This summer the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh has hosted a number of trainees from various universities across Europe. During the two to three month placements, the trainees have received practical training in the area of carbon capture. The five trainees talk about their work and experience below.

Claudia Martini is an Italian student from Tuscany, who has been living and studying in Bologna for the past five years. She is currently in the final year of her Master’s degree in chemical engineering. During her placement, Claudia is working on the design of a pressure-swing adsorption process for carbon capture using a numerical simulator. This entails running cyclic and breakthrough simulations, and studying the influence of the operating conditions and the system design on process parameters. This work enables the performance of CO₂ adsorption processes on offgas to be investigated. About the placement, Claudia says: "I’ve always thought that the experience of living and working abroad would help me grow as a student and as a person, so I was very pleased to win the three month’s placement at the School of Engineering. I feel I’ve gained worthwhile practical experience from my training, and participating in the activities of the carbon capture group has been very useful for improving my skills. I’ve really enjoyed this experience and I would like to work in the carbon capture field in the future."

Marco Carati is from Imola in the region of Emilia-Romagna in Italy and is in his final year of a Mechanical Engineering Master’s program at the University of Bologna. Marco's placement at the University of Edinburgh is the CCS research group under the supervision of Prof. Jon Gibbins and Dr. Hannah Chalmers. His tasks over the three months include designing a device to test the degradation of monoethanolamine (MEA), a solvent used to separate carbon dioxide from flue gases in a fossil fuel power plant, and studying the possibility of heat storage in CCS plants to increase revenue and to make the plants more flexible and economically attractive. Marco says: "I applied for the placement because I wish to improve my English and to live for a while in a different cultural environment. I have really enjoyed this experience, and my future aspirations are to use my skills to promote a fairer and more humane world."

Vincent Lucquiaud is 23 years old and is from Sainte Geneviève des Bois, a city in the southern suburbs of Paris. He is working towards an MEng in Materials Engineering at Polytech Paris-Sud (University Paris XI) and expects to graduate in 2012. In his spare time, he is passionate about football, tennis and history. He is also interested in the development and application of renewable energies (particularly new materials for clean energy). Vincent’s placement at Edinburgh involves the characterisation of Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity (PIMs) as CO₂ adsorbents using gravimetric analysis (TG-DSC) in order to determine the amount of CO₂adsorbed. Vincent says: "During my three-month research internship at this internationally leading institution, I hope to develop my skills as a professional engineer, to experience a new environment, and to improve my English-language skills."

Vincent Raynaud is a French student from Bordeaux. He is studying in Toulouse at the INP-ENSIACET (Polytechnic National Institute – Chemical and Technology Engineering School) and is expecting to graduate with a MEng in Materials Engineering in 2012. Vincent’s placement project at the University of Edinburgh is focused on the kinetic study of CO₂ adsorption using amines supported on silica or carbon, the results for which are compared to CO₂ absorption using aqueous amine solutions. "During my placement in Edinburgh, I wish to improve my English skills, to develop my knowledge and practical experience of the work of a researcher, and to learn about another culture."

Malgorzata Niesyt was born and brought up in Cracow, Poland, and is currently studying at the University of Science and Technology in Cracow. She is a graduate from the Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, and is now in her second year of her doctoral studies in chemical technology, which she expects to complete in 2013. During her placement she is creating a database of isotherms of chosen gases from collected articles. Besides isotherms, the database also includes descriptions of experiments and adsorbents, and calculations of heat of adsorptions and model equations. "The offer of training was provided to me by IAESTE, a global exchange student’s organisation. I applied for the placement because of the great opportunity to gain research experience at a foreign university in an English-speaking country. I love the adventure of travel, and being a trainee in Edinburgh allows me to fully experience the country through everyday life and weekend trips to beautiful places in Scotland. When I return to Cracow, I will continue my doctoral studies, trying to broaden my professional background as much as possible and to connect it to my passion for travel."