Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Saman is currently a Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Monash University Malaysia campus and have been teaching both fluid mechanics and separation processes. He was also a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London. His research was on hydrodynamics and mass transfer within heap leaching systems, which are hydrometallurgical processes to extract precious and base metals from its low grade ores. Dr Saman was awarded his PhD in Minerals Processing by the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London in December 2012. His thesis was entitled “Hydrodynamics of unsaturated particle beds pertaining to heap leaching”. In it, he has explored the fluid flow behaviour in heap leaching systems experimentally by measuring liquid holdup and tracer transport.
Dr Saman has extensive mining, minerals processing, chemical process engineering, and industrial rock blasting teaching and research experiences at Imperial College London, Monash University Malaysia campus (Department of Chemical Engineering) and University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (Department of Earth Resources Engineering). Most of it focused on processing of low grade ores, improving the efficiency of metal extraction systems, porous media flow studies, waste management (electronic waste or e-waste) and sustainability aspects of minerals processing. His work provided a useful link between minerals engineering, waste management and unsaturated fluid flow in mineral extraction systems encouraging research collaborations.
Research interests
The behaviour of unsaturated gravity driven flow of liquid through packed beds of particles is important to a number of different processes ranging from trickle bed reactors (TBRs) in chemical engineering to heap leaching in minerals processing as it is the major driver in the mass transport of reagents to the particle surface as well as for the transport of the dissolved species out of the system. This flow is complex as it is unsaturated and occurs through a network of channels between particles typically in the range of millimetres to a few centimetres in size. These flows exhibit channelling/preferential flow brought about by a combination of inhomogeneity in the particle beds and gravity fingering, which reduce recovery efficiencies. My research is currently focusing on understanding of channelling flow features in particle bed systems and novel methods will also be employed to minimise these adverse flow features. In addition, the particles themselves are porous and hold liquid within channels and fractures with dimensions much smaller than those of the liquid within the inter-particle spaces. Inter-particle flow features thus need to be separated from intra-particle flow and it will be addressed by performing experimental and simulation studies.
Monash teaching commitment
- CHE2161 - Mechanics of Fluids
- CHE3165 - Separation Processes
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 3 Finished
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Using AI to monitor microalgae-based CO2 fixation in photobioreactors
Ilankoon, S. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Lim, Y. A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Meng Nan, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Chun Yong, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Foo, S. C. (Chief Investigator (CI))
Microsoft Corporation (United States of America)
1/12/21 → 30/11/22
Project: Research
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Understanding Flow Mechanisms of Metal Leaching from Coarse Electronic Waste and Developing Economic Flow-sheets for Electronic Waste Based Metal Extraction
Ilankoon, S. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Balan, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Binti Abd Manaf, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Meng Nan, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Ta Yeong, W. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/01/19 → 30/09/22
Project: Research
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Investigation of Stimuli Induced Corrosion Inhibition and Osseointegration of Bioactive Glass Coatings for Orthopedic Implants
Balan, P. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Kadirvelu, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Ilankoon, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Birbilis, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Manivasagam, G. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/01/19 → 30/09/22
Project: Research
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Biochemical trade-offs and opportunities of commercialized microalgae cultivation under increasing carbon dioxide
Lim, Y. A., Ilankoon, I. M. S. K., Khong, N. M. H., Priyawardana, S. D., Ooi, K. R., Chong, M. N. & Foo, S. C., Feb 2024, In: Bioresource Technology. 393, 10 p., 129898.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access3 Citations (Scopus) -
Co-processing of e-waste with natural resources and their products to diversify critical metal supply chains
Ilankoon, I. M. S. K., Dilshan, R. A. D. P. & Dushyantha, N., 1 Jul 2024, In: Minerals Engineering. 211, 11 p., 108706.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access3 Citations (Scopus) -
Improving Scalability of copper recovery in saline microbial fuel cells with microtubular polypyrrole-based cathodic electrocatalysts
Fathima, A., Ilankoon, I. M. S. K. & Chong, M. N., Sept 2024, In: Chemosphere. 363, 11 p., 142800.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access4 Citations (Scopus) -
Packaging plastic waste from e-commerce sector: The Indian scenario and a multi-faceted cleaner production solution towards waste minimisation
Syed Ali, S. A., Ilankoon, I. M. S. K., Zhang, L. & Tan, J., 1 Apr 2024, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 447, 12 p., 141444.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile9 Citations (Scopus) -
Scaling up of dual-chamber microbial electrochemical systems – An appraisal using systems design approach
Fathima, A., Ilankoon, S., Zhang, Y. & Chong, M. N., 20 Feb 2024, In: Science of the Total Environment. 912, 169186.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile9 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
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Andrew Carnegie Research Fund – 2016 from the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (London)
Ilankoon, S. (Recipient), 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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CEng (UK) - Chartered Engineer, Engineering Council UK
Ilankoon, S. (Recipient), Dec 2022
Prize: National/international honour
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FIMMM - Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3, London)
Ilankoon, S. (Recipient), Nov 2022
Prize: Competitive Fellowships
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Monash-Sunway Decarbonization initiative: Microalgae farming and Native Tree Planting
Foo, S. C. (Recipient), Barclay, H. (Recipient), Meng Nan, C. (Recipient), Chien Wei (Edward), O. (Recipient), Ilankoon, S. (Recipient), Watabe, M. (Recipient), Lian, T. C. (Recipient) & Rahman, S. (Recipient), 23 Aug 2018
Prize: Other distinction
File
Activities
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Unlock your Inner Child! University and Sustainability Education - What are the Parallels?”
Balan, P. (Organiser), Salema, A. (Member of programme committee), Vineetha, V. (Member of programme committee), Boon Thong, T. (Member of programme committee), Ragavan, V. (Member of programme committee), Ilankoon, S. (Member of programme committee), Raman, S. N. (Member of programme committee), Ee Von, L. (Member of programme committee), Jafari Sadr, A. (Member of programme committee), Poonggavanam, V. (Member of programme committee), Patrick, D. M. (Member of programme committee), Kong, D. (Speaker), Kar Ming, S. (Member of programme committee), Rassiah, P. (Member of programme committee), nasir, N. (Member of programme committee), Sharma, P. (Member of programme committee), Selvaratnam, L. (Member of programme committee), Sen, A. (Member of programme committee), Vargis, C. (Member of programme committee), Srinivasan, G. K. (Member of programme committee), Preetam, S. (Member of programme committee) & Pandey, A. (Member of programme committee)
29 Oct 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
Ilankoon, S. (Visiting researcher)
Feb 2024Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Visiting an external academic institution
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University of Science and Technology Beijing
Ilankoon, S. (Visiting researcher)
Jul 2024Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Visiting an external academic institution
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Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia)
Ilankoon, S. (Visiting researcher)
Feb 2023Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Visiting an external academic institution
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Axiata (Malaysia) and Axiata Digital Labs Sustainability Week Talk
Ilankoon, S. (Contributor)
May 2023Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
Press/Media
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How e-waste poisons Southeast Asia
21/03/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
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The 2023 Stanford list of the world’s top 2% scientists
3/11/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blogs, Podcasts and Social Media › Social Media Mentions
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Informal e-waste management in Malaysia
29/08/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blogs, Podcasts and Social Media › Social Media Mentions
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Invited Talk - Monash IChemE Student Chapter and IEEE Monash Student Branch event highlighting career paths to high school events
19/08/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blogs, Podcasts and Social Media › Social Media Mentions
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The technology behind deep sea mining - 360info
Ilankoon, S. & Dushyantha, N.
5/07/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature