Research HIGHLIGHTS
on installing the solar system on the rooftop of the Natural Sciences building was developed by the Physics Department together with the UNIPET for postgraduate students, including those pursuing the Master’s in Renewable Energy Technology. The project provides students with practical experience in the design and installation of a solar system, which in turn will provide opportunities for research projects. The Department continues to partner with Trinity Exploration and Production on ongoing projects which include solar and wind assessments for the south-eastern area of Trinidad under a 2021 MOU. Biodiversity Data Projects The Department of Life Sciences (DLS) of the Faculty of Science & Technology (FST) has been engaged in a project to publish the biodiversity data from the zoological collections in the Campus’s Zoology Museum. In support of their “Improving the Accessibility of Biodiversity Data in Trinidad & Tobago” project, the DLS was awarded a grant of 40,000 euros by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, via the Biodiversity Information for Development programme. The Zoology Museum has partnered with the National Herbarium of Trinidad and Tobago, and the National Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad & Tobago in this documentation effort. Meanwhile, FST researchers at the Department of Chemistry collated and reviewed the Phytochemical Research of Terrestrial Plants, 1968 – 2021 , to identify natural products, drug precursors or extraction/ isolation technologies with commercial potential. Alternative Fuels The Engineering Institute completed two industry led research projects on the production of biofuels. The UWI-Methanex Collaborative Venture consisted of a preliminary feasibility assessment of Methanol Use as a fuel for Trinidad and Tobago (TT$165,000). The second project was a student-led exercise
• facilitate MSMEs’ access to additional sources of finance and investment.
To propose a platform for the production and integration of a sustained biogas supply chain from available waste resources within Trinidad & Tobago. US$7,100 Industry Contracted Research (PROMAN): The main objectives included the identification of viable waste streams and predictive modelling of the current and future waste flows; characterisation of the individual flows; experimental methodologies for analysing kinetic constraints with respect to feasible AD processes, and the co-digestion of waste streams and the conduct of a techno-economic analysis. To evaluate the inherent sustainability of the gas-heated reforming GHR technology for methanol production. US$42,000 Industry Contracted Research (Johnson Matthey, UK): Researchers involved in this project hope to contribute to decarbonising the global methanol industry. The project adopts a frontier research direction, introducing and comparing new platforms for future projects. Among viable technological candidates, auto-thermal reforming (ATR) and gas-heated reforming (GHR) present unique advantages that can lead the transition.
Climate and the Environment Solar Energy Project
The Physics Department partnered with UNIPET on a solar project to power computers at a computer laboratory in the Department of Computing & Information Technology, Faculty of Science & Technology. An educational workshop
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