Aramcon Manal Qahtani recognized for her work in renewable energy field

Manal F. Qahtani, a newly hired member of Aramco’s Downstream Business Support Department, has recently received the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman Prize for Women’s Excellence in the field of Natural Science and Renewable Energy. 

The prize, held under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, highlights the achievements of Saudi women in six fields, including:

• Health sciences
• Natural sciences and energy
• Literature
• Artwork
• Social work
• Economic projects. 

Qahtani won her prize in the natural science for her Ph.D. paper on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. 

The competition this year in its fourth annual form had over than 500 participants of the elite researchers, and only five winners have been recognized by the HE Ministry of Education Hamad M. H.  Al-Shaikh as part of the Kingdom’s effort on working hard to empower distinguished women and accelerate their contribution in many fields, in an effort to be a part of a sustainable empowering system.

A focus on hydrocarbons and reuse of their emissions

Qahtani’s research – which she conducted as a Ph.D. student before joining Aramco – align well with the company’s climate commitments and with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 on addressing the global environmental impact of carbon emissions, and its support for new renewable energy solutions to protect the environment and to reduce pollution. 

This unified approach was made clear in the Kingdom’s pledge to cut its carbon emissions to net zero by 2060 late last year. Aramco followed up this announcement with its own pledge to reach net zero emissions in its industrial operations by 2050.  

Qahtani’s research focused on the impact of hydrocarbons as a primary feedstock for global energy production, and potential solutions that reuse carbon emissions. To mitigate the impact of carbon emissions, Qahtani presented the potential benefits of a new technology solution – the use of Microbial Electrosynthesis cells to absorb carbon dioxide to convert it into methane or value-added products that can be beneficial as a biofuel and a sustainable energy source.

This environment of support makes any woman want to keep going and work harder to achieve more.
— Manal F. Qahtani

 “It’s encouraging to see your country standing beside you and encouraging you to do more.” 

This is not the first recognition for Qahtani; her work has been recognized in two other Conferences: AP-ISMET Conference, which held in South Korea, Busan, Sep. 2016. And 2019 Nano-enabled Water Technologies: Opportunities and Research Challenges Conference, which held in KAUST.