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Research Staff

John Blamey

Supervisor: Prof Nilay Shah
Current Research Project: BioSonic
Funding Source: EU FP7-SME
Research Interests:

Biomass fractionation. On BioSonic, an EU FP7 funded project, investigating the fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass into hemicellulose sugars, lignin and cellulose. Focus on lab-scale experimental design, process modelling and scale-up.
CaO looping cycles for CO₂ capture. Focus has been on the reactivation of spent sorbent using hydration, including a kinetics investigation of the reaction of CaO with steam. Also experienced in the application of the hydration of CaO to systems involving the capture of CO₂ from air and thermochemical energy storage.

Supervisor: Prof Paul Fennell
Current Research Project: ASCENT (Advanced Solid Cycles with Efficient Novel Technologies) http://www.ascentproject.eu/index.php
Funding Source: European Union Seventh Framework Programme FP7 under grant agreement n° 608512
Research Interests:

CO₂ capture via high-temperature solid looping cycles including chemical-looping combustion (CLC) and calcium-looping (CaL) for highly efficient, decarbonised power production.
The development and testing of cheap, highly reactive and robust, O₂/CO₂ sorbents for applications in high-temperature, solid-looping CO₂ capture systems.
Investigating the interactions between refractory liquids (tars) produced during the pyrolysis and gasification of biomass with O₂/CO₂ sorbents and tar cracking catalysts.
Pyrolysis and gasification of biomass and waste feedstocks for bio-oil production.

Mai Bui

Supervisor: Dr Niall Mac Dowell
Current research project: Opening New Fuels for UK Generation (ONF)
Funding source: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Countil (EPSRC) Awards
Research interests:

CO2 Capture and Utilisation
Dynamic and flexible operation of CO2 capture processes
Modelling and simulation of chemical/industrial processes
Biomass fuel combustion and co-combustion
Clean-up systems for emission reduction

Joachim Geske

Supervisor: Prof Richard Green
Current research project: Business, Economics, Planning and Policy (BEPP) for Energy Storage in Low-Carbon Futures
Funding source: EPSRC Reference: EP/L014386/1
Research interests:

Energy Economics, esp. energy storage:
Developing models to calculate the value of storage deployment and operation in the context of the electricity system.
Implementation of this welfare maximizing operation: What policies are needed to ensure that storage can be economically viable when sensibly deployed and operated?

Miao Guo

Supervisor: Prof Nilay Shah
Current research project: Bioenergy value chains: Whole systems analysis and optimisation
Funding source: EPSRC EP/K036734/1
Research interests:

Bioenergy system modelling and optimization for multi-system integration. Under current EPSRC project, bioenergy system model is configured to account for a range of conflicting issues across UK bioenergy value chains and the interaction between resource-competing systems ( bioenergy vs. non-energy), and a wider ecosystem services, aiming to determine the optimal bioenergy supply chains contributing to a technologically and economically efficient and environmentally sustainable UK energy system.
Bioenergy system design for emerging economy, e.g. bioenergy value chain optimisation and model development under the context of South Africa or Asia.
Whole system modelling of resource recovery from waste including energy and chemical recovery from carbon-containing and nutrient-rich waste resources via thermochemical or biochemical routes.
Process-based agro-ecosystem modelling of biomass. Application of the process-based geochemistry models to simulate the 1G and 2G biomass dynamics and the agroecosystem cycles of carbon and nitrogen.
Sustainability assessments of the integrated biorefinery systems and value chains. Application of life cycle approach to investigate the environmental and techno-economic perspectives of biorefinery systems and the associated biomaterials/biofuel/bioenergy value chains.

Olayinka Williams

Supervisor: Prof Richard Green
Current research project: Energy storage in low carbon grids
Funding sourse: EPSRC
Research interests:

Energy Economics and Energy policy.
Using economic models to analyse economic implications of electricity market policy on the deployment of energy storage devices.
What market design changes would help encourage the deployment of energy storage devices in deregulated electricity markets?

Di Zhang

Supervisor: Dr Niall Mac Dowell
Current research project: Opening New Fuels for UK Generation
Funding source: EPSRC
Research interests:

BECCS supply chain optimisation
Energy network optimisation

Liya Zheng

Supervisor: Prof Paul Fennell
Current research project: REO Kiln; Reduced Emission Cement: Cradle to Grave Material Applications and Accounting
Funding source: G8 Research Councils Initiative on Multilateral
Research interests:

Carbon Capture and Storage, post-combustion CO₂ capture and oxygen combustion process for cement manufacture;
Synthesis and characterization of the CO₂ sorbents and Oxygen storage materials, and improving the properties of the CaO sorbent