Professor Rachael Rothman (née Elder)
MA MEng (Cantab), PhD, AMIChemE
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Professor of Sustainable Chemical Engineering
Associate Director Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures
Academic Lead for Sustainability
+44 114 222 7574
Full contact details
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Room F62
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
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I was born and brought up in Teesside and graduated from the University of Cambridge with a first class MEng in Chemical Engineering. I spent a year in Sweden before embarking on my PhD at the University of Sheffield.
Following my PhD I was a postdoctoral research associate for two years, becoming a lecturer in 2009 and a senior lecturer in 2014. During this time I was the departmental Support Teaching Coordinator, 4th Year Tutor and Director of Student Support.
I led the department’s successful Athena SWAN silver award submission in 2013 and was the Faculty Director for Women in Engineering 2014 – 2017, leading the faculty's equality and diversity activities. I have twice taken a year of maternity leave following the birth of my sons.
As Director for Women in Engineering I led a team of people working to improve equality and diversity, with a particular focus on gender equality. We strive to be the number one place for women to work and study engineering and organise numerous outreach events and activities to increase the proportion of female staff and students and put in place long-lasting cultural changes.
I was a member of the British Orienteering team for 16 years, ran 7 world championships and have two gold medals from the World University Championships. I have now retired from international racing but still love to go orienteering and am actively involved in coaching local and university athletes and am a mentor on the University Elite Sports Performance Scheme.
- Research interests
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My research is in the development and analysis of sustainable processes and clean energy systems. My interests lie in whole systems analysis, clean energy technologies and thermochemical and electrochemical cycles for hydrogen production and carbon dioxide utilisation.
Recent projects include:
- the EPSRC funded 4CU project, investigating utilisation of carbon dioxide to form fuel
- the European Framework 7 HycycleS project, looking at key components for the Sulfur Iodine and Hybrid Sulphur cycles for hydrogen production
- the KNOO (Keeping the Nuclear Option Open) project, investigating nuclear hydrogen production.
Research interests
- Sustainable Processes
- Clean Energy Systems
- Thermochemical and Electrochemical Cycles
- Hydrogen Production
- Carbon Dioxide Utilisation
- Membrane Separations
- Whole System Analysis
- Publications
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Journal articles
- . Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 209, 107815-107815.
- . Inorganic Chemistry, 61(34), 13281-13292.
- . Nature Reviews Chemistry, 6(1), 1-3.
- . Energy Conversion and Management, 245.
- . Journal of Energy Storage, 40.
- . Sustainable Production and Consumption, 27, 1030-1046.
- . Sustainable Production and Consumption, 27, 1688-1702.
- . Journal of Cleaner Production, 293.
- . Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing, 41(2), 531-557.
- . Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 131.
- . Journal of Cleaner Production.
- . Energy Conversion and Management, 205.
- . Applied Energy, 253.
- . ECS Transactions, 91(1), 2623-2630.
- . Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 37(13), 3981-3993.
- . Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 163(11), F3057-F3061.
- . Chemical Engineering Journal, 293, 55-67.
- . ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2016-01(28), 1400-1400.
- . ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2015-03(1), 246-246.
- . ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2015-03(1), 316-316.
- . ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2015-03(1), 100-100.
- . Energy and Environmental Science, 8(6), 1775-1789.
- . Journal of Power Sources, 280, 387-392.
- . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 40(4), 1657-1664.
- , 1457-1462.
- . ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2014-02(23), 1360-1360.
- . ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2014-02(23), 1342-1342.
- . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 39(28), 15670-15680.
- . ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2013-02(10), 753-753.
- . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 38(20), 8478.
- . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
- . ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2012-01(28), 1103-1103.
- . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
- . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
- . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
- . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
- High temperature oxygen separation for the sulphur family of thermochemical cycles - part I: Membrane selection and flux testing. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
- HycycleS: a project on nuclear and solar hydrogen production by sulphur-based thermochemical cycles. International Journal of Hydrogen Production and Applications, 2(3), 202-226.
- Measurements of the solubility of sulphur dioxide in water for the sulphur family of thermochemical cycles. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
- . INT J HYDROGEN ENERG, 34(15), 6129-6136.
- . PROG NUCL ENERG, 51(3), 500-525.
- . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 34(16), 6614-6624.
- . INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY, 32(10-11), 1516-1529.
- . PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, 83(B4), 343-350.
- . Frontiers in Energy Research, 12.
- . Faraday Discussions, 182, 437-456.
- . Faraday Discussions, 182, 97-111.
Chapters
- , Plastic Pollution in the Global Ocean (pp. 21-46). WORLD SCIENTIFIC
- , Carbon Dioxide Utilisation (pp. 183-209). Elsevier
- , Carbon Dioxide Utilisation (pp. xi-xiii). Elsevier
- , Carbon Dioxide Utilisation: Closing the Carbon Cycle: First Edition (pp. 183-209).
Conference proceedings papers
- Many Happy Returns: Combining Environmental, Technological and Behavioural Sciences to Understand What Is Required to Make Reusable Packaging Sustainable. The AIChE Annual Meeting
- . Energy Reports, Vol. 6(Supplement 5) (pp 117-123). Southampton, UK, 9 July 2019 - 10 July 2019.
- . Energy Procedia, Vol. 151 (pp 199-208), 11 September 2018 - 12 September 2018.
- A Â鶹ֱ²¥app of 8YSZ/GDC Bi-Layered Electrolyte: The Effect of 2 Mol% Fe2O3 Dopant on Sintering and Conductivity. ECS meeting SOFC-XIV (SOFC Electrolytes, Cells and Stacks)
- . ECS Transactions, Vol. 68(1) (pp 3417-3427)
- . ECS Transactions, Vol. 68(1) (pp 2083-2092)
- Separation of sulphur dioxide and oxygen in thermochemical hydrogen production. Fuels and Petrochemicals Division 2013 - Core Programming Area at the 2013 AIChE Annual Meeting: Global Challenges for Engineering a Sustainable Future (pp 204)
- . ECS Transactions, Vol. 58(2) (pp 207-216)
- Developing tools for teaching chemical engineering unit operation design. EE 2012 - International Conference on Innovation, Practice and Research in Engineering Education, Conference Proceedings
- Developing tools for teaching chemical engineering unit operation design. Process Development Division - Core Programming Topic at the 2011 AIChE Annual Meeting (pp 147-148)
- HycycleS: Materials and components for hydrogen production by sulphur based thermochemical cycles - Summary of key results from the European collaborative project. Engineering Sciences and Fundamentals - Core Programming Topic at the 2011 AIChE Annual Meeting, Vol. 1 (pp 4)
- Low Temperature Separations in the Sulphuric Acid Decomposition Stage of the Sulphur Iodine and Hybrid Sulphur Thermochemical Water Splitting Cycles. 18th World Hydrogen Energy Conference 2010, WHEC 2010, Proceedings, Vol. 2 (pp 349-354)
- Improving Sulphur Dioxide Yield in the Sulphuric Acid Thermal Decomposition Process through the Application of High Temperature Ceramic Membrane Separations. 18th World Hydrogen Energy Conference 2010, WHEC 2010, Proceedings, Vol. 2 (pp 259-265)
- HycycleS – A Project on Solar and Nuclear Hydrogen Production by Sulphur-based Thermochemical Cycles. 18th World Hydrogen Energy Conference 2010, WHEC 2010, Proceedings, Vol. 2 (pp 267-274)
- Application of nafion membranes to the sulphur iodine cycle. AIChE Annual Meeting, Conference Proceedings
- Recent progress in EC funded project HYTHEC on massive scale hydrogen production via thermochemical cycles. 2007 AIChE Annual Meeting
- Improving the efficiency of the sulphur iodine thermochemical cycle for hydrogen production using membrane separations. AIChE Annual Meeting, Conference Proceedings
- HYTHEC : Aims and first assessments of an EC funded project on massive scale hydrogen production via thermochemical cycles. 16th World Hydrogen Energy Conference 2006, WHEC 2006, Vol. 3 (pp 2031-2041)
- The separation of HIx in the sulphur iodine thermochemical cycle for sustainable hydrogen production. 7th World Congress of Chemical Engineering, GLASGOW2005, incorporating the 5th European Congress of Chemical Engineering (pp 50-51)
x in the Sulphur-Iodine cycle. AIChE Annual Meeting, Conference Proceedings (pp 7744-7754) Use of membranes and reactive distillation for the separation of HI
Preprints
- Grants
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I currently hold two EPSRC Energy Feasibility grants, one looking at plasma and fluidic assisted electrolysis for carbon dioxide utilisation and one investigating solar fuels from sustainable feedstock using earth-abundant catalysts.
- Teaching activities
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- CPE321: Design Project
- CPE2012: Chemical Engineering Design