UAE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT DEVELOPS A NOVEL MOF TO CAPTURE AND CONVERGE CO2

Supervisor’s name:

Ayat Tawfiq Al Nimer

Student’s name:

UAE, high school student, Saif Hassan Ibrahim Mohammad Karam, just 16 years old, has not only won the Sixth edition of the Emirates Young Scientist competition held in February 2024 in Dubai, but did this by developing a material that not only absorbs and stores CO2 more efficiently, but can also convert the CO2 into methane (CH4), and then further convert the methane into Hydrogen as an energy source as well as create formaldehyde which can be used in industrial applications and consumer products.

A student at Secondary Model School in Sharjah, Saif has been participating in the competition for the past four years. The competition is part of NSTI (National Science and Technology Innovation Festival) organized by the UAE Ministry of Education. He was selected among 100 participants. Winners receive different opportunities, one of which is the chance to participate at the International Science and Engineering Fair in the United States happening in May 2024.

The yearly event, held in the first week of February, attracts students and teachers to an environment that fosters a passion for science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The Emirates Young Scientist Competition brings together leading international experts and institutions in science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. This offers participants the opportunity to learn, share knowledge, discuss ideas and work together to achieve tangible results backed up by scientific research, science and technology with creativity and innovation at its heart.

The research

Saif has always had a passion for research and chemistry. He is also an advocate of solving the ongoing climate crisis given the dramatic increases in greenhouse gas emissions, especially CO2.

With the need to develop aggressive emission strategies, Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies have become a prominent tool with experts using techniques such as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

These techniques are not without challenges. For example, the natural methods are challenged in terms of scale and permanence while the artificial methods are costly and complex. One of the most advanced methods for carbon capture and storage includes materials like silica-based adsorbents, metal oxides, activated carbons, zeolites, porous organic polymers, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

Saif, in his research, introduced a novel way to develop and functionalize MOFs to enhance CO2 capture and conversion capabilities.

This process he undertook, initially converts the absorbed CO2 into methane (CH4), which is then subjected to a subsequent fuel reduction process. This reduction leads to the production of hydrogen as an energy source, with formaldehyde as the oxidation product.

As Saif explains, “My project investigated a novel functionalization method for a metal-organic framework for carbon capture or absorption. Usually, when you functionalize a MOF, you compromise specific morphological and catalytic properties, further limiting the application and the possibilities. I functionalized the surface of the MOF structure, attaching to their exterior charged materials, making them act as selective gas units with dual catalysts for capturing and converting CO2 without affecting much of the matrix of these materials.

This multifunctional approach to CO2 conversion, fuel production, and reduction within a single MOF structure is unprecedented. In addition, the MOF composite operates under ambient conditions, utilizing room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure, with water employed as the sole solvent and electron donor. The Nanocomposite structures also incorporate novel synthesized semiconductor nanocrystals, known as quantum dots (QDs), in a strategic way, serving as effective photocatalysts.

He explains, “The importance of this research and the process I developed is that it will benefit carbon-capturing technologies. However, I have proceeded to process the captured gas with conversion to energy using the same single material at room temperature with just water as the solvent. This multi-functional material lowered the number of complex components for the process, making it more efficient and cost-effective.”

Saif worked on his research with the help of his chemistry teacher Ayat Tawfiq Al Nimer as well as professors and lab scientists from the University of Sharjah and the American University of Sharjah.

Future plans

The research carried out and the process developed can be patented, however Saif is currently working to get the research published in the American Chemistry Society Journal before the International Science and Engineering Fair in May.

Saif hopes to win. Afterwards, he aims to pursue a degree in chemical engineering and material science from UC Berkeley University.

He states, “I want to pursue a career developing novel materials that could be a potential door for limitless capabilities within wide applications such as energy. This field is especially important, considering carbon capturing, as companies and organizations transitioning to neutrality need to reduce emission to continue existing.

Saif extends his gratitude to all those who supported him in getting access to the labs at the University of Sharjah and American University of Sharjah. He states, “It was a long and very hard process, but I am happy people believed in me and my work.”

Importance of NSTI

The research, and innovation that Saif innovated would not have been possible if there weren›t fairs such as NSTI organized by the UAE Ministry of Education.

Ayat Al Nimer, Saif’s chemistry teacher adds, “The competition exposes students to proper research methodology, which is very important to have in their early stages of life before they go onto university. Students not only learn to innovate, but also learn to present their work, sell their ideas, and write research reports.”

Ayat is proud of the progress Saif has made over the years since he started participating in Grade 9. She explains that he has been an encouragement to other students. She notes, “Students are now participating as well, and I see more leaning towards chemistry. The competition helped Saif know what he wanted to become.”

She believes that schools should include more hands-on research and experimentation in the curriculum and less material to cover.

She also gives kudos and thanks to the Principal of the Secondary Model School for Boys, Mr. Khalid Obaid Almheiri, and Vice Principal Zaina Hassan Abdalla Alhassouni, for all their support.

Ayat and Saif believe he can win the International Science Fair prize. Ayat explains, “His research is revolutionary. He not only introduced a new technique for MOF functionalization never seen before, but was also able to showcase the first two reaction pathway conversions using two novel catalysts, all in one material. In addition, his application of this strategy showcased results that gigantically supported most benchmarks for capturing and conversion, all occurring under the ambient conditions needed. Even the apparatus he used in testing is also a novelty.”