Professor Spencer Taylor

Biography

I received my BSc and PhD degrees from the University of Surrey, the latter in physical organic chemistry on the kinetics of hydrogen-tritium exchange in heterocyclic compounds under the supervision of the late Professor John Richards Jones. Following bioinorganic chemistry postdoctoral positions in Canada and Oxford, I spent over 20 years in the petroleum industry with BP, working on various R&D aspects of colloid, interfacial, surfactant and emulsion technology underpinning upstream, downstream and chemicals businesses. I now undertake research in colloid and interfacial aspects of products and processes, with special interests in petroleum science and technology.

Research interests

My research interests are various, but primarily focus on fundamental and applied aspects of colloid, interfacial and surfactant science, including the preparation, characterisation, properties and applications of emulsions and suspensions. These systems have considerable industrial significance. Technological applications are recurring themes in these research areas, relating to the colloid and interface science underpinning nanoparticle technology, the formulation of fuel emulsions, cosmetics, lubricants, drilling fluids, catalysts, etc., and separations based on micellar or colloidal routes. Characterisation involves rheological, dielectric, particle size and surface and interfacial analytical techniques, as these are key to colloidal systems.

Specific areas of research include the chemistry, stability and handling of petroleum and petroleum products, the colloidal nature of crude oil and the understanding of the polar and heavier constituents such as asphaltenes and porphyrins, and their respective effects on production and refining operations, their behaviour at interfaces, and their effects on the stability of crude oil and bitumen emulsions. My work is also directed at the use of physical organic chemistry to improve the environmental quality and efficient use of fossil fuels through the identification and removal of trace contaminants, including the use of, for example, ultrasound (sonochemistry), adsorption and liquid emulsion/surfactant membranes. One example of this involves kinetic and equilibrium studies of physico-chemical interactions occurring in non-polar media which influence the thermal oxidative stability and water separation behaviour of aviation jet fuels.

I also maintain a continuing interest in bioinorganic mechanisms, and in particular the interaction between heavy metal ions and biomolecules, such as nucleobases, in which the identification of specific binding modes is important.

Awards

I am the recipient of two awards from the Institution of Chemical Engineers. In 1996, I received the Hutchison Medal for my work on the electrical treatment of water-in oil emulsions, published in Chemical Engineering Research & Design. Most recently, I was awarded the 2010 Senior Moulton Medal in recognition of work describing a conceptual process for the surfactant-mediated transfer of asphaltenes from oil into water.