His plan was to start working for an oil company after completing his BSc in Chemistry at a university in Cameroon. But after having his eyes opened to the opportunities offered by renewable energy, Placid Atongka Tchoffor headed to Sweden instead to conduct research in the field of sustainable transformation.
When Placid Atongka Tchoffor met a researcher from Sweden at the end of his course in the West African country of Cameroon, he saw the possibilities offered by renewable energy.
– “I was completely overwhelmed by all the information that was available in this area, and I felt that I wanted to learn more in order to contribute to a sustainable transformation of society. This was also a very long way from what I had originally thought I would be doing.”
Via studies in Umeå to CCS at RISE
In recent years, Placid has worked alongside colleagues at RISE to develop carbonation-based CCS. This is a new area that is attracting considerable interest from industry, as it makes it possible to capture and store carbon dioxide at the same time as creating useful materials. It will be a cost-effective form of CCS that can work in a number of different industries.
– “By developing new technologies for CCS, we can help solve a global problem. Climate change affects everyone, no matter where you live on Earth, so this is really a driving force for me.”
Climate change affects everyone, no matter where you live on Earth
In recent years, Placid has worked alongside colleagues at RISE to develop carbonation-based CCS. This is a new area that is attracting considerable interest from industry, as it makes it possible to capture and store carbon dioxide at the same time as creating useful materials. It will be a cost-effective form of CCS that can work in a number of different industries.
– “By developing new technologies for CCS, we can help solve a global problem. Climate change affects everyone, no matter where you live on Earth, so this is really a driving force for me.”
What’s life like as a researcher?
– “It depends a great deal on where you are working. For my part, there has to be some form of innovation in what I am doing. I am driven by trying to find solutions to problems, and I love the feeling of not being able to stop thinking about an experiment or analysis until I’ve found a solution. For me, it’s wonderful to go to work in the morning and then suddenly realise that it’s afternoon and time to go and pick up my son from school. To be totally engrossed in my research, quite simply.”
What is your favourite innovation?
– “If you are working to achieve global sustainability goals, it’s usually a matter of picking up on an idea that someone else has already started. These may be ideas that have not been fully developed or that have not worked in some way. Carbonation is a good example of this. I want to be involved in breathing life into this technology and making it both ecologically and economically sustainable, so that it can be used in industry.”