The doctoral dissertation in the field of Environmental Science will be examined at the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, Kuopio campus.
What is the topic of your doctoral research? Why is it important to study the topic?
The topic of my doctoral thesis is adsorbent materials for carbon dioxide capture and focuses on the development of solid adsorbents for the capture of carbon dioxide under various emission scenarios. The studies included in the thesis emphasize the sustainability aspect of materials production by looking into environmentally friendly raw materials and/or synthesis processes for the production of such materials.
Since carbon dioxide is one of the most important greenhouse gases and its increasing concentration in the atmosphere is a major environmental concern. As such, there is an urgent need to tackle this global environmental challenge through various means available to us. In this context, carbon dioxide capture using solid adsorbents offers a promising opportunity to remove carbon dioxide at source, thereby helping to reduce its accumulation in the atmosphere and avoid its adverse consequences.
What are the key findings or observations of your doctoral research?
This research contributes to the development of high-performance adsorbents for carbon dioxide capture in a sustainable way. The concept of “waste-as-resource” enables circular economy through creating high-value materials from discarded waste as well as extends the lifetime of the materials already in the value-chain.
The results of this study showed that with adequate processing methods, reclaimed chemicals perform competitively with the commercially obtained chemicals. The implementation of this strategy can be helpful in reducing the dependence on natural resources as well as a step towards pollution control.
What are the key research methods and materials used in your doctoral research?
The adsorbent materials produced during the research include metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and MOF derived materials as well as transition metal oxides. The studies also include utilization of waste as precursors. For instance, waste plastic based on poly (ethylene terephthalate) was used as a source of organic linker to produce MOFs. One of the studies that formed a part of the thesis looked into a novel aerosol processing technique that allows the continuous production of carbon nanospheres decorated with catalytically active copper species.
All the produced materials were characterized using a range of techniques, including electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, volumetric nitrogen adsorption-desorption, thermal methods as well as spectroscopic methods to understand the physical and chemical properties of the materials. The carbon dioxide capture performance of the adsorbents was assessed by gravimetric carbon dioxide uptake method at relevant temperatures.
The doctoral dissertation of Nabin Subedi, MSc, entitled Adsorbent materials for carbon dioxide capture will be examined at the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, Kuopio campus. The opponent will be Professor Farid Akhtar, Luleå Technical University, Sweden, and the custos will be Professor Anna Lähde, University of Eastern Finland. Language of the public defence is English.
For more information, please contact:
Nabin Subedi, [email protected]
- Public examination
- Dissertation (PDF)
- Photo (coming)
