Work is actively ongoing in two main areas: (1) microeconomics of chemical production  and the chemical process industries; and (2) development of novel hydroponics-based technologies for biopharmaceutical production. We have developed new microeconomic tools for the design and analysis of chemical processes and plants and for the analysis of commodity chemical markets. A process simulation-based (bottom-up) approach has been used to derive production and cost functions for chemical processes, plants, and firms. Application of this approach to petrochemical and pharmaceutical production has yielded new valuable information regarding elasticities of factor substitution, the extent of scale economies, and the nature of supply and demand curves of chemical firms in input factor and product markets. Much of this information is  unavailable or more difficult to obtain using the conventional econometric (top-down) approach, which utilizes industrial level statistical data.

We are also engaged in the development of rhizosecretion technologies to produce biopharmaceuticals in a state-of-the-art hydroponics laboratory with capabilities to monitor and control several environmental variables (temperature; humidity; CO₂ partial pressure; light intensity, spectral quality, and photoperiod; and nutrient solution composition and pH). We are currently investigating the effects of nutrient deficiencies on the type and extent of root exudates for a few varieties of tomato plants.

Work at the University of New Haven and Lehigh University has been conducted in the major area of molecular thermodynamics of pure fluids and fluid mixtures. Projects have included development of an equation of state, excess enthalpy-based mixing rules, and an activity coefficient model for correlation and cross-prediction of thermodynamic properties of halogenated refrigerant mixtures. Other applications in molecular thermodynamics have been the development of an excess Gibbs free energy model to predict phase transitions in surfactant solutions, the development of an approach to predict nonideal mixture phase equilibria from limiting partial molar excess enthalpy data, and the use of complex domain numerical methods to solve phase equilibrium problems in the critical region.
Graduate work focused on the characterization of catalytic oxidation of metal pretreated coal chars and the effects of surface functional groups on catalytic activity of microporous carbons via the techniques of adsorption microcalorimetry, surface area measurement and x-ray diffraction. Results of these studies aided in understanding the role of catalysts in the overall gasification process and in the development of a quantitative model of chemisorption and adspecies interaction on heterogeneous surfaces.

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University .
(Dissertation Topic: Microcalorimetric Study of Adsorption Processes on Microporous Carbons: Characterization of Surface Functional Groups and Gasification Catalysts.
Thesis Advisor: Jonathan Phillips.)
B.A., Chemistry, University of Rhode Island
B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Rhode Island
B.A., Economics, Muhlenberg College

A. S. Gow, “A Microfoundations Approach to Input-Output Modeling and Analysis of Simple Chemical Processes", Journal of Applied Input-Output Analysis, in review.
 
A. S. Gow, “Renaissance of the Engineering Production Function Approach: Application to Simple Chemical Reaction Processes”, Journal of Productivity Analysis, in review.

A. S. Gow, “Microeconomic Approach for Design and Optimization of Integrated Spacecraft Life-Support Ecosystem (ISLE) Components”, Acta Astronautica, in review.

A. S. Gow, “Microeconomic Modeling and Analysis of Commodity Chemical Production in a Simple Plant,” New York Economic Review, accepted.

A. S. Gow, III and A. S. Gow, Jr., “Microeconomic Theory of Chemical Production Processes: Application to VOC Air Stripping Operations”, Advances in Environmental Research, in press.

A. S. Gow, “Engineering Production Functions for Technical and Economic Analysis of Popular Alkylation Technologies,” Proceedings of the 5^th International Conference on Refinery Processing, AIChE Spring National Meeting, New Orleans , LA , March 2002, 543-553.

A. S. Gow, X. Guo and A. Lucia, "Simulation of Refrigerant Equilibria," Industrial and Engineering ChemistryResearch,36, 2841-2848 (1997).

A. S. Gow, F. P. Stein, X. Guo and A Lucia, "Calculation of Refrigerant Mixture Phase Equilibria Using a Quasi-Regular Nonrandom Fluid Theory and Local Composition Mixing Rules," Fluid Phase Equilibria, 116, 60-67 (1996).

C.-L. Peng, F. P. Stein and A. S. Gow, "An Enthalpy-Based Cubic Equation of State Mixing Rule for Cross-Prediction of Excess Thermodynamic Properties of Hydrocarbon and Halogenated Refrigerant Mixtures," Fluid Phase Equilibria, 108, 79-102 (1995).

A. S. Gow, "Calculation of Vapor-Liquid Equilibria from Infinite-Dilution Excess Enthalpy Data Using the Wilson or NRTL Equation," Industrial and Engineering ChemistryResearch, 32, 3150­-3161 (1993).

A. S. Gow, "A Modified Clausius Equation of State for Calculation of Multicomponent Refrigerant Vapor-Liquid Equilibria," Fluid Phase Equilibria, 90, 219-249 (1993).

A. S. Gow and J. Phillips, "Microcalorimetric Study of Reactive Surface Area on Demineralized Coal Chars," Energy and Fuels, 7, 674-679 (1993).

A. S. Gow and J. Phillips, "Microcalorimetric Study of Oxygen Adsorption on Catalytically Promoted Gasification Chars: Mechanistic Evidence for Alkali and Alkaline-Earth Metal Carbonate Catalyzed Reactions," Energy and Fuels, 6, 526-532 (1992).

A. S. Gow and J. Phillips, "Calorimetric Study of Oxygen Adsorption on a High Surface Area Polymer Derived Carbon," Energy and Fuels, 6, 184-188 (1992).

A. S. Gow and J. Phillips, "Mechanistic Analysis of Chemisorption and Surface Interaction in Batch Calorimetric Systems: A New Approach," Industrial and Engineering ChemistryResearch, 31, 193- ­204 (1992).

A. S. Gow and J. Phillips, "Microcalorimetric Study of Oxygen Adsorption on Catalytically Promoted Gasification Chars," Journal of Catalysis, 132, 388-401 (1991).

A. S. Gow and J. Phillips, “Mathematical Analysis of the Effects of Surface Heterogeneity in Chemisorption: A New/Old Model,” Thermochimica Acta, 148,  173-182 (1989).

Conference Presentations
Engineering-Based Microeconomic Tools for the Chemical Process Industries, AlChE National Spring Meeting, New Orleans , LA. March 2003.

Microeconomic Modeling and Analysis of Commodity Chemical Production in a Simple Plant, 55^th Annual Conference of the New York State Economics Association, Buffalo , NY . October 2002. (Won Outstanding Conference Paper Award and has been accepted for publication in New York Economic Review).

Economic Production Functions for Technical and Economic Analysis of Popular Alkylation Technologies, AlChE National Spring Meeting, New Orleans , LA. March 2002.

Transition Temperature Calculations for Polymer Mixtures, AlChE Annual Meeting, Reno , NV .  November 2001.

Micoeconomic Theory of Chemical Production Processes: Application to an Isothermal Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR), 54^th Annual Conference of the New York State Economics Association, Buffalo , NY . October 2001.

Statistical Thermodynamics of Self-Assembled Systems. A New  Excess Free Energy Model for the Description of Phase Equilibria in Ternary Aqueous Nonionic Surfactant-Alkane Solutions, AlChE Annual Meeting, Chicago , IL .  November 1996.

Excess Enthalpy-Based Mixing Rules for Multiphase Refrigerant Mixtures, AlChE National Spring Meeting, New Orleans , LA. February 1996.

A Three-Liquid Theory and Quasi-Chemical Excess Free Energy Model for Description of Thermodynamic Properties and Phase Behavior of Aqueous Nonionic Surfactant Systems, AlChE Annual Meeting, Miami, FL.  November 1995.

Statistical Thermodynamics of Self-Assembled Systems: A New Excess Free Energy Model for Description of Phase Equilibria in Aqueous Nonionic Surfactant Solutions, International Symposium on Micelles, Microemulsions and Monolayers: Quarter Century Progress and New Horizons, Gainesville , FL.   August 1995.

Simulation of Refrigerant Mixture Phase Behavior Using Local Composition Mixing Rules, a Quasi­Regular Nonrandom Fluid Theory and a Complex Equation Solver, Seventh International Conference on Fluid Properties & Phase Equilibria for Chemical Process Design, Snowmass, CO.  June 1995.

Prediction of Refrigerant Mixture Phase Equilibria Using Excess Enthalpy-Based Mixing Rules and a Complex Domain Equation Solver, AlChE National Spring Meeting, Houston , TX .  March 1995.

Simulating Multiphase Separations with a Single Model, AlChE Annual Meeting, San Francisco , CA. November 1994.

Prediction of Vapor-Liquid Equilibria from Heat of Mixing Data for Systems Containing Hydrocarbons and Other Simple Fluids Using an Excess Enthalpy-Based Cubic Equation of State Mixing Rule, 44th Annual Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, Calgary, Alta.  October 1994.

Cross-Prediction of Thermodynamic Excess Properties of Halogenated Refrigerant Mixtures Using a Cubic Equation of State with Isolation of Variables Technique, AIChE National Spring Meeting, Atlanta , GA.   April 1994.

Prediction of Phase Equilibria with Local Composition EOS Mixing Rules Incorporating Excess Enthalpy Data, AlChE Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO.  November 1993.

Prediction of Multicomponent Phase Equilibria from an Equation of State with Local Composition Mixing Rules Incorporating Excess Enthalpy Data, 43rd Annual Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, Ottawa, Ont.  October 1993.

Microcalorimetric Study of the Adsorption of Oxygen on Chars Produced from Coals of Different Rank, 10th Annual PittsburghCoal Conference, Pittsburgh , PA.   September 1993.

Microcalorimetric Study of Oxygen Adsorption on Catalytically Promoted Gasification Chars: Mechanistic Evidence for Alkali and Alkaline-Earth Metal Carbonate Catalyzed Reactions, AICHE Annual Meeting, Miami , FL.   November 1992.

An Optimized Four-Parameter Equation of State for Pure Fluids and Fluid Mixtures, 42nd Annual Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, Toronto , Ont.  October 1992.

Low to Moderate Pressure Phase Equilibria Predictions from Excess Enthalpy Data Using Wohl's Expansion for the Excess Gibbs Energy, AlChE Annual Meeting, Los Angeles , CA .  November, 1991.

Microcalorimetric Study of Oxygen Adsorption on Catalytically Promoted Gasification Chars, AlChE Annual Meeting, Chicago , IL .  November, 1990.

Novel Microcalorimeter for the Analysis of Heat Evolution from Electrochemical Processes, 45th Annual Calorimetry Conference, Ann Arbor , MI .  July 1990.

Microcalorimetric Study of Oxygen Adsorption on Gasification Chars: Effect of Catalyst and Pretreatment Temperature on Char Structure and Reactivity, 45th Annual Calorimetry Conference, Ann Arbor , MI .  July 1990.

Microcalorimetric Study of Oxygen Adsorption on Coal Chars, 44th Annual Calorimetry Conference, Oak Ridge , TN.   August 1989.

Mechanistic Analysis of Chemisorption: A New Approach, 44th Annual Calorimetry Conference, Oak Ridge , TN.   August 1989.

Microcalorimetric Study of Oxygen Adsorption on Coal Chars, Nineteenth Biennial Conference on Carbon, Penn State Univ., Univ.  Park, PA.  June 1989.

Mechanistic Analysis of Chemisorption and Surface Interaction in Batch Calorimetric Systems: A New Approach, 28th Annual Spring Symposium of the Pittsburgh-Cleveland Catalysis Society, Pittsburgh , PA.   March 1989.

Mathematical Analysis of the Effects of Surface Heterogeneity in Chemisorption: A New/Old Model, 9th International Conference on Thermal Analysis, Jerusalem , Israel .  August 1988.

Invited Lectures
Prediction of Phase Equilibria for Process Design: Some Simple Models and Methods, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.  February 2001.

Thermodynamic Properties of Environmentally Friendly Refrigerant Mixtures: From Measurement to Molecular Modeling, Department of Chemical Engineering, Lehigh University , Bethlehem , PA.   October 1996.

Phase Equilibria for Environmentally Safe Refrigerant Mixtures: A Perspective on Experimental Techniques and Predictive Methods, Institute of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA.  August 1994.

Calculation of Phase Equilibria with Equation of State Mixing Rules Incorporating Infinite-Dilution Reduced Excess Enthalpy Data, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rhode Island , Kingston , RI .  February 1993.

Sessions Chaired at Professional Meetings
Industrial Organization, 55^th Annual Conference of the New York State Economics Association, Buffalo , NY . October 2002.

Thermodynamics and Transport Properties: Refrigerants, AlChE Spring National Meeting, New Orleans , LA.   March 1998 (Co-Chaired by M. Huber.)

Advances in Thermodynamics and TransportPropertiesI.Experiment and Correlation, AlChE National Spring Meeting, New Orleans , LA.   February 1996 (Co-Chaired by F. P. Stein.)

Advances in Thermodynamics and Transport Properties II: Theory and Simulation, AlChE National Spring Meeting, New Orleans , LA.   February 1996 (Co-Chaired by A. Lucia.)

Other Professional Activities

(a) Professional Honors and Societies
Member of American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Member of Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society
Member of Phi Lambda Upsilon National Honorary Chemical Society
Member of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity

(b) Peer Reviewer for
Fluid Phase Equilibria (Elsevier Science Publishers)
Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research (American Chemical Society)
Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data (American Chemical Society)
Petroleum Research Fund (American Chemical Society)
National Science Foundation

(c) Paper Discussant for
Michael Jerzmanowski ( Brown University ), TFP Differences: Appropriate Technology vs. Efficiency, 55^th Annual Conference of the New York State Economics Association, Buffalo , NY . October 2002.

Have developed and taught courses throughout the chemical engineering curriculum including chemical engineering thermodynamics, chemical reaction engineering, unit operations with laboratory, transport phenomena analysis, plant design and economics, chemical process fundamentals, and general chemistry I and II with laboratory. Several student independent study and research projects have also be undertaken.

Visiting Research Scientist, Lehigh University , Institute of Thermo-Fluid Engineering and Science, Department of Chemical Engineering.