Juan David Trueba

Biography

I obtained my BSc in Chemical Engineering (2017) and my MSc in Chemical Engineering (2018) at the University of the Basque Country, during which I started my research career at PROCAT-VARES research group, working on hydroprocessing. My BSc Thesis was focused on the valorization of polyethylene and light cycle oil (LCO) blends, and my MSc Thesis pursued the two-stage valorization of LCO. In 2019, I was granted a predoctoral fellowship by the University of the Basque Country, successfully defending my PhD thesis in May 2023. The thesis aimed to maximize the production of automotive-like fuels and maximize plastic waste that is otherwise mismanaged at the end of its useful life. During the following months, I started my postdoctoral career at the same university, and, since January 2024, I have joined as a Postdoctoral Researcher the Multiscale Reaction Engineering (MuRE) group led by Prof. Pedro Castano in the KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC) at KAUST.

Research Interests

My research interests lay on catalytic processes focused on a more sustainable petrochemical industry, including from the intensification of processes involved in oil exploitation to alternative energy sources or alternative energy vectors. This includes catalyst design and discrimination, analytical characterization of gaseous, liquid and solid products and kinetic modeling with special attention to catalyst deactivation.

Selected Publications

Hydrocracking mechanisms of oxygenated plastics and vacuum gasoil blends.
D. Trueba, N. Zambrano, I. Hita, R. Palos, J. Azkoiti, P. Castano, A. Gutierrez. Fuel Processing Technology, 248, 107822 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2023.107822.
A six-lump kinetic model for HDPE/VGO blend hydrocracking.
F.J. Vela, R. Palos, D. Trueba, T. Cordero-Lanzac, J. Bilbao, J.M. Arandes, A. Gutierrez. Fuel, 333, 126211 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2022.126211.
Kinetic modeling of the hydrocracking of polystyrene blended with vacuum gasoil.
D. Trueba, R. Palos, J. Bilbao, J.M. Arandes, A. Gutierrez. Chemical Engineering Journal, 451, 138709 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.138709.
Product composition and coke deposition in the hydrocracking of polystyrene blended with vacuum gasoil.
D. Trueba, R. Palos, J. Bilbao, J.M. Arandes, A. Gutierrez. Fuel Processing Technology, 224, 107010 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2021.107010.

Education

BSc in Chemical Engineering, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain, 2017
MSc in Chemical Engineering, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain, 2018
PhD in Chemical Engineering, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain, 2023

Professional Profile

January 2024 – present: Postdoctoral Researcher, KAUST (Saudi Arabia)
June 2023 – September 2023: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain
2019-May 2023: PhD Researcher, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain
2017 (3 months): Internship in Esergui S.A., Zierbena, Spain.

KAUST Affiliations

KAUST Catalytic Center (KCC)
Division of Physical Science and Engineering (PSE)

Non-KAUST Affiliations

Procesos Catalíticos y Valorización de Residuos (PROCAT-VARES)

Research Interests Keywords

Hydroprocessing Process system engineering Waste Upgrading