Zeolite synthesis & modification
Preparing and modifying Beta zeolites of varied hydrophobicity, void polarity, and framework topology for etherification and upgrading chemistry.
Research
Green chemistry, from the catalyst to the process
My research asks what a molecule can become. In the Harris Laboratory I study how the hydrophobicity, void polarity, and topology of zeolite catalysts steer the etherification of glycerol and the upgrading of ethanol. Before that, in South Africa, I worked on turning acid mine drainage and winery wastewater into catalysts, energy, and fertilizer. The through-line is the same: design differently, and value differently.
Research themes
Three threads, one question
Every thread asks the same thing in a different place: what else can this become? A zeolite pore, a stream of mine drainage, a process flowsheet.
01 · Zeolite catalysis
Steering bio-derived molecules inside a zeolite pore
Question. Glycerol is the unavoidable by-product of biodiesel, and ethanol is one of the few renewable carbon feedstocks available at scale. Both can be upgraded into fuels and chemicals — but only if a catalyst can be persuaded to favour the right reaction inside its own pore.
Approach. I synthesise and test Beta zeolites of varied hydrophobicity, void polarity, and framework topology, and measure how those properties change the etherification of glycerol with ethanol and the distribution of olefins formed during ethanol upgrading.
Where it stands. “Glycerol Etherification with Ethanol over Beta Zeolites of Varied Hydrophobicity” is in revision at the Journal of Catalysis. Related work on Al migration in dealuminated Beta extruded catalysts appeared in Applied Catalysis B (2026), and a co-first-author manuscript on acetone co-feeding is in preparation.
02 · Waste as feedstock
Turning what has been thrown away into something that works
Question. Acid mine drainage and winery wastewater are treated as problems to be neutralised. What happens if you ask instead what they can become?
Approach. Green synthesis: iron and bimetallic FeMn nanoparticles made from acid mine drainage and Rooibos tea extract, and anaerobic digestion of primary winery wastewater sludge under varied temperature and nutrient conditions, with methane yield, by-products, and digestate characterised.
Where it stands. Published as first author in ACS Omega (2022), and as a co-author in Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery (2023) and the International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology (2023).
03 · Process assessment
Checking whether the numbers hold outside the lab
Question. A material can perform well on the bench and still fail on cost or on life-cycle impact. Which candidates are worth pursuing once both are counted?
Approach. Comparative assessment of oxygen carrier materials for gas switching reforming of natural gas, combining techno-economic assessment, life-cycle analysis, and experimental measurement on the same set of materials.
Where it stands. Published as a co-author in Energy Conversion & Management (2026).
Methods & capabilities
How the work gets done
A toolkit built across two continents — zeolite catalysis in Alabama, green synthesis and wastewater process work in South Africa.
Material characterization
Characterising catalysts, nanoparticles, and sludge to relate structure and composition to how a material actually behaves in a reactor.
Reactor testing
Liquid- and gas-phase reactor testing with data-driven process optimization — the core of the research-assistant work in the Environmental Nano Science group.
Green synthesis
Green routes to iron and bimetallic FeMn nanoparticles using acid mine drainage and Rooibos tea extract, and silver-exchanged zeolite A for water purification.
Anaerobic digestion & wastewater
Digesting primary winery wastewater sludge under varied temperature and nutrient conditions; measuring methane yield and by-products; evaluating digestate reuse.
Techno-economic & life-cycle assessment
Comparative assessment of oxygen carrier materials, pairing techno-economics and life-cycle analysis with experimental insight.
Funding & support
Who makes the work possible
The work has been supported by scholarships, conference grants, and travel grants from professional societies and foundations.
ACS Green Chemistry Institute
NOBCChE
Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation
The University of Alabama
Travel grant · 2026
Sustainable Future Travel Grant
ACS Green Chemistry Institute — awarded twice in 2026: for the 30th Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference in San Antonio, TX, and for the ACS Green Chemistry & Engineering networking event.
ACS Green Chemistry Institute
Grant · 2023
Advancing Science Conference Grant (ASCG)
Conference support from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers.
NOBCChE
Scholarship · 2023
Graduate Merit Scholarship
Merit award from the Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation.
AKAEAF
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the supporting organisations.
Collaborations
Research is a team sport
The work runs on collaboration — inside the Harris Laboratory at Alabama, and with the groups in South Africa where the waste-valorization research began.
- Dr. James W. Harris
- Doctoral advisor · Harris Laboratory, The University of Alabama
- Prof. Jason E. Bara
- Co-author · glycerol etherification over zeolites
- Prof. Tibor Szilvási
- Co-author · glycerol etherification over zeolites
- Dr. Young Gul Hur
- Co-author · zeolite catalysis, Harris Laboratory
- Shivangi N. Borate
- Co-first author · acetone co-feeding during ethanol upgrading
- Dr. Andrew D. Sutton
- Co-author · ethanol upgrading and 2,3-butanediol chemistry
- Prof. Shahriar Amini
- Co-author · gas switching reforming assessment
- Prof. Leslie Petrik
- Co-author · Environmental Nano Science group, South Africa
- Dr. Oluwaseun Oyekola
- Co-author · green synthesis of Fenton-like catalysts
- Dr. Kashala Fabrice Kapiamba
- Co-author · iron and FeMn nanoparticles from acid mine drainage
- Dr. P. J. Welz
- Co-author · anaerobic digestion of winery wastewater sludge
Go deeper
From themes to the work itself
Follow the research into the individual projects, or read the peer-reviewed record behind every claim on this page.