Daniel is a 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.