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Zahra Abbasi
2006-2009


Chemical Engineering Faculty, Sahand University of Technology, Sahand New Town, Tabriz, Iran.
P.O. Box: 51335/1996
Tel: +98-411-3458096
Fax: +98-411-3444355
E-mail:       zabbasi2007@yahoo.com
Web add.:
http://rcrc.sut.ac.ir/people/students/alumni/MSc/abbasi/index.htm
Zahra Abbasi

Zahra Abbasi was born in Iran, in 1980, where he received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. both in chemical engineering from Sahand University of Technology and Isfahan University in 2003 and 2009 respectively. After graduation, she joined the Azad University Shahreza Branch (in Iran) where she worked as a lecturer as well as researcher until now. She also did her project at the "Reactor and Catalysis Research Center" and "Environmental Engineering Research Center" at SUT during her education at this university. She finished her M.S. under supervision of Dr. Mohammad Haghighi, with the topic "VOC abatement from polluted air using cerium oxide nano-catalyst via catalytic oxidation method" at the Reactor and Catalysis Research Center at Sahand University of Technology in Tabriz in 2007.

Thesis title:           VOC Abatement from Polluted Air Using Cerium Oxide NanoCatalyst via Catalytic Oxidation Method
Supervisors:         
Dr. Esmaeil Fatehifar, Dr. Mohammad Haghighi
Co-Supervisors:  
Dr. Jafar Soltan Mohammadzadeh , Dr. Amanollah Ebadi
Thesis abstract:

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major threat for human and environment health. Most of the industries especially oil, petrochemical, etc belong to the main emission source of these pollutants. Therefore removal of volatile organic compounds is a completely necessary issue. Catalytic oxidation has been always considered as a promising and cost effective method for abatement of volatile organic compounds. It is worth noting due to the usage of catalyst in this method, the operation temperature is low and secondary pollutants like nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide are not produced. Today there is much attention towards the utilization of nanocatalysts for the abatement of pollutants. Cerium oxide (ceria) catalyst according to the unique property of storing and releasing oxygen has high activity in catalytic oxidation and VOC abatement. In this research cerium oxide nanocatalyst in two different methods was synthesized. Ceria is a relatively expensive material, so alumina was used as a support for effective dispersing of ceria. Platinum is a noble metal which is highly active toward aromatic oxidation.

 
Zahra Abbasi

So Pt/CeO2 and CeO2/Al2O3 were prepared to finally develop a composite of Pt/(CeO2/Al2O3) which benefits from Pt as noble metal with high activity, cerium oxide with storing and releasing property and alumina as an inexpensive carrier with high surface area. The prepared catalysts were characterized using XRD, SEM, BET, TPD-CO2, TPR-H2 and FTIR analysis. A low pressure multipurpose catalytic oxidation pilot was built up for investigation of the synthesized catalysts performance and different parameters of catalytic oxidation reaction were evaluated. The results of XRD and SEM analysis showed that cerium oxide catalyst with nanometric particles was synthesized. The BET analysis revealed that the synthesized catalysts containing ceria have high surface area. Using TPR-H2 revealed the high reducibility of the prepared catalysts in catalytic applications. Catalytic experiments confirmed that Pt/CeO2/Al2O3 nano composite has high stability, activity and removal performance.

Education/Qualifications:
  • Master of Chemical Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran (2006-2009).
  • Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran (1998-2003).
Research Interest:
  • Nano Technology
  • Reactor Design
  • Catalyst
  • Environmental Engineering
Associations:
  • Lecturer, Chemical Engineering Dept., Azad University, Shahreza Branch, 2009 to now.
  • Iranian Association of Chemical Engineers (IAChE), Member, 2008 to now.
  • Reactor and Catalysis Research Center, Chemical Engineering Dept., Sahand University of Technology, Member, 2007 to now.
  • Environmental Engineering Research Center, Chemical Engineering Dept., Sahand University of Technology, Member, 2007 to now.
  • Nano Technology Research Center, Chemical Engineering Dept., Sahand University of Technology, Member, 2007 to now.
  • Iranian Experts Association, Member, 2007 to now.
Teaching Experience:
  • Basic Principles and Calculations in Chemical Engineering: (2010 to now) BSc course, Chemical Engineering Department, ACECR (Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research), Isfahan, Iran.
  • Kinetic and Reactor Design: (2009) BSc course, Chemical Engineering Faculty, Azad University, Shahreza Branch, Isfahan, Iran.
  • Petroleum Refining Bases: (2009) BSc course, Chemical Engineering Faculty, Azad University, Shahreza Branch, Isfahan, Iran.
  • Fundemental of Chemical Engineering : (2009) BSc course, Chemical Engineering Faculty, Azad University, Shahreza Branch, Isfahan, Iran.
Hobbies:
  • Swimming, hiking, Shopping, Reading Novels.
Fantasy:
  • World peace!
Patents:
  • M. Haghighi, E. Fatehifar, Z. Abbasi, N. Rahemi, "Low Pressure Multi-propose Catalytic Oxidation Pilot for Removing Volatile Organic Compounds from Polluted Air", Iranian Patent 59149, 2009.
  • M. Haghighi, E. Fatehifar, Z. Abbasi, "Synthesis of Cerium Oxide Nano Catalyst for Removal of Volatile Organic Compounds in Catalytic Oxidation Process", Iranian Patent 59151, 2009.
  • M. Haghighi, N. Rahemi, Z. Abbasi, "Low Pressure Pilot for Heterogeneous Catalyst Screening", Iranian Patent 59977, 2009.
  • M. Haghighi, E. Fatehifar, Z. Abbasi, "Synthesis of CeO2/Al2O3 Nanocomposite for Complete Oxidation of Toluene", Iranian Patent 59976, 2009.
  • M. Haghighi, E. Fatehifar, Z. Abbasi, "Synthesis of Pt/CeO2 Nanocatalyst for Treatment of Waste Gas Streams", Iranian Patent 59975, 2009.
Publications/Presentations:
  • Zahra Abbasi, Mohammad Haghighi and Esmaeil Fatehifar, "Removal of Toluene from Waste Gas Streams Using Synthesized Catalysts via Sol-Gel Method", Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2011 (Accepted).
  • Zahra Abbasi, Mohammad Haghighi, Esmaeil Fatehifar and Saeed Saedy, "Synthesis and Physicochemical Characterization of Nanostructured Pt/CeO2 Catalyst Used for Total Oxidation of Toluene", International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering, 9, (A45), 1-19, 2011.
  • Zahra Abbasi, Mohammad Haghighi, Esmaeil Fatehifar and Saeed Saedy, "Synthesis and Physicochemical Characterizations of Nanostructured Pt/Al2O3-CeO2 Catalysts for Total Oxidation of VOCs", Journal of Hazardous Materials, 186, (2-3), 1445-1454, 2011.
  • Zahra Abbasi, Mohammad Haghighi, Esmaeil Fatehifar and Nader Rahemi, "Comparative Synthesis and Physicochemical Characterization of CeO2 Nanopowder via Redox Reaction, Precipitation and Sol - Gel Methods Used for Total Oxidation of Toluene", Asia-Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering, doi:10.1002/apj.652, 2011.
  • Zahra Abbasi, Esmaeil Fatehifar, Jafar Sadegh Soltan Mohamdzadeh, Mohammad Haghighi and Somaiyeh Aghahoseini, "Selection of Optimum Method for Abatements of VOCs from Waste Gas Streams: Non-Destructive Methods", Iranian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 8, (44), 30-40, 2010.
  • Zahra Abbasi, Mohammad Haghighi, Esmaeil Fatehifar and Saeed Saedy, "Characterization and Catalytic Activity of CeO2/Al2O3 Nano-catalyst on VOC Abatement", The 6th International Chemical Engineering Congress & Exhibition (IChEC09), Kish Island, Iran, 16-20 November 2009.
  • Zahra Abbasi, Mohammad Haghighi, Esmaeil Fatehifar, Nader Rahemi and Abbas Jafarizad, "Synthesis of CeO2 Nano-catalyst via Precipitation Method for Total Oxidation of Toluene", The 6th International Chemical Engineering Congress & Exhibition (IChEC09), Kish Island, Iran, 16-20 November 2009.
  • Zahra Abbasi, Mohammad Haghighi, Esmaeil Fatehifar and Saeed Saedy, "Treatment of Waste Gas Streams Using Pt/Al2O3-CeO2 Nanocatalyst", The 1st National Nano- and Bio- Technology Conference, Shahid Bahonar University, Kerman, Iran, 10-12 November 2009.
  • Zahra Abbasi, Mohammad Haghighi, Esmaeil Fatehifar and Nader Rahemi, "Pt/Al2O3 vs. Pt/CeO2 for Toluene Abatement in Waste Gas Streams", The 1st National Nano- and Bio- Technology Conference, Shahid Bahonar University, Kerman, Iran, 10-12 November 2009.
  • Zahra Abbasi, Mohammad Haghighi and Esmaeil Fatehifar, "Synthesis of Pt/CeO2 Nano-Catalysts Used in Treatment of Waste Gas Streams", The 6th Nanotechnology Student Conference, Iranian Nanotechnology Initiative Council, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran, 16-18 December 2009.