INITIATE welcomes new MSc intern to Stamicarbon and Radboud University
Last February, our project partners Stamicarbon and Radboud University welcomed Tessa Brouwers for an internship within the framework of the INITIATE project.
The internship, which will last 5 months, is focusing on the investigation of alternative ammonia production methods with life cycle assessment (LCA). These are INITIATE ammonia (I), produced by re-using residual steel gases as a resource for hydrogen and nitrogen in comparison to green ammonia (II) in which hydrogen is produced from electrolysis of water, blue ammonia (III) produced from fossil fuels but including capture and storage of CO2 emissions (CCS).
Against this context, Tessa will perform calculations on the sorption-enhanced water–gas shift (SEWGS) technology, which can be used directly in the life cycle assessment for the INITIATE project.
Within INITIATE, Stamicarbon will lead the commercial implementation plan by starting the project development for an industrial plant. The WP6 package involves the execution of a feasibility study, including the pre-FEED, and will be based on a site to be selected by the consortium members to develop the project in the next phase. In addition, Stamicarbon will evaluate the possibility to commercialize the available technology worldwide to facilitate the development and improvement of sustainable steel and fertilizer production.
Radboud University is in charge of task 5.5, addressing new methods to quantify the environmental impacts of prospective technologies within INITIATE; and of task 5.6, determining the potential generation of environmental, economic and social shared benefits of shifting towards the INITIATE symbiotic system.
Tessa graduated in chemistry in July 2021 at Fontys University of Applied Science, in Eindhoven. After her graduation, she started at the Radboud University in Nijmegen with a pre-master in Molecular Science and is currently following her MA in Science Management and Innovation.
“I have known for a while that I want to use the chemistry knowledge I gained from my BA to comprehend the concepts and principles involved in environmental science. During my MA I am therefore going to choose the specialisation in Climate and Energy. This internship perfectly fits into my academic background and my personal interests and it is also currently a hot topic across Europe! The INITIATE project is very innovative and I see a lot of potential in it so I am happy that I am given the chance to contribute to its development.’’
Each INITIATE R&D partner has committed to offering MSc students a series of internships within the framework of our project. These internship opportunities are aimed at giving MSc students the chance to explore an industry-developing industrial symbiosis process and get acquainted with our project, thereby broadening their academic horizons. The internships will have different durations and will be divided up into 2 phases: the field phase and the writing phase. During the field phase, the interns will be given the chance to explore the work field of our R&D partners and apply the knowledge acquired during their study in practice. During the writing phase, the interns will be writing a final report in close cooperation with their supervisors, which will be presented to other students or external stakeholders during tailored-made events.
Welcome to the INITIATE consortium, Tessa! We very much look forward to seeing the outcome of your internship experience with us.