Manufacturing systems

The aim of this course is to teach the students understanding of basic modern production systems integrated environmental protection in new product design. Discussed issues are complemented by a number of practical examples and excursion. Students in this course prepare seminar, with a more detailed discussion on the issues addressed.

Students will acquire the following competences:
Environmentally-friendly and economical management of modern production systems.

Required prerequisit knowledge from courses: Technical mathematics, Technical physics, Engineering chemistry.

1. Basics of production systems
   1.1 Production line
   1.2 Production and technical operations
   1.3 Machinery and apparatus
   1.4 Techniques of measurement and regulation

2. Materials
   2.1 Division of Materials
   metals, non-metals, composite materials
   2.2 Properties of materials
   chemical, physical, mechanical, technological
   2.3 Classical manufacturing processes
   2.4 Modern manufacturing processes
   e.g. 3D printing

3. Basic manufacturing systems
   3.1 Metallurgical production systems
   Acquisition of base metals from ores and secondary raw materials and their further processing.
   3.2 Production systems of non-metallic materials
   Examples of cement, ceramics and glass productions.
   3.3 Rafineries and biorafineries
   Acquisition of basic chemicals and intermediates from oil and biomass as well as further acquisition of consumer products (eg. plastics, pharmaceuticals).

4. Integrated environmental protection in manufacturing system
   4.1 Waste reduction
   4.2. Use of wastes as raw materials in other processes
   4.3 Waste management
   4.3.1 Solid waste
   4.3.2 Wastewater
   4.3.3 Waste gas

5. New product design
   5.1 Need
   5.2 Idea
   5.3 Choice
   5.4 Production

6. Education on-site (field trip to the factory)

Knowledge and understanding:

Understanding of basic principles of manufacturing systems.
Knowledge of the production systems from non-renawable and renawable resources.
Knowledge of integrated environmental protection.
Knowledge of new product design.

Mandatory:

• J. T. Black, R. A. Kohser, DeGarmo's Materials and Processes in Manufacturing, 13th Edition, 2019
• recent scientific literature (review articles)

Written exam from theory.
Public presentation and defense of seminary. 80/20

Prof. Dr. Nataša Novak Tušar, full professor for material science
Nataša Novak Tušar is a head of the Laboratory for catalysts at the Department for Inorganic Chemistry and Technology at the National Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana. She is additionally employed at the University of Nova Gorica as full professor and director of doctoral programme Materials at Postgraduate School. Her current research focuses on development of new catalysts for improving manufacturing systems for environmental technologies (production of chemicals and fuels from biomass and purification of water and air).

Nataša Novak Tušar received faculty degree in Chemical technology in 1991 and PhD in Chemistry in 2000 from the University of Ljubljana. Before PhD she was for one year employed in industry (DINOS company for recycling wastes) and one year at Fraunhofer institute for environmental chemistry (Fraunhofer Institut für Umweltchemie und Ökotoxikologie) in Schmallenberg, Germany. She was a post PhD researcher in 2003-2004 as an EU Individual Marie Curie Fellow at synchrotron ELETTRA and University of Trieste, Italy. Between 2010 and 2015 she was additionally employed at the Centre of Excellence for Low-Carbon Technologies (CONOT) in Ljubljana. From 2015 she is a representative of Slovenia in management boards of ENMIX (European Nanoporous Materials Institute of Excellence) in EFCATS (European Federation of Catalysis Societies).

Selected bibliography:
1. ŠULIGOJ, Andraž, MAVER, Ksenija, ARČON, Iztok, DRAŽIĆ, Goran, ZABUKOVEC LOGAR, Nataša, PINTAR, Albin, NOVAK TUŠAR, Nataša. Light-induced structural reorganization of Fe centers unlocks high efficiency of visible-light photo-Fenton water cleaning catalyst. Energy & environment materials. [in press] 2026, vol. 9, issue , [article no.] e70400, str. 1-15, ilustr. ISSN 2575-0356. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eem2.70400, DOI: 10.1002/eem2.70400. [COBISS.SI-ID 282541315] IF=13.8

1. ŠULIGOJ, Andraž, EL-ROZ, Mohamad, DRAŽIĆ, Goran, THIBAULT-STARZYK, Frederic, COOL, Pegie, ZABUKOVEC LOGAR, Nataša, LAVRENČIČ ŠTANGAR, Urška, NOVAK TUŠAR, Nataša. Origin of physicochemical and mechanical stability of low-temperature prepared TiO₂-based photocatalytic films : surface hydroxyl density matching. Energy & environment materials. 15 June 2026, vol. 9, issue , [article no.] e70452, str. 1-11, ilustr. ISSN 2575-0356. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eem2.70452, DOI: 10.1002/eem2.70452. [COBISS.SI-ID 283422467] IF=13.8

2. OKORN, Miha, CARDOLINI RIZZO, Giovanni, LORBER, Kristijan, MAZAJ, Matjaž, NOVAK TUŠAR, Nataša, DJINOVIĆ, Petar. Visible light-accelerated CO₂ hydrogenation to CO over a Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst : teaching an old dog new tricks. Chemical engineering journal. 1. Jan. 2026, vol. 527, [article no.] 171682, str. 1-11, ilustr. ISSN 1873-3212. [COBISS.SI-ID 263310339] IF=12.5

3. OKORN, Miha, LORBER, Kristijan, MAZAJ, Matjaž, NOVAK TUŠAR, Nataša, DJINOVIĆ, Petar. Simultaneous photoactivation of copper and Ti-doped CeO2−x enables optimal acceleration of the RWGS reaction. Carbon energy. Dec. 2025, vol. , [in press], [article no.] e70102, str. 1-16, ilustr. ISSN 2637-9368. [COBISS.SI-ID 263430403] IF=21.4

4. VU, Hue-Tong, LAVRIČ, Žan, KOSTYNIUK, Andrii, DRAŽIĆ, Goran, GRILC, Miha, LIKOZAR, Blaž, ZABUKOVEC LOGAR, Nataša, DJINOVIĆ, Petar, NOVAK TUŠAR, Nataša. Innovative microkinetic modelling-supported structure–activity analysis of Ni/ZSM-5 during vapor-phase hydrogenation of levulinic acid.Chemical engineering journal. [Online ed.]. 1 Sep. 2024, vol. 495, [article no.] 153456, str. [1-14], ilustr. ISSN 1873-3212. [COBISS.SI-ID 202339587 IF=13.2

5. ŽUMBAR, Tadej, ARČON, Iztok, DJINOVIĆ, Petar, AQUILANTI, Giuliana, ŽERJAV, Gregor, PINTAR, Albin, RISTIĆ, Alenka, DRAŽIĆ, Goran, VOLAVŠEK, Janez, MALI, Gregor, POPOVA, Margarita, ZABUKOVEC LOGAR, Nataša, NOVAK TUŠAR, Nataša. Winning combination of Cu and Fe oxide clusters with an alumina support for low-temperature catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds. ACS applied materials & interfaces. 2023, vol. 15, issue 23, str. 28747-28762. ISSN 1944-8244. DiRROS - Digitalni repozitorij raziskovalnih organizacij Slovenije, Repozitorij Univerze v Novi Gorici - RUNG, DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c02705. [COBISS.SI-ID 156450051] IF=8.5

6. ŠULIGOJ, Andraž, CERC KOROŠEC, Romana, ŽERJAV, Gregor, NOVAK TUŠAR, Nataša, LAVRENČIČ ŠTANGAR, Urška. Solar-driven photocatalytic films : synthesis approaches, factors affecting environmental activity, and characterization features. Topics in current chemistry. 1 Oct. 2022, vol. 380, no. 6, str. 1-46. ISSN 2364-8961. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s41061-022-00409-2.pdf, Repozitorij Univerze v Ljubljani – RUL, DOI: 10.1007/s41061-022-00409-2. [COBISS.SI-ID 124839939] IF=8.6