Dr. Nassar Group for Nanotechnology Research

We would like to congratulate Mr. Sohaib Alhalsa for successfully defending his MSc thesis in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary! Sohaib defended his MSc thesis entitled "Performance Enhancement of Cement Paste Using Biosilica Nanoparticles Derived from Agricultural Crop Residues" on Tuesday, February 25, 2025. The examining committee was formed by:
-Dr. Rahil Khoshnazar, supervisor, Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary.
-Dr. Nashaat N. Nassar, co-supervisor, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary.
-Dr. Hassan Hassanzadeh, examination committee member, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary.
-Dr. Aggrey Mwesigye, internal/external examiner, Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Calgary.
-Dr. Marin Jasso, neutral chair, Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary.
Sohaib passed his MSc defense with good accomplishments, with one conference presentation at CSChE and one manuscript currently in progress for publication in a prestigious journal in science and engineering.
NGNR wishes Sohaib all the very best in his future endeavours and congratulates him for his contributions to the professional knowledge base!
-Dr. Nassar Group for Nanotechnology Research

We are pleased to congratulate Mr. Jomaa Aboabdulla on successfully defending his PhD thesis in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary.
His thesis, titled "Surfactant-Modified Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oil Recovery in Sandstone and Carbonate Reservoirs," was defended on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
Examining Committee:
-Dr. Nashaat N. Nassar (Supervisor), Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary
-Dr. Morteza Dejam (External Examiner), Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
-Dr. Abdelmajeed Mohammed (Internal/External Examiner), Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Calgary
-Dr. Kazi Sumon (Internal Examiner), Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary
-Dr. Hassan Hassanzadeh (Advisory Committee Member), Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary
-Dr. Steven Bryant (Neutral Chair), Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary
Jomaa successfully defended his manuscript-based PhD thesis with outstanding achievements, including two conference presentations at CCEC and three manuscripts currently in progress for publication in prestigious journals in science and engineering.
He will continue working with the Nassar Group for Nanotechnology Research (NGNR) as a research associate, focusing on publishing his work and supporting startups spun off from the group.
Congratulations, Jomaa!
-The Nassar Group for Nanotechnology Research

We are delighted to congratulate Mrs. Eliana Torres Doria on successfully defending her MSc thesis in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary. Her thesis, titled "Application of Cellulose Nanocrystals in Water-Based Drilling Fluids," was defended on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
The examining committee included:
-Dr. Nashaat N. Nassar (Supervisor), Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary
-Dr. Jinguang Hu (External Examiner), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary
-Dr. Roberta Aguilera (Internal Examiner), Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary
-Dr. Hassan Hassanzadeh (Neutral Chair), Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary
Eliana successfully defended her MSc with great accomplishments, including two conference presentations at CCEC. She will continue working with the Nassar Group for Nanotechnology Research (NGNR) as a research associate to publish her work in a prestigious science and engineering journal.
Congratulations, Eliana!
-Dr. Nassar Group for Nanotechnology Research

We would like to congratulate Mr. Aqrab Ullah for successfully defending his MSc thesis in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary! Aqrab defended his MSc thesis entitled "Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-combined Cellulose Nanocrystals for Enhanced Heavy Oil Recovery from Berea Sandstone Reservoirs" on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. The examining committee was formed by:
-Dr. Nashaat N. Nassar, supervisor, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary.
-Dr. Hassan Hassanzadeh, external examiner, Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary.
-Dr. Kazi Sumon, internal examiner, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary.
-Dr. Ian Gates, neutral chair, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary.
Aqrab passed his MSc defense with good accomplishments, with two conference presentations at CCEC. NGNR wishes Aqrab all the very best in his future endeavors and congratulates him for his contributions to the professional knowledge base!
-Dr. Nassar Group for Nanotechnology Research

Check out our new article entitled “Effect of Salinity on Drag Reduction of Additives and Mixtures under Turbulent Flow,” which just got released in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. In the current work, a deep analysis is done on the performance of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) at salinity levels mimicking industrial conditions, and in presence of two salt-resisting polymers (i.e., xanthan gum and polyethylene oxide), by using an industrial-scale fluid flow loop and a rotational rheometer.
The results of this work confirm that conventional solutions, represented by the physical mixing of HPAM with inexpensive and environmentally friendly additives, are possible and can lead to a massive reduction in energy and freshwater consumption in industrial applications such as hydraulic fracturing.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.iecr.3c02104

Kotaybah Hashlamon
Afif Hethnawi
Saleh Saeed Baakeem
Mohammad Bakir
mheibesh

Our paper entitled: "Estimation of Drag Reduction by Polymer Additives at High Reynolds Numbers Using Rheological Measurements" has been featured as Supplementary Cover Art on the Journal of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.

About the Cover:
An excellent model has been developed for estimating the turbulence drag reduction performance of various polymers in liquid using rotational flow devices, such as rotational rheometers. The model also predicts the literature experimental data obtained in both pipe flow and rotational flow geometry.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.iecr.3c01036
Nashaat Nassar
Kotaybah Hashlamon
Mheibesh
Saleh Saeed Baakeem

We are the world!...Our Research Group as of July 2023!

*Not pictured: Dr. Farad Sagala, Mr. Oscar Tarazona, Mr. Arash Ostovar and Dr. Oscar E. Medina!

Check out our new article entitled “Role of surfactants, polymers, nanoparticles, and its combination in inhibition of wax deposition and precipitation: A review,” that has been released in Journal of Advances of Colloid and Interface Science, volume 315, May 2023, 102904.
The review looks into lab and pilot plant experiments reported in the recent literature, with more focus on the fundamentals of nanohybridization approaches in wax deposition control, testing methodologies (i.e., thermal, rheological, and morphological analysis), inhibition performance assessment, and mechanisms. The review begins with an overview of bibliometric analysis to shed light on the emerging areas in that field and explore and analyze the large volumes of scientific data reported from 2000 to 2022 in this field. The performance parameters used for assessing the wax inhibitors in the laboratory are also summarized and addressed. Challenges and future remarks of the reported chemical inhibitors are reported. This review provides insights into the integration of nanomaterials into the existing technologies to overcome the existing challenges.

Role of surfactants, polymers, nanoparticles, and its combination in inhibition of wax deposition and precipitation: A review Oil wax deposition and precipitation are becoming a major problem during oil production, transportation, and refining. Deposition mitigation by chemic…

Check out our new article entitled “Estimation of Drag Reduction by Polymer Additives at High Reynolds Numbers Using Rheological Measurements,” that has been published in ACS Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research.
Our work here establishes a promising approach for screening Drag Reduction (DR) agents using rheological measurements. Here we presented a new theoretical findings and analyses for estimating DR and extrapolating the results to high Re. This work offers a new perspective on interpreting the rheological data in a way that is consistent with the developed theory for pipe flow and highlights new potentials for using rotational rheometers as a reliable screening tool for DR agents.

Estimation of Drag Reduction by Polymer Additives at High Reynolds Numbers Using Rheological Measurements In industrial applications such as hydraulic water fracking, polymers are added at dilute concentrations to the flow causing significant drag reduction (DR) and leading to a massive reduction to pump energy cost. In recent years, an alternative approach that is based on rotational flow has shown cap...

We are very excited to announce the release of our new book entitled “Nanoremediation: Modern Technologies for Treatment of Environmental Pollutants.” This book stands as a comprehensive reference that highlights established nano-remediation practices, discusses their rapidly emerging applications in industry, and points out future research directions. The book provides researchers and scientists in academia and industry with a high-tech start-up that will revolutionize modern remediation practices. It condenses all relevant information on nano-remediation and provides an amalgamation of the latest trends in the field. In addition, the book handles the design and modeling of nano-remediation processes and the trends and challenges that nano-remediation is facing in various sectors. Special attention is given to approaches that lead to green and sustainable industrial developments, as well as to the legal, economical and toxicity aspects of nano-remediation.
Special thanks to the distinguished chapter authors for coming together and bringing clarity and vision to the scientific and engineering challenges that we face as we address the integration and application of nanotechnology in water and wastewater treatment.
The book is available on the Elsevier Store at this link:
https://www.elsevier.com/books/nanoremediation/hussain/978-0-12-823874-5

Should you require further info about the book, please reach out!

We would like to congratulate Mr. Adli Mosleh for successfully defending his MSc thesis in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary! Adle defended his MSc thesis entitled "Effect of Novel and Eco-friendly Titanomagnetite Nanoparticles on Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Cementitious Mixtures" on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. The examining committee was formed by:
-Dr. Nashaat N. Nassar, supervisor, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary.
-Dr. Rahil Khoshnazar, co-supervisor, Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary.
-Dr. Sylvia Sleep, external examiner, Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary.
-Dr. Roman Shor, internal examiner, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary.
-Dr. Kazi Sumon, neutral chair, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary.
Adle passed his MSc defense with good accomplishments, with two conference presentations at CCEC, one book chapter and two prestigious awards and fellowship like Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Graduate Excellence Award and Werner Graupe International Fellowship. NGNR wishes Adle all the very best in his future endeavors and congratulates him for his contributions to the professional knowledge base!
-Dr. Nassar Group for Nanotechnology Research

Glad to see our work has been featured on the UToday News at the University of Calgary.
Enjoy reading the news article, and drop us a line if you have a question or if you are interested in collaborating with our Dr. Nassar Group for Nanotechnology Research.

UCalgary engineering prof hopes to create a cleaner tomorrow with nanomaterials Hands-on learning will be focal point for NSERC Alliance grant-funded projects