Lawrence Darkwah
Department of Chemical EngineeringPhysical SciencesLife Sciences

Lawrence Darkwah

29 Publications18 Research Themes19 Open Access
Research Overview & Focus

The researcher's work is centered around integrating innovative eco-friendly technologies across multiple scientific domains. Their primary themes include the application of adsorption and biosorption methods for effective pollution removal, the exploration of biogas production from agricultural residues for feasibility studies, and the development of sustainable waste management strategies. They also focus on advancing energy efficiency through the assessment of bioenergy systems based on agricultural residues and improving soil health by developing bioremediation techniques using recombinant organisms like Fusarium. The researcher's efforts extend to addressing heavy metal contamination in environmental studies and optimizing water quality, as well as recycling and managing municipal solid waste effectively. Their overarching goal is to create a comprehensive framework that combines innovative technologies across physics and life sciences to address challenges in energy, environment, and waste management, aiming for sustainable solutions globally.

Faculty Biography

Prof. Dr. Lawrence Darkwah is the current Coordinating Dean (KNUST Obuasi Campus). He has been teaching at the Chemical Engineering Department of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology for more than eighteen years. He has supervised many PhD and MSc. theses both in the Processing, Energy and Environmental aspects of Engineering (covering Chemical, Agricultural and Biotechnology, Civil and Mechanical Engineering Disciplines). Some of these research works utilised 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 ten 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 entrepreneurship in biogas.Prof. Darkwah researches into biological oxidation for mineral extractive purposes and designs environmental mitigation systems for field applications, based on his previous industrial practice and consultations.Lawrence 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 was setup in the Chemical Engineering Department of KNUST to advance capacity-building and training in that area.Prof. Darkwah is a Graduate Member of the Ghana Institution of Engineers and also a member of the Ghana Science Association. He has a wide spectrum of consultancy and collaborative research experiences which impacts on policy-makers and industrial applications. His academic and consulting works are recognised in the Energy, Chemical and Minerals Engineering Sectors.

Key Research Themes (18)
Physical Sciences

Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal

Physical Sciences

Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Production

Physical Sciences

Biodiesel Production and Applications

Physical Sciences

Energy and Environment Impacts

Life Sciences

Enzyme Catalysis and Immobilization

Life Sciences

Enzyme-mediated dye degradation

Life Sciences

Food Chemistry and Fat Analysis

Physical Sciences

Heavy metals in environment

Physical Sciences

Metal Extraction and Bioleaching

Physical Sciences

Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactants

Physical Sciences

Mine drainage and remediation techniques

Physical Sciences

Mining Techniques and Economics

Physical Sciences

Municipal Solid Waste Management

Physical Sciences

Recycling and Waste Management Techniques

Physical Sciences

Solar Radiation and Photovoltaics

Physical Sciences

Thermochemical Biomass Conversion Processes

Physical Sciences

Water Quality and Pollution Assessment

Physical Sciences

Water resources management and optimization

Publications (29)

Assessment of Energy Potential of Residential Solid Waste in the Asokore Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region of Ghana

2025Municipal Solid Waste ManagementDOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-87043-9_1

Correction to: Assessment of Energy Potential of Residential Solid Waste in the Asokore Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region of Ghana

Open Access

Evaluating the Health and Environmental Consequences of Sulphur-Related Diesel Emissions

Open Access
2024Energy and Environment ImpactsDOI: 10.4314/just.v1i1.1s

Assessment of diesel fuel quality

Open Access
2024Biodiesel Production and ApplicationsDOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24733

Pyrolysis of municipal food waste: A sustainable potential approach for solid food waste management and organic crop fertilizer production

Open Access
2023Thermochemical Biomass Conversion ProcessesDOI: 10.1080/27658511.2023.2260057

Assessment of solar radiation resource from the NASA-POWER reanalysis products for tropical climates in Ghana towards clean energy application

Open Access
2022Solar Radiation and PhotovoltaicsDOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14126-9

Development of mathematical model for predicting methane-to-carbon dioxide proportion in anaerobic biodegradability of cattle blood and rumen content

Open Access
2022Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas ProductionDOI: 10.1016/j.ecmx.2022.100250

Conventional and Unconventional Transformation of Cocoa Pod Husks into Value-Added Products

Open Access
2022Food Chemistry and Fat AnalysisDOI: 10.5772/intechopen.102606

Waste Biomass and Biomaterials Adsorbents for Wastewater Treatment

Open Access
2022Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removalDOI: 10.5772/geet.05

Assessment of solar radiation resource from the NASA-POWER reanalysis products for tropical climates in Ghana towards clean energy application

Open Access
2022Solar Radiation and PhotovoltaicsDOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1435442/v1

A review of anaerobic digestion of slaughterhouse waste: effect of selected operational and environmental parameters on anaerobic biodegradability

2021Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas ProductionDOI: 10.1007/s11157-021-09596-8

Impact of Different Mixing Ratios on Biomethanation of Cattle Blood and Rumen Content

Open Access
2021Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas ProductionDOI: 10.51244/ijrsi.2021.8404

Decolourisation of Textile Wastewater by Dye Degrading Microorganisms Isolated from Textile Effluent

Open Access
2021Enzyme-mediated dye degradationDOI: 10.4236/jep.2021.1210046

Chemical Plant Design for the Conversion of Plastic Waste to Liquid Fuel

Open Access
2021Recycling and Waste Management TechniquesDOI: 10.4236/aces.2021.113015

Valorization of palm biomass waste into carbon matrices for the immobilization of recombinant Fusarium heterosporum lipase towards palm biodiesel synthesis

2020Enzyme Catalysis and ImmobilizationDOI: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2020.105768

Valorization of Palm Biomass Waste for Sustainable Production of Lipase-Carbon Matrices And Biodiesel

Open Access
2020Enzyme Catalysis and ImmobilizationDOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3598089

Assessment of Typha capensis for the remediation of soil contaminated with As, Hg, Cd and Pb

2019Heavy metals in environmentDOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7484-2

Bioremediation of Soil and Water Contaminated with As, Hg, Cd, and Pb Using Heliconia psittacorum

2019Mine drainage and remediation techniquesDOI: 10.1155/2019/3564727

Evaluation of the Rate of Heavy Metal Absorptions by Typha Capensis and Heliconia Psittacorum

2018Heavy metals in environmentDOI: 10.3844/ofsp.11933

Mini-grid electricity service based on local agricultural residues: Feasibility study in rural Ghana

Open Access
2018Energy and Environment ImpactsDOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2018.04.058

Mapping, Characterization and Dispersion of Metallic Pollutants within a Catchment of Illegal Gold Mining Activities in Ghana

Open Access
2018Mining Techniques and EconomicsDOI: 10.3844/ajeassp.2018.111.120

Pilot Plant Bioremediation of Hydrocarbon Contaminated Drill Mud - Case Study in Ghana

2016Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactantsDOI: 10.2118/183592-ms

Technical and Socioeconomic Potential of Biogas from Cassava Waste in Ghana

Open Access
2015Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas ProductionDOI: 10.1155/2015/828576

Assessment of technical potential and selected sustainability impacts of second generation bioenergy in Ghana

2015Energy and Environment Impacts

Feasibility Study of Biomass Hybrid Micro-Plants for Mini-Grid Based Electricity Services in Rural Communities in Ghana

Open Access
2014Energy and Environment ImpactsDOI: 10.5071/22ndeubce2014-4dv.3.16

Mine water and the environment: a case study at Central African Gold Bibiani Limited, Ghana

2013Mine drainage and remediation techniques

Water quality assessment of a wastewater treatment plant in a Ghanaian Beverage Industry

Open Access
2013Water Quality and Pollution AssessmentDOI: 10.5897/ijwree2013.0401

Water quantity auditing of a Ghanaian beverage plant

Open Access
2013Water resources management and optimizationDOI: 10.2166/washdev.2013.030

Laboratory Scale Bioremediation of Acid Mine Water Drainage from a Disused Tin Mine

2005Metal Extraction and BioleachingDOI: 10.1007/s10529-005-3201-z
Academic Metrics
DepartmentDepartment of Chemical Engineering
Total Publications29
Research Themes18
Open Access Papers19

Department of Chemical Engineering

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

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