Congratulations Azaare Louis

Azaare Louis is a graduating PhD student from the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department at KNUST.

His research interests are Thermochemical waste treatment, Environmental toxicology and remediation, Environment and Public health.

Louis optimised the yields of pyrolysis products from residual municipal solid waste for bioenergy production and landfill leachate treatment during his PhD work.

His research indicated that the optimisation process enhanced the yields of pyrolysis products, achieving a maximum biochar yield and Higher Heating Value of  34.83% and 24.37 MJ/kg, respectively, as well as syngas and bio-oil yields of 49.10% and 37.67%, respectively. Furthermore, the study from batch adsorption experiment showed that optimised biochar demonstrated significant pollutant removal ranging from 70.40% to 97.10%. Among all the pollutants examined, colour showed the highest removal efficiency, with peak values of 90.63% at pH 7, 97.10% at 3 g of adsorbent dosage, and 94.20% at a contact time of 180 min. The optimisation of yields and energy properties of pyrolysis products highlights the potential of converting underutilised residual MSW into valuable bioenergy products, while also serving as a low-cost adsorbent for the simultaneous removal of pollutants from landfill leachate.

The KNUST Engineering Education Project (KEEP) has been instrumental in his academic success by providing financial support. He is deeply grateful for the support and encouragement received from his supervisors — Prof. Francis Kemausuor, Prof. Regina Esi Edziyie, and Dr Kodwo Meizah and the management of KEEP.