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Tribune News Network
Doha
Two of Total’s research projects are being awarded funding in Cycle 13 of National Priorities Research Program (NPRP), a flagship programme of Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). The NPRP bases its decision on projects with exceptional ideas, approaches and models that may solve key issues of national, regional or global interest.
The two winning proposals, namely ‘Assessing the contribution of oil platforms and the impact of decommissioning scenarios to marine biodiversity, productivity and connectivity (PlatDeCom)’ and ‘Reactor Innovation for a Low Carbon Process to Upgrade Methane to Chemicals and Hydrogen’ have been awarded a maximum grant of $700,000 each, and have a duration of 4 years per project.
These grants are a clear indication of the trust placed on Total for engaging in research that can positively impact the citizens and residents of Qatar. As of January 2021, the total number of Total’s active NPRP research projects are 9.
Total Qatar’s VP Innovation & Change Management Yousef Al Jaber, said “I would like to congratulate the research teams from Total, Qatar University (QU) and Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq) for this great achievement. It is a recognition of our commitment, dedication and efforts in addressing priority topics of national interest in Qatar and a part of our ongoing commitment to support a knowledge-based economy in Qatar.”
The first project, PlatDeCom, conducted in partnership with QU, will assess the contribution of oil platforms and the impact of their decommissioning on marine biodiversity, productivity and connectivity. It will include international researchers from the US, Denmark and Australia.
Associate Professor in Marine Sciences at QU and a member of the PlatDeCom research team Dr Radhouan Ben-Hamadou commented, “Offshore man-made structures and specifically oil platforms are seen as a disturbance to the marine environment. We found out in our recent researches that these platforms constitute actually a hotspot and a refuge for marine biodiversity and boost biological productivity. As these structures are phased out and need to be decommissioned, we see here an opportunity to turn these ‘threats’ into opportunity by reefing them and taking advantage of their associated biodiversity, productivity and crucial role as a stepping stone for marine connectivity. This is an innovative approach, thinking outside the box, to further advance practices of ecosystem restoration and marine life conservation in Qatar, the region and worldwide.”
Total’s second project, in collaboration with Tamuq will focus on innovating reactor technologies to develop a sustainable process for the synthesis of high-value platform chemicals and hydrogen from methane, with the purpose of achieving low to near zero CO2 emission from the source, and maximising energy-efficiency. This project was built by TRC-Q and Tamuq in coordination with the Total Research and Technology Center Feluy (TRTF - Belgium), who will provide additional technical guidance and experimental support.
On this occasion, two students from Tamuq have been sponsored by Total starting January 2021, as a part of Total’s effort to further research in sustainable natural gas conversion to chemical products. The 8-month programme will see graduate students Nagat Elrefaei and Muhammad Jamil innovating new processes to sustainably convert natural gas to chemical products. They will now work under the guidance of Tamuq faculty Dr Ma’moun Al Rawashdeh.
Dr. César Octavio Malavé, dean of Tamuq, said, “It is also our mission to train the next generation of engineering leaders in Qatar, and we are grateful to our partners at Total for supporting graduate student research that could lead to new opportunities for industry in Qatar.”
Doha
Two of Total’s research projects are being awarded funding in Cycle 13 of National Priorities Research Program (NPRP), a flagship programme of Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). The NPRP bases its decision on projects with exceptional ideas, approaches and models that may solve key issues of national, regional or global interest.
The two winning proposals, namely ‘Assessing the contribution of oil platforms and the impact of decommissioning scenarios to marine biodiversity, productivity and connectivity (PlatDeCom)’ and ‘Reactor Innovation for a Low Carbon Process to Upgrade Methane to Chemicals and Hydrogen’ have been awarded a maximum grant of $700,000 each, and have a duration of 4 years per project.
These grants are a clear indication of the trust placed on Total for engaging in research that can positively impact the citizens and residents of Qatar. As of January 2021, the total number of Total’s active NPRP research projects are 9.
Total Qatar’s VP Innovation & Change Management Yousef Al Jaber, said “I would like to congratulate the research teams from Total, Qatar University (QU) and Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq) for this great achievement. It is a recognition of our commitment, dedication and efforts in addressing priority topics of national interest in Qatar and a part of our ongoing commitment to support a knowledge-based economy in Qatar.”
The first project, PlatDeCom, conducted in partnership with QU, will assess the contribution of oil platforms and the impact of their decommissioning on marine biodiversity, productivity and connectivity. It will include international researchers from the US, Denmark and Australia.
Associate Professor in Marine Sciences at QU and a member of the PlatDeCom research team Dr Radhouan Ben-Hamadou commented, “Offshore man-made structures and specifically oil platforms are seen as a disturbance to the marine environment. We found out in our recent researches that these platforms constitute actually a hotspot and a refuge for marine biodiversity and boost biological productivity. As these structures are phased out and need to be decommissioned, we see here an opportunity to turn these ‘threats’ into opportunity by reefing them and taking advantage of their associated biodiversity, productivity and crucial role as a stepping stone for marine connectivity. This is an innovative approach, thinking outside the box, to further advance practices of ecosystem restoration and marine life conservation in Qatar, the region and worldwide.”
Total’s second project, in collaboration with Tamuq will focus on innovating reactor technologies to develop a sustainable process for the synthesis of high-value platform chemicals and hydrogen from methane, with the purpose of achieving low to near zero CO2 emission from the source, and maximising energy-efficiency. This project was built by TRC-Q and Tamuq in coordination with the Total Research and Technology Center Feluy (TRTF - Belgium), who will provide additional technical guidance and experimental support.
On this occasion, two students from Tamuq have been sponsored by Total starting January 2021, as a part of Total’s effort to further research in sustainable natural gas conversion to chemical products. The 8-month programme will see graduate students Nagat Elrefaei and Muhammad Jamil innovating new processes to sustainably convert natural gas to chemical products. They will now work under the guidance of Tamuq faculty Dr Ma’moun Al Rawashdeh.
Dr. César Octavio Malavé, dean of Tamuq, said, “It is also our mission to train the next generation of engineering leaders in Qatar, and we are grateful to our partners at Total for supporting graduate student research that could lead to new opportunities for industry in Qatar.”
