Daniel is a senior research
analyst with a particular interest in biobased solvents and specialty chemicals.
Daniel is currently
working on the OLEAF4VALUE project, which is an EU-funded project through the
BBI-JU. This project focuses on valorising olive leaves, where 99.8 % of the
current feedstock is either burnt or fed to animals, for use in the food,
nutraceutical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical sectors. Daniel’s attention is on
paving the way towards market launch by assessing the current landscape, while
also looking at the regulatory and consumer considerations.
Before joining the
NNFCC, Daniel completed an Integrated Masters in Chemical Engineering at
Lancaster University. His interest in waste valorisation began during the final
year of his bachelors, when his design project looked at the extraction of
precious metals from spent catalytic converters and electronic waste. This
carried forward to his Master’s thesis, where Daniel investigated the
extraction of polyphenols from beetroot pulp through enzymatic pre-treatment
for use in the nutraceutical sector.
After Lancaster,
Daniel joined the Bioenergy Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of
Leeds to obtain an Integrated Masters/PhD in Bioenergy. His PhD is
investigating how sustainable some bio-based solvents actually are, as the
additional pre-treatment needed to break down a large biomass structure can
lead to greater carbon emissions than their petrochemical alternatives. Due to
the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on his work, Daniel decided to suspend his
PhD for the time being to join the NNFCC. Through joining the team, Daniel is
able to apply his current market and technical knowledge of the bioeconomy,
while expanding his knowledge base.