradigms in the process – that's what inspires me.”

Erik von Harbou has been Professor of Reaction and Fluid Process Engineering at RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau since 2021. His research focuses on investigating complex reaction and material separation processes. His research aims to develop energy- and resource-efficient manufacturing processes for the chemical, food and pharmaceutical industries.

Manufacturing in sync with energy

Yoghurt, pharmaceuticals, specialty coatings: many products are manufactured in multi-stage, finely tuned steps known as batch processes. These are sensitive operations: poor timing can ruin an entire batch. A research team is developing new concepts to help manufacturers rethink these traditionally rigid workflows. The reason? Electricity from renewable sources comes with fluctuating availability and prices, demanding greater flexibility from industrial production.