Engr. Usama Rafie
Lab Engineer
- 7Engr. Usama Rafie completed his M.Phil. in Chemical Engineering from Khwaja Fareed UEIT, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan. His master's research focused on the development of an innovative co-fermentation technique using sugarcane juice and molasses with Saccharomyces cerevisiae to enhance bioethanol production, which successfully improved ethanol yield, contributing to the advancement of sustainable biofuel production. He earned his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Gujrat, Pakistan, where his final year design project focused on the production of methanol from methane, involving process flow design, equipment sizing, mass and energy balance calculations, and techno-economic feasibility analysis.
- Prior to joining academia, he served as a Production Engineer (Shift Engineer) at Hunza Sugar Mills – Ethanol Division, one of Pakistan's leading bioethanol production facilities operating on Maguin Interis (France) technology with a production capacity of 125,000 litres per day. During his tenure, he managed plant start-up and shutdown operations, monitored fermentation, vacuum distillation, and dehydration processes through the YOKOGAWA Distributed Control System (DCS), optimized production operations, and ensured compliance with Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) standards.
- He is currently serving as a Lab Engineer at the Institute of Chemical & Environmental Engineering (ICEE), KFUEIT, where he is actively engaged in teaching, laboratory instruction, and research. He delivers undergraduate lectures and conducts laboratory sessions in core Chemical Engineering courses, including Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, Chemical Reaction Engineering, Instrumentation and Process Control, Particulate Technology, Fuels and Energy, Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics and Chemical Process Technology, providing students with both theoretical knowledge and practical engineering skills.
- In addition to his academic responsibilities, he has contributed to institutional development by managing the SPISD Sadiqabad Sub-Campus, coordinating professional short courses in emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Digital Marketing, and Graphic Designing, and leading student recruitment and admissions activities to strengthen the university's regional outreach and accessibility.
- Optimisation of bioethanol fermentation through co-fermentation of mixed substrates to enhance ethanol yield and Saccharomyces cerevisiae performance under industrial conditions.
- Sustainable biorefinery operations encompassing energy-efficient distillation, fuel-grade ethanol dehydration, and distillery wastewater valorisation through biogas recovery and effluent treatment.
- Centre Coordinator, SPISD Sadiqabad — KFUEIT | Appointed to lead university's regional sub-campus operations, short course programmes, and student admissions cell.
- Registered Engineer Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC)
Registration No.: CHEM/022941