Our research

Our vision is to bring together the expertise of the Universities of Nottingham, Sheffield and Cardiff, industrial sponsors, and cohorts of doctoral students to tackle major challenges facing industry and society. 

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Five themes

  • Techniques to carbon neutral fuels such as biomass and hydrogen to be used in systems designed for fossil fuels.
  • Use of CO2 as a chemical feedstock for industry and manufacture – turning a waste into a product.
  • Use of biomass as a feedstock for chemical processes as a replacement for fossil fuels.
  • CO2 capture technologies for a range of in industrial sectors, including power, iron, steel, cement and glass-making.
  • Automation of large energy-intensive processes to improve their flexibility and emission performance.

Publications

2025

Harman-Thomas JM, Kashif TA, Hughes KJ, Pourkashanian M, Farooq A. Autoignition of methane and methane/hydrogen blends in CO2 bath gas. Fuel (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2024.133229

Wells J, Heeley A, Akram M, Hughes KJ, Ingham DB, Pourkashanian M. Simulation and modelling study of a chemical absorption plant to evaluate capture effectiveness when treating high CO2 content iron and steel industry emissions.Fuel (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2024.133189

2023

Harman-Thomas J M, Ingham D B, Hughes K J, Pourkashanian M. Role of Methyldioxy Radical Chemistry in High-Pressure Methane Combustion in CO2. International Journal of Chemical Kinetics 2023; 1. https://doi.org/10.1002/kin.21672

Harman-Thomas J M , Kashif T A, Hughes K J, Pourkashanian M, Farooq A.Experimental and modelling study of syngas combustion in CO2 bath gas.Fuel. 2023; 342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2023.127865

Harman-Thomas J M , Kashif T A, Hughes K J, Pourkashanian M, Farooq A. Experimental and modelling study of hydrogen ignition in CO2 bath gas. Fuel. 2023; 334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2022.126664

Ruscillo F, Zhang K, Ismail M S, Hughes K J, Ingham D B, Ma L, Pourkashanian M. Characterisation of Novel and High Performing Double-Sided Microporous-Layers-Coated Gas Diffusion Layers for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells. Energies 2023; 16(22).  https://doi.org/10.3390/en16227601

2022

Harman-Thomas J M , Hughes K J, Pourkashanian M. The development of a chemical kinetic mechanism for combustion in supercritical carbon dioxide. Energy. 2022; 255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2022.124490

Ragab R, Parker J, Li M, Liu T, Morris A, Sun W. Requirements for and challenges in developing improved creep ductility-based constitutive models for tempered martensitic CSEF steels. Journal of Materials Research and Technology 2022; 17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2022.02.047

Ragab R, Parker J, Li M, Liu T, Sun W. Creep crack growth modelling of Grade 91 vessel weldments using a modified ductility based damage model. European Journal of Mechanics - A/Solids. 2022; 91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euromechsol.2021.104424

Ragab R, Liu T, Li M, Sun W. Membrane stretching based creep damage analytical solutions for thin disc small punch problem. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids. 2022; 165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2022.104928

Carr-Whitworth R, Styles R, Wilson O, Barrett J, Betts Davies S, Colechin M, Cox E, Pidgeon N, Watson A. Delivering Net Zero: Key Themes from the Academic Community. 2022. 9a8b80_a07f39f27e314c5781f7b6a5a1f12b20.pdf(deliveringnetzero.org)  

Carr-Whitworth R, Styles R, Wilson O, Barrett J, Betts Davies S, Colechin M, Cox E, Pidgeon N, Watson A. Delivering Net Zero: Key Themes from Public, Private and Third Sector Stakeholders. 2022. 9a8b80_d0df3edd929b421fbace48418de3d983.pdf(deliveringnetzero.org)  

Carr-Whitworth R, Styles R, Wilson O, Barrett J, Betts Davies S, Colechin M, Cox E, Pidgeon N, Watson A. Delivering Net Zero: Final Synthesis Report. 2022. 9a8b80_9527065701cf4dc89d777c9b61de6cf0.pdf(deliveringnetzero.org)

Mounaïm-Rousselle C, Brequigny, P, Valera-Medina A, Boulet E, Emberson D, Løvås T Ammonia as Fuel for Transportation to Mitigate Zero Carbon Impact. Engines and Fuels for Future Transport. 2022. DOI:10.1007/978-981-16-8717-4_11

2021

Ragab R, Parker J, Li M, Liu T, Sun W. Modelling of a Grade 91 power plant pressurised header weldment under ultra super-critical creep conditions. International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping. 2021;192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2021.104389

Alumni destinations

Most of our first cohort of students have submitted their theses and/or passed their vivas. We already have one graduate. The majority of our students have gone into industry, with one student staying in academia.

Our CDT had a predecessor, the CDT in EPSRC Doctoral Training Centres in Carbon Capture and Storage and Cleaner Fossil Energy. We regularly invite alumni back to our residential schools to hear about their careers.

The known destinations of 36 alumni are shown below with the majority of alumni now working in industry. The graphs below depict the alumni destination of the predecessor CDT in Carbon Capture and Storage and Cleaner Fossil Energy.  

Jobs in industry are very varied and our alumni work in the following roles: