Lect. Dr. Abeer Farouk , Department of Materials Engineering, was nominated by the University of Technology  to attend  the preliminary meeting on energy transition in Iraq, sponsored by the United Nations Development Program and in cooperation with the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.  It took place on Sunday, 28/5/2023, at the Baghdad International Hotel at ten o’clock in the morning under the auspices of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).  The meeting was attended by Dr. Jassim Al-Falahi, Head of the National Initiative for Renewable Energies, and Dr. Ihsan Shamran Al-Yasiri, advisor to the Central Bank, with the presence of experts from the Arab Republic of Egypt from the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) and in the presence of NGO.

 The meeting dealt with facilitating the energy transition in Iraq by reducing emissions in Iraq by developing a clear plan to implement renewable energies policy tools through the electricity sector by expanding reliance on renewable energy solutions and energy efficiency by improving the quality of electricity services and modernizing the electricity network at various levels, including generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. The meeting also included an advisory workshop for capacity building in the field of training for a model on photovoltaic solar energy systems for Iraq under the supervision of the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity.

The meeting discussed the energy transition stage including the challenges and opportunities for implementing the nationally determined contribution (NDS) while exploring future opportunities for renewable energy and energy efficiency , demonstrating best practices of the energy transition, providing case studies available regionally and globally on modeling the energy transition and its benefits, reviewing current policies related to energy, nationally determined contributions and climate change in Iraq both at the national and interim levels, and identifying the types of policies and their levels of application in Iraq. It also discussed the assessment of the contribution of long-term energy scenarios to the NDC targets, evaluating the relevant and currently applied laws, reforming the necessary policies to achieve optimal results, evaluating the macroeconomic and social effects of future developments to choose the most effective frameworks, assessment of the main barriers in energy distribution and increasing renewables from grid capacity and the implications of implementing NDCs on network operation and identifying network needs to accommodate the growth of renewable energy in Iraq.

Materials Engineering Department at the University of Technology awarded a master’s degree to the student Hassan Talib Mahdi, Department of Materials Engineering / University of Technology, for her thesis in the field environmentally friendly materials  and tagged:

"An Investigation on the Properties of Nano Materials_ Geopolymer Composite as a Material for Functional Surfaces Applications"

Whereas, the discussion took place in the postgraduate hall in Building B in the department on Tuesday, 5/16/2023 at nine o'clock in the morning, and the discussion committee consisted of Messrs:

Assist. Prof. Dr. Sarmad I. Ibrahim, (Chairman)Assist. Prof. Dr. Mayyadah S. Abed, (member)

Assist. Prof. Reem A.Mohamed, (member)

Prof. Aseel B. Abdel-Hussein, (member and supervisor)

Assist. Prof. Dr. Laith W. Ismail, (member and supervisor)

In addition to evaluating the thesis scientifically by Prof. Dr. Enas Muhi Hadi/University of Technology/ Department of Applied Sciences, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Jawad Kazem/ Al-Mustansiriyah University/ College of Engineering/ Department of Materials Engineering, and linguistically by Assist. Prof. Dr. Nassier A. Nassir/ University of Technology/ Materials Engineering Department. After the discussion committee recorded its observations on the thesis, which were divided between explanation and correction, and the student's defense of his thesis. At the end of the discussion, the committee decided to evaluate the dissertation and decided to award the student a master's degree with a full grade.

Abstract:

The study aimed to utilize geopolymer, represented by metakaolin material, treated with alkaline solutions (NaOH, KOH, and Na2SiO3), as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional cement and brick for the production of geopolymer bricks used in thermal insulation. Nanomaterials (nano clay, nano zirconia, nano talc) were added to enhance its strength and reduce thermal conductivity. Mechanical and physical tests, as well as other characterization techniques such as FTIR, XRD, FESEM, EDX, and DSC, were conducted after 28 days of curing. The results showed an improvement in compressive strength, Hardness, and a decrease in the thermal conductivity of the manufactured brick samples.

The Materials Engineering Department at the Technological University has awarded a Ph.D. degree to student Shahad Abdul Azim Jabbar from the Materials Engineering Department at the Technological University for her thesis entitled "Protection of implant surfaces to improve some properties using multiple flames spraying torch"

The defense took place in the Graduate Studies Hall in Building B of the department on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at 9:00 AM. The examination committee consisted of the following members:

Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Al-Ghuban - Chairman

Dr. Rana Afif Majid - Member

Dr. Sameer Hameed Awad - Member

Dr. Ohmam Mohammed Hameed - Member

Dr. Jamal Jalal Dawood - Member

Dr. Niveen Jamal Abdul Qadir - Supervisor

Dr. Biman Sahib Ahmed - Supervisor

Additionally, the thesis was scientifically evaluated by Dr. Abdul Rahim Kazem Abdul Ali from the University of Babylon, College of Materials Engineering, and Dr. Mazhar Mohammed Ali from the Technological University, Department of Applied Sciences, and linguistically evaluated by Dr. Naseer Abdul Hussain Nasser from the Technological University, Materials Engineering Department.

After the committee recorded their observations on the thesis, which were distributed between explanations, corrections, and the student's defense of her thesis, and after the conclusion of the defense, the committee convened to evaluate the thesis. They decided to award the student a Ph.D. degree with a satisfactory grade.

Abstract:

The study aimed to produce titanium and chromium cobalt alloys using silicon and niobium as 5% alloying elements by powder metallurgy for implants in orthopaedic applications. These alloys were coated by a multi-flame thermal spraying process using two different types of Nano coating (Type A: 75% hydroxyapatite + 25% silicon carbide), (Type B: 75% zeolite + 25% zirconia). Surface characterization, mechanical, chemical and biological properties were performed for each sample. The best results were achieved after adding alloying elements and coating them with Nano-coating.

The Department of Materials Engineering, on a voluntary humanitarian initiative, provided the orphanage house of Flowers of Al-Alawiyyah by presenting Eid gifts and drawing a smile on the faces of the orphans, with a donation from the teaching staff and employees of the department, on Wednesday 4/19/2023.