ElBeshbishy and Shao receive Ross and Jean Clark Scholarship

By Mphatso Mlotha | March 11, 2011

The Ross and Jean Clark Scholarships are awarded to graduate students who have achieved high academic standing with a focus on topics relevant to environmental engineering. The recipients are selected by Western Engineering's graduate committee, on the recommendation of the Associate Dean, Research and Graduate.

Elsayed ElBeshbishy and Yuanyuan Shao, PhD candidates in Western Engineering, are the newest recipients of the Ross and Jean Clark Scholarships.

Yuanyuan Shao is currently pursuing her PhD research with an objective to investigate the combustion, co-combustion and gasification performance of woody biomass (wood pellets and sawdust), peat and lignite and the possible interactions between ashes from different types of feedstocks. Her research offers countless benefits to Ontario, but in particular to the Northwest region.

“The increased use of bio-energy, peat and forestry biomass resources can foster revenue for the forestry and agricultural sector and increase opportunities for economic development,” explains Shao. “The goal of my research is to improve the use of green energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout Canada and the rest of the world.”

Elsayed ElBeshbishy is currently pursuing his PhD research with a focus on the enhancement of bio-hydrogen and bio-methane production from wastes using Ultrasonication. Elbeshbishy, with co-inventor Dr. George Nakhla, developed a novel system called sonicated biological hydrogen reactor (SBHR) followed by a methane bioreactor (US patent-pending). In this system, the ultrasonication was applied inside the reactor. This novel system has multi-functions; solubilization of particulate organics, removed of dissolved gaseous, thus improving mass transfer and biohydrogen yield, and increasing the microorganisms’ growth rate.

“I strongly believe that this novel system will assist with mitigating the solid waste problems in Canada and other countries, through diversion of the organic fraction to produce green biogas,” explains ElBeshbishy. “It will also increase the sustainable bio-energy in Canada, as it is capable of providing clean and economic bio-energy and by-products from the vast renewable biomass resources.”

The scholarship was made possible by the generosity of Ross and Jean Clark to assist graduate students specializing in Environmental Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at Western. Both candidates thank the Clark family for their generosity and the graduate committee for selecting them.

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