Engr. Dr. Blessing Eboibi
Engr. Dr. Blessing Eboibi is a chemical engineering expert with 13 years of research experience in hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) to produce biocrude from algae and other biomass sources. He obtained his PhD degree from the University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, where he was awarded the Deans Commendation for Research Excellence for his pioneering work on biocrude production from marine algae using hydrothermal liquefaction technology. He holds Master of Science and Bachelor of Engineering degrees in Chemical Engineering from the prestigious University of Lagos and the University of Science and Technology, Nigeria, respectively. Dr. Blessing Eboibi’s research interests include algae biofuels, biocrude production using hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), renewable energy, and waste management. He is currently working on developing and improving methodologies for solid waste management, downstream processing of biocrude and its upgrading to fuel, and recycling and handling of HTL wastewater (aqueous phase) and residues. He was also involved in the culturing and harvesting of microalgae for biofuel applications at Aban’s algal biofuel facility from 2012–2013 in India. As a Ph.D. scholar, he has carried out batch HTL of biomass at the Biotechnology Division of Aban Infrastructure Pvt Ltd., Chennai, and the Central Leather Research Institute, India, using 1L and 20L HTL batch reactors. He also carried out collaborative research work at the National Centre for Catalyst Research (NCCR) at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), India, for the design and production of HTL catalysts. He was also working for Muradel Pty Ltd, Whyalla, South Australia, and involved in the operation and maintenance of Muradel’s continuous-scale sub-critical water reactor (SCWR) or HTL reactor. He has vast experience in handling both batch and continuous-scale HTL reactors for biomass conversion to biocrude and downstream processing of biocrude to produce distillate fuel fractions. He is a lecturer with over 17 years of teaching and administrative experience who has taught at some other universities on a sabbatical and adjunct basis, and presently an adjunct associate professor at Federal University Otuoke (FUO), Bayelsa State. He has also held various administrative positions within the university system. He had served as Head of Department, Directorate, Chairman, and member of several university committees. He has won the ETF overseas scholarship, national research grants, and international research grants as a group member. He is a registered engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). He has authored or co-authored over 50 publications, out of which over 85% are on hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) research in learned national and Thomson Reuters/Scopus international journals with high impact factors. He has also co-authored a book chapter on HTL. He has given multiple paper presentations at national and international symposiums and conferences. Blessing Eboibi’s vision includes assisting an organization or company as a team player in achieving its mission and vision statement through commitment to the efficient provision of qualitative engineering research in developing low-carbon technologies.
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