Research Profiles

Chemical encapsulation is one of the important methods for manufacturing micro-nano-capsules of various core active substances. The conventional thermal method requires a batch microencapsulation for 6 hours at 80oC. Also, this method is not suitable for volatile or heat sensitive active materials.  A revolution innovative patentable method was developed. Monomers’ conversion of more than 90% can be achieved in 5 minutes or less using the new designed UV-LED photochemical stirrer reactor. The encapsulation efficiency can be up to 95.9% with PCM efficiency of 100%.  These results can be considered as a breakthrough and revolution in the field of photochemical micro- and nano-encapsulation.  This method leads to reduce significantly the amount of wastewater as well as the wasted monomers, and not losing any expensive PCM (active substance).

Commercial computer programs such as Aspen-HYSYS or Chemcad software were used by students to investigate and study compression refrigeration systems. Students investigated all possible modifications that may increase the refrigeration efficiency and reduce energy consumption.  The optimum alternative refrigeration system should be checked for meeting sustainability requirements and all international standards, codes and regulations. The humidity of the air during summer season in Qatar is a major reason for a high peak electricity consumption due to a significant additional energy used by air conditioners for condensing the water vapor in the humid air.

This research is aimed to establish new lab facilities containing modifiable prototypes and kits for teaching and research purposes in the field of electrochemical devices.  Students prepared one modifiable prototype for determination of oxygen concentration in a gas mixture, and many prototypes for air-metal batteries. These modifiable prototypes enable student to investigate different alternatives, and work on developing commercially electrochemical devices .  The long-term goal is to develop novel smart devices used in detection and measurement of concentration of a selected chemical component in health, agricultural, medical, pharmaceutical and most of other industrial applications. 

Chemical encapsulation is one of the important methods for manufacturing micro-nano-capsules of various core active substances. The conventional thermal method requires a batch microencapsulation for 6 hours at 80oC. Also, this method is not suitable for volatile or heat sensitive active materials.  A revolution innovative patentable method was developed. Monomers’ conversion of more than 90% can be achieved in 5 minutes or less using the new designed UV-LED photochemical stirrer reactor. The encapsulation efficiency can be up to 95.9% with PCM efficiency of 100%.  These results can be considered as a breakthrough and revolution in the field of photochemical micro- and nano-encapsulation.  This method leads to reduce significantly the amount of wastewater as well as the wasted monomers, and not losing any expensive PCM (active substance).

A cost-effective mercury-free low temperature photo-microencapsulation method was invented in this project. The global market size for microencapsulation of materials including  thermosensitive ones  was USD 5.54 billion in 2015, and might reach USD 17.94 billion by 2025 in diverse range of applications from household chemicals,  to medicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agricultural chemicals, food industries, smart textiles, printing, petroleum industry and others. Microcapsules phase change materials (PCMs), can be used for thermal energy storage and for saving energy in cooling and heating applications. Using PCM submicro-capsules in an aqueous slurry as a heat exchange medium might be realized in the future.

One of the most urgent challenge in the 21st century is the eco-friendly and cost-effective electricity storage required for the emerging and established technologies; particularly the modernized market needs for energy storage in portable electronics, large-scale stationary grid and vehicle applications. eco-friendly metal-Air Batteries (MABs) are selected as a promising technology for automobiles and grid-scale applications.  This is due to their fast-charging, light weight, compact and a high energy density compared to Li-ion batteries. Different electrode materials, different nanoparticle catalysts, and different electrolytes with different concentrations will be selected, investigated and tested for cost-effective, high-performance and eco-friendly metal air batteries

Energy used in air conditioning is estimated to be up to 70% of the total electricity consumption in Qatar as reported by Kahramaa. By end of year 2022, new regulations of Tarsheed law are set to reduce the electricity consumption per capita by 6%, water by 10% and carbon footprint by 7%. Integration of a desiccant wheel based on our invented design with air conditioners leads to reduce the dewpoint of the indoor air by more than  6oC.  This leads to saving electricity in air conditioners by 31 % of the total cooling demand energy.

Agri-food production is essential for achieving sustainable food security, which is a critical issue in Qatar because of the dependence of the country on the import of most needed food. There are many challenges faces Qatari farmers such as the lack for natural water, suitable quality potting soil and arable land, in addition to the harsh dominant weather as hot, humid and dusty conditions. Maximizing water saving and using the most cost-efficient cooling technology for conditioning and engineering an indoor greenhouse are ideal solutions for growing desired crop at a low cost during hot summer seasons in Qatar.

In Qatar, a large part of electricity is used for indoor lighting during daytime.  In this research, it was possible to collect and focus sunlight on optic-fiber cables that transfer the light to indoor rooms, buildings and stores.  Using fiber-optic lightning can reduce the electricity consumption required for indoor lighting. The benefits of fiber-optic lightning are numerous; including higher sales in stores, improved moods, more productive employees, and less draining of the electrical grid (reducing demand lowers the risk of overload on the grid during hot weather). Technical feasibility and economy prospect of bringing this technology to Qatar were investigated.