(6mb) Producing cleaner fuels using waste and renewable resources

I am a Chemical Engineer with a strong background in materials synthesis and characterization, and an expertise in polymers, carbon materials and nanotechnology. After completing my B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering (National Technical University of Athens, Greece, 2006) and my M.Sc. in Materials Science and Technology (Aristotle University, Greece, 2008), I worked in the private sector before joining the United Arab Emirates University (U.A.E.U.) in 2014 in order to pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering under the supervision of Prof. I. Zuburtikudis. My PhD research is focused on the development of tailor-made adsorbents based on inexpensive renewable and/or waste resources for the desulfurization of commercial fuels. In parallel, I worked in the U.A.E.U. as a Teaching Assistant for four semesters in various undergraduate courses (thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, reactor design and polymer engineering among others). After my graduation in May 2020, I am seeking to join a research-focused university as an assistant professor or as a postdoctoral associate.

Research interests:

Sustainability has emerged as an issue of immense importance that will determine the prosperity of future generations. Due to the gradual depletion of natural resources, especially of the fossil fuels, a significant part of the research and development in academia and in the industry is shifting towards the utilization of waste or renewable resources for the development of new, advanced engineering materials. Moreover, the increasing demand for cleaner fuels and the stringent regulations of commercial fuel specifications have driven the research of alternative methods to upgrade the conventional industrial desulfurization technologies.

These challenges have inspired my PhD research, in which I am developing tailor-made adsorbents using waste and renewable resources for the desulfurization of commercial fuels. Particularly, I am producing carbon nanofibers based on the electrospinning of lignin and recycled PET. Lignin is a very abundant natural polymer, the potential of which is still rather unexploited. On the other hand, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is one of the most widely consumed commodity polymers, therefore, it would be desirable to develop alternative uses of waste PET.

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are a one-dimensional form of carbon which are projected to be at the forefront of emerging technological advances, especially in applications related to energy storage, adsorption and catalysis. CNFs have a very high surface area which minimizes any limitations related to mass transfer. Moreover, a significant advantage of carbon nanofibers lies in the feasibility to be easily functionalized or doped with metals or heteroatoms. Therefore, in my research I present a road-map for the production of an advanced engineering material from low- cost resources. The method of preparation involves the electrospinning of the raw materials and the carbonization of the precursor nanofibers. Throughout my research I have used a Design-of- Experiments statistical methodology to optimize the materials preparation. By adjusting the process conditions, I have shown that the textural characteristics of the carbon nanofibers can be customized for a particular application. In my research, I have proven that these materials are efficient in the adsorption of refractory sulfur compounds from commercial fuels, such as alkyl- substituted benzothiophenes. Currently, I am concerned with the issues of selectivity and scale- up.

Besides the main topic of my PhD thesis, I am also working on a related side-project, in which I am developing activated carbon from asphaltenes. This involves the extraction of asphaltenes from bitumen, their stabilization, carbonization and activation using different methods, and their application for the desulfurization of fuels, as well.

Keywords: carbon nanofibers, lignin, PET, electrospinning, adsorption, desulfurization, asphaltenes

Future research plans:

I am very interested in the design of advanced materials and nanomaterials for the development of next-generation industrial processes, such as advanced separations and catalysis. Of particular importance for me is the connection between structure and properties, which determines the efficiency of a certain process. Moreover, I find the concepts of sustainability and circular economy very appealing, and in this context I would be very interested in working on the utilization of waste and/or renewable resources, on the advancement of cleaner energy and on the production of chemicals and polymers from biomass.

Teaching interests:

During my PhD studies in the U.A.E.U., I worked as a Teaching Assistant for four semesters in various undergraduate courses (including material and energy balances, thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, reactor design and polymer engineering among others). As a Teaching Assistant I was responsible for the grading of tests and assignments and for the teaching of tutorials and exercises.

As a faculty member, I would like to teach undergraduate core subjects of the Chemical Engineering major, including reaction engineering, physical chemistry, heat and mass transfer and polymer science and engineering. Furthermore, at a graduate level I would be interested in organizing and teaching a course of Design and Analysis of Experiments and also a course related to Nanomanufacturing and Nanoengineering.

Publications in peer reviewed journals (Orcid ID: 0000-0001-6303-8944):

1. Svinterikos, E., Zuburtikudis, I., Al-Marzouqi, M., “Fabricating carbon nanofibers from a lignin/r-PET blend: the synergy of mass ratio with the average fiber diameter”, Appl. Nanosci., Under Review, October 2019
2. Svinterikos, E., Zuburtikudis, I., Al-Marzouqi, M., The nanoscale dimension determines the carbonization outcome of electrospun lignin/recycled-PET fibers, Chem. Eng. Sci. 202 (2019) 26–35
3. Svinterikos, E., Zuburtikudis, I., Al-Marzouqi, M., Carbon nanomaterials for the adsorptive desulfurization of fuels, J. Nanotechnol. (2019), Article ID 2809867
4. Al Haddad, Z.A., Svinterikos, E., Zuburtikudis, I., Designing electrospun nanocomposite poly(vinylidene fluoride) mats with tunable wettability, Colloids Surf. A 523 (2017) 81–90
5. Svinterikos, E., Zuburtikudis, I., Tailor-Made electrospun nanofibers of biowaste lignin/recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate), J. Polym. and the Environ. 25 (2017) 465–478
6. Svinterikos, E., Zuburtikudis, I., Carbon nanofibers from renewable bioresources (lignin) and a recycled commodity polymer [poly(ethylene terephthalate)], J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 133 (2016) 43936
7. Tsimpliaraki A., Svinterikos S., Panayiotou S, Marras S., Zuburtikudis I., Papadopoulou L., PBSA/layered silicate nanocomposites and the role of nanoclay on their electrospun fibrous structure, Int. J. Nanomanufacturing 6 (2010), 291-299
8. Tsimpliaraki A., Svinterikos S., Zuburtikudis I., Marras S., Panayiotou C., Nanofibrous Structure of Nonwoven Mats of Electrospun Biodegradable Polymer Nanocomposites—A Design of Experiments (DoE) Study, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 48 (2009), 4365–4374

Presentations at international conferences:

1. Svinterikos E., Al Marzouqi M., Zuburtikudis I., The nanoscale effect in the carbonization of electrospun lignin/PET fibers, ANNIC 2018, 22-24/10, Berlin, Germany
2. Svinterikos E., Al Marzouqi M., Soliman A.M., Zuburtikudis I., Tunable fabrication of carbon nanofibers from renewable and waste resources, 2017 AICHE Annual Meeting, 29/10 –03/11, Minneapolis, USA
3. Svinterikos E., Zuburtikudis I., Tunable fabrication of carbon nanofibers based on the electrospinning of biowaste lignin and recycled PET, Carbon 2016, 10-15/07/2016, Penn State, USA
4. Svinterikos E., Zuburtikudis I., A review on self-healing coatings based on nanocontainers for active corrosion protection, NACE UAE Corrosion 2015, 12-14 May, Abu Dhabi

Successful research proposals:

“Utilization of waste and inexpensive resources for the development of tailor-made adsorbents”

funded by the Emirates Center for Energy and Environment Research with budget of ~$100K,

2018 – 2020