College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Holds a Public Discussion

The College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, witnessed the public discussion of the Master’s thesis of student Dhoha Abbas Khudhair from the Department of Energy Engineering.

Her thesis, entitled “Solar Energy Utilization CO₂ Capture Technology Integrated into Coal Power Plant” was presented on Sunday, August 30, 2026, in the Al-Khwarizmi Engineering Hall, under the supervision of Asst. Professor Dr. Muayad Khalil Ibrahim.

The thesis aimed to:

– Evaluate the feasibility of modifying a two-stage membrane system for post-combustion CO₂ capture to make it suitable for the power plant without altering its infrastructure.

– Evaluate the performance of the membranes in terms of carbon dioxide recovery and purity.

– The main objectives included designing and simulating a photovoltaic solar energy system using PVSOL software and calculating its contribution to compensating for the additional energy consumption resulting from the two membrane processes.

The thesis also included:

– The results obtained indicate that the integrated design combines a coal-fired power plant, membrane carbon capture technology, and photovoltaic solar energy within a single system.

– The results also demonstrated the potential for achieving high CO₂ capture efficiency and leveraging solar energy to enhance the overall performance of the plant.

– Therefore, it can be concluded that integrating solar energy with membrane carbon capture technologies represents a promising option for developing coal-fired power plants towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly systems.

Accordingly, the thesis concluded with a set of recommendations, including:

1. Experimental investigations under real operating conditions are required to validate the performance of the proposed integrated system and to assess its practical applicability.
2. A full techno-economic study on capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX) is required for the assessment of the economic feasibility of the proposed system.
3. The presented approach can be used for other power generation systems and renewable energy technologies to further study its potential for CO₂ emission reduction and sustainable energy production.

Following the scientific discussion conducted by the distinguished members of the Examination Committee, listening to the researcher’s defense, and evaluating the thesis, the researcher was awarded an Excellent grade for the Master’s degree in Energy Engineering.