Maritime Decarbonisation Research
A chemical engineering scientist at the University of Lincoln, UK, has been awarded the country’s top prize at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29).
Dr Pouriya H Niknam has been selected as the UK national winner and also as a global finalist in the category of the Mission Innovation Net-zero Industries Award 2024 for his research on industrial decarbonisation, including his recent contribution to developing integrated solutions to improve the energy efficiency of onboard energy systems. In the global competition, he is selected as the first runner-up.
The advancements are based on waste heat recovery technologies, and the research demonstrates that ships can achieve up to 14% energy savings and reduce fuel consumption accordingly.
Announced on Monday 18 November at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference. The COP to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international climate summit, held annually. Following the UNFCCC, this flagship event sees global leaders gather to work together on solutions which aim to tackle climate change.
Dr Niknam is interested in the development of net-zero and decarbonisation solutions, including waste heat recovery, thermal energy storage, and green technologies. At COP29, he is particularly recognised for his work on onboard energy systems in the hard-to-decarbonise maritime sector.
Mission Innovation is a global initiative to catalyse action and investment in research, development and demonstration to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible to all this decade. The Mission Innovation award recognises breakthrough innovation and impact in decarbonising energy-intensive and hard-to-abate sectors, areas where Dr Niknam has made a significant contribution.
Dr Pouriya H Niknam, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at the University of Lincoln, explained: “Technological advancement has always been a vital part of the fight to mitigate the challenges of climate change. Incorporating new technologies into the global fleet, which is responsible for more than 80% of the global trade, is a significant challenge and is perceived as a risk by business stakeholders.
“In this context, as part of the ZHENIT project, we developed an integrated solution to complement existing systems rather than a replacement, providing added value in terms of energy and fuel savings for various types of vessels.
“The solution captures waste heat onboard and repurposes it into heat, cooling, and mechanical energy. It is an economically viable solution that can play a key role in decarbonising the global fleet with minimal risk.”
More information about the Mission Information Net-zero Industries can be found online: https://mission-innovation.net/missions/net-zero-industries-mission/.
The award ceremony is available to watch online: www.youtube.com/live/ObRXnPjUfOo and Dr Niknam’s award is at 10 minutes and 20 seconds, and 34 minutes.