About

Shri Ramaswamy is a Professor in the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He has served as the head of the department for 14 years and holds degrees in chemical engineering and paper science and engineering. With over nine years of industry experience in pulp and paper and chemical industries, his expertise encompasses process and products engineering, process research and development, and chemical applications technology development. Dr. Ramaswamy has been actively engaged in teaching, advising, and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in bioprocess and products engineering for more than 26 years. His research contributions include significant work in transport through porous media, structure-property relationships, bio-based products properties and performance, and integrated biorefining, including separations and purification technologies. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, and review articles related to pulp and paper manufacturing, lignocellulosic biomass conversion, separation and purification processes, and process modeling of biorefineries. Dr. Ramaswamy is a Fellow of TAPPI, AICHE, and the International Academy of Wood Science, and he has received the AICHE Andrew Chase award. He is involved in leadership roles within professional organizations and currently co-leads the Renewable Bioproducts focus area in the RAPID Institute, a manufacturing institute funded by the US Department of Energy.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Materials science
• Organic chemistry
• Composite material
• Biochemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Food science
• Combinatorial chemistry
• Biology
• Fishery

Selected publications

• Analysis of selective extraction of biofuel components from aqueous solution using single-stage membrane solvent extraction (MSE)

  Biofuels · 2026-02-20

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Process intensification approach to enhancing heat and mass transfer: Radio frequency (RF) assisted drying of paper and board

  International Journal of Thermal Sciences · 2025-06-19 · 3 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Process intensification approach to enhancing heat and mass transfer during drying: Ultrasonic (US) assisted drying of paper and board

  International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer · 2025-05-11 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Enhancement of heat and mass transfer during drying: A process intensification approach - integrated radio frequency (RF) and ultrasonic (US) assisted drying of paper and board

  International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer · 2025-10-23 · 1 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Multiphysics simulation and experimental validation of convective drying of paper as a hygroscopic porous biomaterial

  International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer · 2025-11-21

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Alternating conduction and convection drying of paper – an experimental analysis with a continuous data acquisition approach

  International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer · 2024-11-12 · 5 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Experimental analysis of convective drying of paper and board

  Drying Technology · 2024-02-29 · 8 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Conventional multi-cylinder drying of paper and board involves a mixture of conductive drying from steam-heated dryer cylinders and convective drying by the flow of heated air over the surface of the paper web in the pockets. Pocket ventilation is a critical component in assisting heat and mass transfer during the drying process but is the primary contributor towards removing evaporated water from the web. Air temperature, velocity, and humidity are critical parameters involved in the convective drying process. This paper covers an experimental study involving the design and development of a small lab-scale setup for convective drying of various grades of paper and board, monitoring multiple parameters like paper temperature, moisture content, air humidity, temperature, and velocity measured in situ as the drying proceeds with continuous and accurate sampling capabilities for all parameters in the sample and the system. Instantaneous drying rates, heat, and mass transfer coefficients were also deduced for every time step till the paper completely dried. Furthermore, the coefficients obtained were also reported in the form of dimensionless correlations, and the results were compared against traditional correlations used in the modelling of paper drying. Furthermore, this data will be useful in process development, modelling, design, and the paper drying process simulation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The extraction of biofuel components from aqueous solution into various solvents using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE)

  Biofuels · 2024-08-26 · 2 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  In this study, various solvents were evaluated for their efficacy in extracting biofuel components, such as acetone (ACT), n-butanol (nBuOH), ethanol (EtOH), and isobutanol (IBA) from aqueous solution at 37.5 °C and atmospheric pressure using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). The extraction performance of solvents was evaluated by their solute distribution coefficients and selectivity. The experimental results are compared with theoretical prediction using ASPEN plus and the model shows an excellent fit. Among the solvents examined, 2,6-dimethyl-4-heptanol (DMHT) and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol (2E1H) are more effective solvents for the extraction of IBA and nBuOH from aqueous solution.

  PublisherDOI

• Experimental analysis of conductive drying of paper and board

  Drying Technology · 2024-08-02 · 5 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  The primary heat transfer source in the conventional multi-cylinder drying of paper and board is conduction. Conduction is facilitated by high-tension contact with steam-heated cylinders, while convective drying, the main mass transfer source, operates as heated air flows over the paper web in the pockets. This conduction process occurs at elevated temperatures and contact pressures to ensure effective contact between the wet paper web and the heated cylinders. The contact pressures and temperatures of the hot surface significantly influence the conductive drying characteristics. This research paper presents an experimental study that involves designing a simple lab-scale setup with in-situ and continuous sensing capabilities for various commercially available grades of paper and board. Embedded thermocouples measure the temperatures of the heated platen and the sheet, allowing the collection of flux data to determine heat transfer characteristics. Here, the goal of this study is to ascertain the instantaneous contact coefficients for different basis weights as a function of moisture content. The acquired data will provide valuable insights and information towards process development, design and simulation of the paper drying process.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Assessing the Recyclability of Superbase-Derived Ionic Liquids in Cellulose Processing: An Insight from Degradation Mechanisms

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2023-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Ulrike Tschirner

  University of Minnesota

  21 shared

• Bandaru V. Ramarao

  SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

  19 shared

• Hua Huang

  University of Minnesota

  18 shared

• Feng Xu

  Beijing Forestry University

  17 shared

• Xueming Zhang

  Beijing Forestry University

  9 shared

• Richard A. Cairncross

  Drexel University

  8 shared

• Amit Goel

  8 shared

• Robert A. Holm

  Japan External Trade Organization

  6 shared

Labs

• Shri Ramaswamy's Research GroupPI

Awards & honors

• Fellow of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper In…
• Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICH…
• Fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS)
• AICHE Andrew Chase award