Emily Walford

Emily Walford is a first year PhD student with the CDT – GIF (Green Industrial Futures) enrolled at Heriot-Watt University. She is completing her first year on placement at Surface Measurement Systems (SMS), developing high-fidelity experimental methods using Dynamic Vapour Sorption (DVS), breakthrough analysis (BTA), and volumetric and gravimetric techniques. These methods will be used to study CO₂-N₂-H₂O co-adsorption. Throughout the remainder of her PhD, these techniques will be applied to a range of materials for carbon capture applications.

Emily Walford is a first year PhD student with the CDT-GIF (Green Industrial Futures) enrolled at Heriot-Watt University. She is completing her first year on industrial placement at Surface Measurement Systems (SMS) in London. Here, Emily is developing high-fidelity experimental methods to study CO₂-N₂-H₂O co-adsorption on a range of adsorbent materials, including Dynamic Vapour Sorption (DVS), Breakthrough Analysis (BTA) and volumetric and gravimetric techniques. These will be conducted alongside X-Ray Diffraction, Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) to characterise the adsorption of CO₂, N₂ and H₂O on varying adsorbates. Repetition of these experiments will be used to determine how adsorption kinetics vary under different experimental conditions, and to evaluate the morphological characteristics of key materials.

This initial research will enable Emily to modify one chosen technique to expand its usability for multi-component mixtures. The remaining years of Emily’s PhD will be focused on the application of this method to a wide range of adsorbate materials for carbon capture applications. Emily’s PhD bridges industrial and academic research, combining hands-on experimentation at SMS with analysis, interpretation and application of multicomponent CO₂ adsorption at Heriot-Watt. Emily’s work will therefore be contributing to the CDT’s wider goal of delivering sustainable and scalable solutions for CO₂ management in hard-to-abate industrial sectors. Prior to her PhD, Emily completed her integrated masters in Materials Chemistry at the University of St Andrews, and her research interests lie at the intersection of materials science and sustainable industrial solutions.

PhD Student

Carbon capture technology, sorbent characterisation, CO₂ co-adsorption, dynamic vapour adsorption, breakthrough analysis