In her master’s dissertation, bioengineer Elisa Kooy demonstrated how fish waste could find alternative uses, among others in future generations of rechargeable batteries. Her dissertation landed her the NBN Sustainability Award, which is part of the Flemish Dissertation Award. “The prize is wonderful but the process was even more valuable.”
IN SHORT
- Bio waste of (shell)fish can be converted to a useful product for water treatment and batteries.
- Elisa conducted her research at Ghent University Global Campus in South Korea, a nation where fish waste is a problem.
- With this research Elisa won one of the Vlaamse Scriptieprijs awards.
Elisa’s choice to become a bioengineer was a logical one. “My granddad was a bioengineer and travelled a lot, which appealed to me. Since I also belong to the climate generation, I chose environmental technology as my major. Waste processing is my true passion: putting waste to good use and helping to solve such issues as the plastic soup.”
Both her bachelor’s and master’s dissertation focused on sustainable waste conversion. “For my bachelor’s dissertation we teamed up with four students to make activated carbon from fruit pits and we came second in a European competition. That’s when I first realised that scientific research can result in industrial applications with added societal value.”
Hydrochar: from fish waste to valuable resource
Her master’s dissertation was inspired by an info session on dissertation research at Ghent University Global Campus in South Korea. There Elisa researched how marine bio waste - such as fish bones and shellfish remains - can be converted into hydrochar, a circular and stable chemical product that can be used for such applications as water treatment and super batteries.
Fish waste is a pressing issue in South Korea, where people consume fish in vast quantities. “The waste is often incinerated, landfilled or illegally dumped at sea. My research was a first step in sustainably converting this waste stream into a valuable resource for other applications, thereby reducing waste.”
At the insistence of her promotors, she entered the Flemish Dissertation Award competition and took home the NBN Sustainability Award. I felt the other contestants’ research was more interesting than mine (laughs). The award is wonderful but the process was even more valuable. It taught me how to make scientific research accessible to a wide audience.”
The prize money will come in handy when she starts looking for a place of her own “although I did treat my department colleagues (laughs).”
Elisa: "My research was a first step in sustainably converting this waste stream into a valuable resource for other applications, thereby reducing waste.
Towards a green chemical industry
Today Elisa works as a doctoral researcher in the department for Green Chemistry and Technology at Ghent University, which conducts research into the development of biobased chemicals and the biorefinery of the future. “Today, biobased chemicals are not taken seriously by the traditional chemical sector, which is still heavily petroleum-dependent and uses huge amounts of energy. We have to steer the conversation in a different direction and introduce biobased chemicals in the chemical industry.”
In addition she is also a teaching assistant. “The fun thing about my teaching job is that I get to return to South Korea every year for the next six years to teach guest seminars. This way I can catch up with my friends over there and enjoy good food in the cafeteria on campus, highly recommended!”
The importance of international dissertation research
Elisa is a fan of an international master’s dissertation. “Don’t let yourself be deterred. Ghent University also offers options for financial and administrative support. This makes such an international exchange feasible so you don’t have to pass on such opportunities.”
To be admitted, she first had to write a motivation letter to her respective promotors in Belgium (Prof. Frederik Ronsse) and South Korea (Prof. Philippe Heynderickx). “I recommend it for any dissertation student. It helps clarify your commitment and it comes in handy as a reference while writing your dissertation.”
Whereas her fellow students working on their dissertation back in Ghent got to work in the lab throughout the academic year, Elisa had to collect all the necessary data in the labs at Ghent University Global Campus in a mere three months. That is why her promotors gave her homework in advance. “I had to read a number of papers and draw up a table of contents to familiarise myself with my subject so I could get cracking right away.”
Elisa: “I hesitated for a long time whether I would leave for South Korea. My grandmother gave me the final push. She was right.”
The short lab time required strict planning. “I conferred with my promotor in South Korea once every fortnight. It was a very intense period but I did manage to collect the necessary data inside three months. Upon my return in Belgium I got started immediately, analysing the data and writing, whereas my friends in Ghent spent the entire academic year in the lab.”
What also helped: “The South Korean campus has wonderfully equipped labs where you can work undisturbed. I never had to wait for equipment to become available, that was so practical! After hours we set out to explore the country.”
Grandma settled it
In retrospect her choices may seem self-evident but in reality they were anything but. “I hesitated for the longest time. My grandma gave me the final nudge: ‘Go for it, you won’t regret it’. She was right.”
Her Erasmus experience in Vienna and the exchange in South Korea rank among her finest memories. “You live, study and work in a new environment, you make international friends and discover different scientific perspectives. It broadens your mind, makes you more self-reliant and boosts your self-confidence. Just take the plunge!”
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