Total sponsors Texas A&M at Qatar graduate student research in gas conversion
Published Mar 01, 2021
Two graduate students from Texas A&M University at Qatar are being sponsored by Total as a part of Total’s effort to advance research in sustainable natural gas conversion to chemical products.
The eight-month program, awarded by the French oil and gas company, will see graduate students Nagat Elrefaei and Muhammad Jamil innovating new processes to sustainably convert natural gas to chemical products.
The purpose of this sponsorship is to promote local knowledge and innovation on the sustainable development of downstream processes that use natural gas as feedstock, with the goal of producing chemical products that are of strategic importance to Qatar.
Total Research Center Qatar (TRC-Q), one of Total’s four E&P research Centers located outside France, launched this initiative in line with Total’s R&D’s vision. It will provide financial and technical support to the students, who will work under the guidance of Texas A&M at Qatar faculty expert, Dr. Ma’moun Al-Rawashdeh.
“In the Catalytic Reactor Laboratory at Texas A&M at Qatar, we are exploring ways to convert methane and other gases into chemicals in a way that is more sustainable, safer, and with a lower environmental footprint,” Al-Rawashdeh said. “In Qatar we must first build the human capacity required through close collaboration with industry, which we are very thankful to receive from Total.”
Yousef Al-Jaber, VP Innovation & Change Management and a Class of 2007 graduate of Texas A&M at Qatar, said, “We’re excited to welcome research from students in Texas A&M at Qatar, which has long been a collaborative partner in our commitment to promote sustainability in Qatar and in the Middle East. Today, we are working together to find new and innovative solutions to reduce our carbon footprint, whilst engaging with students, and supporting their journey to becoming the future leaders of our industry.”
With various other research projects currently conducted in partnership with local scientific and industrial partners and international R&D organizations, TRC-Q acts as a bridge between industry and academia to bring innovative solutions to its operations. It currently houses projects for analytical organic geochemistry and acid stimulation of wells to improve production, as well as flagship projects related to sustainable development, marine biodiversity, biofuels, and solar energy.
Philippe Legrand, Managing Director, Refining & Chemicals – Qatar, added, “Our relationship with Texas A&M at Qatar is built on strong bridges to achieve business sustainability and innovation. This sponsorship initiative supports the education and research potential of local educational institutions, and strives on our shared ambition to develop sustainable solutions for our industry and the environment in line with Qatar’s national aspirations.”
Dr. César Octavio Malavé, dean of Texas A&M at Qatar, said, “At Texas A&M at Qatar, we are generating new knowledge and intellectual capital through innovative research and collaborations with industry to engineer practical, sustainable solutions to real-world challenges in Qatar and around the world. 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.”