If we don't sustainably engineer fuels, then our children will be next | Professor Paul Hellier

Introduction

Professor Paul Hellier will deliver his inaugural lecture, “IF WE DON’T SUSTAINABLY ENGINEER FUELS, THEN OUR CHILDREN WILL BE NEXT”, marking a key milestone in his career as he reflects on his research in Sustainable Energy Engineering at UCL Mechanical Engineering.

Decades of expanding fossil fuel utilisation have resulted in devastating climate change and toxic air quality, negatively impacting environments and public health across the world. A sustainable global future that prevents the extreme impacts of greenhouse gas emissions urgently requires that energy from fossil fuels is replaced by renewable net-zero alternatives. Truly sustainable fuels must also address the pollutants and health impacts that arise from combustion engines across transport and energy sectors.

In this inaugural lecture, Professor Paul Hellier shares his research and passion for engineering responses to the global challenges of sustainable energy and air quality.

Since his first appreciation for the potential of holistic engineering in the Welsh fields of his undergraduate degree to heavy-duty combustion deep underground in central London, Paul explores the intricate possibilities of designing new fuels atom by atom.

Via excretion from algae, spent coffee grounds, waste wood and literal zero-carbon, he highlights the potential for maximising the benefits of renewable energy sources and reducing emissions of toxic pollutants through re-imagining and engineering future sustainable fuels.

Whether you’re part of the UCL community, a researcher, or simply curious about what’s next in sustainable engineering, this lecture will provide thought-provoking ideas and discussion.

About Professor Paul Hellier 

Paul Hellier is Professor of Sustainable Energy Engineering at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London. With a first degree in Environmental Engineering, since completing his PhD at UCL focusing on the molecular structure of future fuels he has worked with partners across industry, academia and public authorities in the development of sustainable net-zero fuels with organisations involved in waste valorisation and fuels production, emissions control and the assessment of health impacts from combustion. Paul’s research group and experimental facilities focuses on the development of novel renewable fuels across transport sectors (road, marine and aviation), both bio-derived and synthetic (hydrogen, ammonia), investigating in practical engines effects of fuel chemical composition on combustion and emissions.

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UCL Engineering Inaugural Lecture Series

This lecture is part of the UCL Engineering Inaugural Lecture Series.

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UCL Engineering Inaugural Lecture Series

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