Personal Statement for PhD on Hydrothermal Conversion of Carbon dioxide to Fuels and other Chemical Products

This personal statement is about the passion of the student for chemical engineering and the urge to make the environment pollution-free. The student has pursued a bachelor's and master's degree in chemical engineering and has researched alternatives to coal and petroleum that will be eco-friendly and cheap. The student wants to increase the depth and breadth of knowledge in converting harmful gases into fuels and other chemical products.

Running Head: PERSONAL STATEMENT
Personal Statement for PhD application on “Hydrothermal Conversion of Carbon dioxide to
Fuels and other Chemical Products”
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1PERSONAL STATEMENT
Instructors of my primary and high school has always taught us to care for nature and our
environment. They made me realize the importance of living in a pollution free environment. At
a young age, I found that industrial revolution along with advancements in technology was the
main reason behind environmental pollution. However, with increasing discoveries and
inventions in the field of science, it is impossible to stop the advancements. Therefore, I thought
of using new technologies to reduce the pollutants in environment. This urge to make pollution
free environment gave birth to my passion for chemical engineering.
I took the first initiative when I was 12 years old, banning the use of firecrackers in my
locality that emitted poisonous gases into the air. This first initiative took me a step ahead
towards my dream. I felt a deep connection developing between the environment and me.
Therefore, I was determined to pursue engineering that would help me develop new technologies
to protect the environment.
My interest in this field continued. I pursued my bachelor’s degree in chemical
engineering to carry out researches on chemicals. Chemical laboratories of my college became
my favorite place as I could find piece there. I really wanted to fight against the alarming
environmental issues of global warming and air pollution that has an adverse effect on people. I
learnt how to produce environmental benign and safe plastics and polymers in my engineering
course. I opted for a number of industrial training during my four years course.
To extend my knowledge in producing economically viable and safe products, I did
master’s in chemical engineering. Here I researched on alternatives to coal and petroleum that
will be ecofriendly and cheap. Studies should the possibility of using algae as an alternative to
petroleum. The results gave a trigger to my interests. As a thesis or research paper of my
master’s course, I chose the topic “optimizing electrical and heat energy”. I had to carry out

2PERSONAL STATEMENT
research on the energy consumption pattern and analyzing the data develop a combined heat and
power generation technique. The benefits of this project were reducing environmental impact by
limiting fossil fuel use and decreasing the emission of poisonous nitrous oxide compounds into
the air by regulating the air-fuel ratio. The emission of Carbon Monoxide and unburnt
hydrocarbons were also reduced by oxidizing exhaust gas with the help of catalyst. This was a
stepping-stone to success in my career as a chemical engineer.
I want to increase the depth and breadth of my knowledge in converting harmful gases
into fuels and other chemical products just as algae can be used in replacement of petroleum. At
the same time, I am hungry for knowledge with an innovative and creative mind. Therefore, I am
sure that on completion of this research I will be able to solve most of the environmental
problems regarding greenhouse effect and global warming. Environmental pollution will also
tend to decrease as the main pollutant Carbon Dioxide will be converted into fuels and utilized.

3PERSONAL STATEMENT
References:
He, Y., Zhang, L., Teng, B. and Fan, M., 2014. New application of Z-scheme Ag3PO4/g-C3N4
composite in converting CO2 to fuel. Environmental science & technology, 49(1), pp.649-656.
Izumi, Y., 2013. Recent advances in the photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to fuels
with water and/or hydrogen using solar energy and beyond. Coordination Chemistry Reviews,
257(1), pp.171-186.
Milledge, J.J. and Heaven, S., 2013. A review of the harvesting of micro-algae for biofuel
production. Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology, 12(2), pp.165-178.
Zhou, Y., Schideman, L., Yu, G. and Zhang, Y., 2013. A synergistic combination of algal
wastewater treatment and hydrothermal biofuel production maximized by nutrient and carbon
recycling. Energy & Environmental Science, 6(12), pp.3765-3779.