Mohammed Alqahtani | Renewable Energy Technologies | Innovative Research Award

Innovative Research Award

Mohammed Alqahtani
Cranfield University, Saudi Arabia

Mohammed Alqahtani
Affiliation Cranfield University
Country Saudi Arabia
Scopus ID 60075877100
Documents 3
Citations 14
h-index 1
Subject Area Renewable Energy Technologies
Event International Forensic Scientist Awards

Mohammed Alqahtani is a researcher associated with Cranfield University whose documented research profile includes work in renewable energy technologies, manufacturing sustainability, and circular economy integration. His recent research examines how renewable energy sources can be combined with circular economy practices within industrial settings in Saudi Arabia. [1]

Abstract

Alqahtani’s recent research addresses the integration of circular economy practices and renewable energy sources in manufacturing environments. A 2026 open-access article in Sustainable Environment investigated industrial implementation patterns in Saudi Arabia using two focus groups involving ten participants. The study identified four broad integration patterns involving biogas and remanufacturing, solar power and recycling, wind power and reduction practices, and combined solar and wind applications with multiple circular economy practices. [1]

Keywords

  • Renewable energy
  • Circular economy
  • Sustainable manufacturing
  • Industrial sustainability
  • Saudi Arabia

Introduction

The transition toward resource-efficient manufacturing increasingly involves the interaction of circular economy strategies with renewable energy technologies. Alqahtani’s research contributes to this area by examining these interactions within the Saudi manufacturing context. The published study was received in April 2025, accepted in March 2026, and published online on 18 March 2026. [1]

Research Profile

The available research record places Alqahtani’s work at the intersection of renewable energy, sustainable manufacturing, and circular economy implementation. His documented study uses a qualitative research design and focus-group methodology to examine how manufacturers and other stakeholders understand practical integration pathways. The work considers both implementation opportunities and barriers, providing a context-specific perspective on industrial sustainability. [1]

Research Contributions

The study documents eight circular economy practices alongside three renewable energy sources and organizes their implementation into four observed integration patterns. It also identifies human development, infrastructure, economic considerations, and regulatory consistency as reported barriers, while institutional support, stakeholder engagement, technology investment, and financial assistance are reported as facilitators. [1]

Publications

A documented open-access publication is Manufacturers’ implementation of circular economy practices and renewable energy sources in Saudi Arabia’s industrial plants, co-authored with Mohamed Afy-Shararah and Konstantinos Salonitis and published in Sustainable Environment, volume 12, issue 1, article 2644791. [1]

The article is available under a Creative Commons open-access licence. [1]

Research Impact

The supplied Scopus record lists 3 documents, 14 citations, and an h-index of 1 for Scopus Author ID 60075877100. These indicators provide a quantitative snapshot of the indexed research record and should be interpreted in relation to career stage, publication date, subject area, and database coverage. The 2026 publication further provides a documented contribution to the study of renewable energy and circular economy integration in industrial plants. [1]

Award Suitability

The research profile corresponds thematically with an Innovative Research Award because the documented publication investigates the integration of two sustainability-oriented domains—circular economy practices and renewable energy sources—within manufacturing systems. Its focus on Saudi industrial settings, qualitative stakeholder evidence, identified integration patterns, and implementation barriers provides a specific research context for considering innovation in sustainable manufacturing. [1]

Conclusion

Mohammed Alqahtani’s documented research connects renewable energy technologies with circular economy practices in the manufacturing sector. His 2026 publication provides empirical evidence on integration patterns, barriers, and enabling conditions in Saudi Arabia. Together with the supplied bibliometric record, these materials establish a research profile centered on sustainable industrial transformation and renewable energy integration. [1]

References

  1. Alqahtani, M. F., Afy-Shararah, M., & Salonitis, K. (2026). Manufacturers’ implementation of circular economy practices and renewable energy sources in Saudi Arabia’s industrial plants. Sustainable Environment, 12(1), 2644791.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/27658511.2026.2644791
  2. Taylor & Francis. (2026). Sustainable Environment, Volume 12, Issue 1: Manufacturers’ implementation of circular economy practices and renewable energy sources in Saudi Arabia’s industrial plants.
    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/27658511.2026.2644791
  3. Elsevier. (n.d.). Scopus author details: Mohammed Alqahtani, Author ID 60075877100. Scopus.
    https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=60075877100
  4. Alqahtani, M. F., Afy-Shararah, M., & Salonitis, K. (2026). Manufacturers’ implementation of circular economy practices and renewable energy sources in Saudi Arabia’s industrial plants. Open-access article record, Sustainable Environment.
    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/27658511.2026.2644791
  5. Taylor & Francis. (2026). Sustainable Environment: Volume 12, Issue 1. Article 2644791, published online 18 March 2026.
    https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/oaes21/12/1

Mohamed Noufal | Chemical Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Mohamed Noufal | Chemical Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Hampton University | United States

Prof. Mohamed Noufal, Ph.D., is a distinguished chemical engineer and academic leader, serving as Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Quantum Materials Laboratory at Hampton University, Virginia, USA. He earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from The University of Texas at El Paso (2022), an M.Sc. in Chemistry from Ain Shams University, Egypt (2016), and a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Mansoura University, Egypt (2012). With over eight years of experience in research, teaching, and program development, Prof. Mohamed Noufal has established an internationally recognized portfolio in advanced electrocatalysis, semiconductor interfaces, 2D materials, green hydrogen technologies, and AI-assisted materials discovery. His professional journey includes faculty associate roles at Purdue Fort Wayne’s First Molecule Center, visiting professorships at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Virginia, and leadership of interdisciplinary initiatives in fullerenes and van der Waals heterostructures. He has secured competitive funding from NSF, NASA, DOE, and other agencies, and has mentored numerous graduate and undergraduate researchers advancing in academic and professional roles. Prof. Mohamed Noufal’s recent publications include “Raman fingerprints of spin-phonon coupling and magnetic transition in an organic molecule intercalated Cr₂Ge₂Te₆”, “Unraveling the Cooperative Activity of Hydrophilicity, Conductivity, and Interfacial Active Sites in Alginate‐CNT‐CuO Self‐Standing Electrodes”, and “Cylindrical C96 Fullertubes: A Highly Active Metal‐Free O₂‐Reduction Electrocatalyst”, collectively cited 19 times across 7 Scopus-indexed documents with an h-index of 3. Recognized for his innovation in nanomaterials synthesis, biosensor development, and sustainable energy technologies, Prof. Mohamed Noufal has significantly advanced research, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration in chemical engineering.

Profile: Scopus | Staff Page

Featured Publications

Samanta, S., Iturriaga, H., Mai, T. T., Biacchi, A. J., Islam, R., Hight Walker, A. R., & Noufal, M. (2023). Raman fingerprints of spin-phonon coupling and magnetic transition in an organic molecule intercalated Cr₂Ge₂Te₆. arXiv preprint arXiv:2312.01270.

Noufal, M., et al. (2023). Unraveling the cooperative activity of hydrophilicity, conductivity, and interfacial active sites in alginate‐CNT‐CuO self‐standing electrodes with benchmark-close activity for alkaline water splitting. Advanced Sustainable Systems, 7(12), 2300283.

Bhunia, S., Peña-Duarte, A., Li, H., Li, H., Noufal, M., Saha, P., Addicoat, M. A., Sasaki, K., Strom, T. A., Yacamán, M. J., & Cabrera, C. R. (2023). [2,1,3]-Benzothiadiazole-spaced Co-porphyrin-based covalent organic frameworks for O₂ reduction. ACS Nano, 17(4), 3492–3505.

Noufal, M., et al. (2022). Cylindrical C₉₆ fullertubes: A highly active metal‐free O₂‐reduction electrocatalyst. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 61(21), e202116727.

Puente Santiago, A. R., Noufal, M., Moreno-Vicente, A., Ahsan, M. A., Cerón, M. R., Yao, Y.-R., Sreenivasan, S. T., Rodriguez-Fortea, A., Poblet, J. M., & Echegoyen, L. (2021). A new class of molecular electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution: Catalytic activity of M₃N@C₂ₙ (2n = 68, 78, and 80) fullerenes. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 143(16), 6037–6042.

Noufal, M., et al. (2021). Co–Cu bimetallic metal-organic framework catalyst outperforms the Pt/C benchmark for oxygen reduction. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 143(10), 4064–4073.

Noufal, M., et al. (2022). Metal-organic framework in fuel cell technology: Fundamentals and application. In Electrochemical applications of metal-organic frameworks (pp. 135–189). Elsevier.