Défense de Thèse de Doctorat en “Chemical Engineering” par M. Aytenew GETAYE MUCHIE

The Euromed University of Fez (UEMF) is pleased to inform the public of the doctoral thesis defense in “Chemical Engineering”

The thesis defense will take place on April 22, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at l’UEMF Location: The Great Hall of the Incubator (LOC001994) The thesis will be presented by Mr. Aytenew GETAYE MUCHIE under the Topic: “Green Hydrogen Production from Biowaste Gasification”

Summary:

This thesis explores the untapped potential of Moroccan agro-industrial biowaste—specifically olive pomace and grape marc—as sustainable feedstocks for green hydrogen production. Through comprehensive physicochemical and thermal characterization, these residues are shown to possess favorable calorific properties and exhibit multistep pyrolysis behavior governed by the decomposition of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin. These intrinsic properties establish their strong suitability for thermochemical energy conversion, justifying their selection for advanced gasification modeling and techno-economic assessment. Detailed process simulations reveal that catalytic steam gasification significantly enhances hydrogen yield, reduces tar formation, and improves overall conversion efficiency. Under optimized operating conditions, olive pomace consistently outperforms grape marc in hydrogen production, highlighting its superior potential as a bioresource. To further advance process performance, a robust optimization framework combining physics based modeling with artificial neural networks (ANN) and genetic algorithms was developed. This approach enables the simultaneous maximization of hydrogen yield, energy and exergy efficiencies, and minimization of CO₂-equivalent emissions and tar formation. The optimized system was subsequently scaled and extended across various capacities within Mediterranean regions, demonstrating both technical feasibility and regional adaptability. Overall, this work positions agro-industrial biowaste as a high-value, scalable resource for sustainable hydrogen production. By integrating material characterization, process simulation, multi-objective optimization, and techno-economic evaluation, the thesis provides a comprehensive and practical pathway for implementing bio-waste-to-hydrogen systems within emerging circular and low-carbon energy frameworks.

This thesis will be presented to the jury members:

Full Name	Grade	Institution	Role
Prof. Abdelkrim EL KADIB	Full Professor	UEMF	Jury Chair
Prof. Fouad GHAMOUSS	Full Professor	UM6P	Rapporteur
Prof. Chouaib BENQLILOU	Full Professor	ENSMR	Rapporteur
Prof. Chakib ALAOUI	Associate Professor	UEMF	Rapporteur
Prof. Debajeet BORA	Full Professor	UM6P	Examiner
Prof. Nadia KATIR	Full Professor	UEMF	Examiner
Prof. Tijani BOUNAHMIDI	Full Professor	UEMF	Thesis Director
Prof. Touria MOUDAKKAR	Assistant Professor	UEMF	Co-Director