Ibrahim Hamidu Advances Sustainable Silica Extraction and Energy Storage Materials

Ibrahim Hamidu is a graduating PhD candidate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and a KNUST Engineering Education Project (KEEP) scholar. His research focuses on process optimization, agricultural waste valorization, sustainable materials synthesis, and developing advanced electrode materials for energy storage.

For his doctoral research, Ibrahim developed and optimized a green, highly efficient pathway for extracting high-purity biogenic silica from rice husk, an abundant agricultural waste resource. Beyond process optimization, his work established a unified framework to systematically evaluate interactions among pretreatment methods, reagent use, and silica purity, providing a comprehensive basis for selecting sustainable extraction routes.

Through a carefully controlled process involving dilute acid leaching, hydrothermal activation, and moderate carbonization, he achieved silica purity exceeding 98% while substantially reducing chemical consumption and toxic effluent generation compared with conventional extraction methods. The framework identified the most effective processing conditions and demonstrated how strategic pretreatment and reagent selection can maximize silica recovery and purity while minimizing environmental impacts.

Building on this achievement, Ibrahim successfully incorporated the rice husk-derived silica into a 30% silica/70% graphitic carbon nitride composite electrode for supercapacitor applications. The resulting composite demonstrated excellent structural stability and enhanced electrochemical performance, highlighting its potential as a sustainable and cost-effective energy storage material.

Ibrahim’s doctoral research was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Benjamin Afotey, Prof. Bright Kwakye-Awuah, and Dr. Daniel Adjah Anang. The work has generated five scholarly manuscripts, of which three have been published in high-impact journals by Springer Nature and Elsevier, while two are currently under review. Collectively, these publications have attracted more than 140 citations, reflecting the growing impact and recognition of the research.

Ibrahim acknowledges his supervisors for their invaluable mentorship, guidance, and support throughout his doctoral journey. He is also grateful to the lecturers and staff of the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Petroleum Engineering at KNUST for their encouragement and contributions to his academic development.

He further acknowledges the generous support of the KNUST Engineering Education Project (KEEP), which provided a PhD scholarship, research funding, and mentorship that were instrumental to the successful completion of his program.

As he embarks on the next stage of his academic and professional career, Ibrahim intends to continue advancing research in energy storage materials, green processing technologies, and sustainable nanomaterials for industrial and clean energy applications.