Dr Zaenab Abd-Allah

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Dr Zaenab Abd-Allah

Senior Lecturer | Doctoral College Department Lead

My profile

Biography

Dr Abd-Allah received her Ph.D from the University of Manchester in 2012. Her PhD project was on investigating the use of non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma for volatile organic compounds remediation, which was jointly supervised by the School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science and the School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environmental Science.

Following that, she worked as a research associate at the School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, researching the dry reforming of methane using gliding arc plasma discharge. Then as a research associate at the Physics Plasma Institute, University of York, investigating CO2 conversion in an RF plasma. This was followed by a third research associate position at the School of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, University of Liverpool working on developing novel in-situ, mass spectroscopic investigations of ion chemistry of atmospheric pressure DBD plasmas. She is currently a Senior Lecturer and Doctoral College Department Lead at the department of engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Her research focuses on atmospheric-pressure, non-thermal plasma applications. Areas of interest are plasma catalysis, energy production from waste gases, water treatment, surface sterilization, air pollution remediation and synthesis of value-added chemicals. She is a member of the IOP Institute of Physics and a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

Expert reviewer

  • Reviewer in the EPSRC Peer Review College.
  • Reviewer for the Chemical Engineering Journal.
  • Reviewer for the Environmental Chemical Engineering Journal.
  • Reviewer for the Materials Chemistry and Physics.
  • Reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.

Editorial Board membership

  • Associate Editor for International Journal of Thermofluids.
  • Managing Guest director: Special Issue titled “New technologies for net zero” for International Journal of Thermofluids.

Membership of professional associations

  • Member of the IOP Institute of Physics.
  • Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.
  • Fellow of the StellarHE Programme.

Prizes and awards

  • Winner of best presentation award at the fifteenth International Conference on Sustainable Energy and Environmental Protection, SEEP 2023.
  • Winner of the‘Young Scientists Best Paper Award 2009’ at the 19th International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry at Ruhr University, Bochum in Germany.
  • Winner of Best poster award at the Technological Plasma Workshop TPW 2009, Glasgow, UK.
  • Winner of Best oral presentation, Post Graduate Conference 2009, The University of Manchester UK.

Languages

English and Arabic

Get in touch

0161 247 1628
DB 4.25 Dalton Building

Projects

  • Horizon Europe, Co-I, ” REUSE”, Enzymatic CO2 Capture in a Rotating Packed Bed and Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Useful Products
  • UKRI, Innovate UK, ICURe discover. 
  • Royal Society Research Grant RGS\R1\221068, entitled “Tailored plasma-catalysts process for nitrogen fixation into NOx for fertilizer production.”

Teaching

Several mechanical undergraduate courses.

Supervision

PhD

Engineering projects for undergraduates and MSc students.

Research outputs

Baochai Xu, Yaping Miao, Donglian Li, Song Xie, Jing Wen, Weihong Jin, Zhitian Liu, Paul K. Chu, Zaenab Abd-Allah, Xiang Peng, Heterophase junction engineering induced Co spin-state modulation of CoSe2 for large-current hydrogen evolution reaction” Rare Metals,43, 2660-2670, March 2024, DOI.

Wenhao Deng , Baochai Xu, Qiangqiang Zhao, Song Xie, Weihong Jin, Xuming Zhang, Biao Gao, Zhitian Liu, Zaenab Abd-Allah, Paul K. Chu, Xiang Peng. C≡N vacancy engineering of Prussian blue analogs for the advanced oxygen evolution reaction, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 11(2), April 2023, DOI. 

Capp SC, Sawtell DAG, Banks CE, Kelly PJ, Abd-Allah Z. The effect of TiO2 coatings on the formation of ozone and nitrogen oxides in non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 9(5) 13 Jul 2021, DOI.

Sawtell, D. A. G., Abd-Allah, Z., Bradley, J. W., West, G. T., & Kelly, P. J., 2018. Mechanisms of atmospheric pressure plasma treatment of BOPP. Plasma Processes and Polymers, 15(1). doi:10.1002/ppap.201700051. 

Abd-Allah, Z., Sawtell, D. A. G., West, G. T., Kelly, P. J., & Bradley, J. W., 2016. Mass Spectrometric Observations of the Ionic Species in a Double Dielectric Barrier Discharge Operating in Nitrogen. Plasma Processes and Polymers, 13(6), 649-653. doi:10.1002/ppap.201500149. 

Abd-Allah, Z., Sawtell, D. A. G., McKay, K., West, G. T., Kelly, P. J., & Bradley, J. W., 2015. Mass spectrometric investigation of the ionic species in a dielectric barrier discharge operating in helium-water vapour mixtures. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 48(8). doi:10.1088/0022-3727/48/8/085202.

Allah, Z. A., & Whitehead, J. C., 2015. Plasma-catalytic dry reforming of methane in an atmospheric pressure AC gliding arc discharge. Catalysis Today, 256, 76-79. doi:10.1016/j.cattod.2015.03.040.

 Abd Allah, Z., Whitehead, J. C., & Martin, P., 2014. Remediation of Dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) Using Non-thermal, Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Generated in a Packed-Bed Reactor. Environmental Science & Technology, 48(1), 558-565. doi:10.1021/es402953z. 

ZA. Allah, D. Sawtell, VL. Kasyutich, PA. Martin, 2009. FTIR and QCL diagnostics of the decomposition of volatile organic compounds in an atmospheric pressure dielectric packed bed plasma reactor. Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 157, pp.012001-012001.

Z. Abd Allah, D. Sawtell, R.K. Ibrahim, V.L. Kasyutich, P.A. Martin. Study of dichloromethane destruction in dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactors using advanced spectroscopic diagnostics techniques. 19th International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry, ISPC conference proceedings, 2009, 551.

D Sawtell, Z Abd Allah, D W Sheel, P A Martin. Process diagnostics and optimization of atmospheric pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition of silica films, 19th International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry, ISPC conference proceedings, 2009, 549.

  • Journal articles

    Xu, B.C., Miao, Y.P., Mao, M.Q., Li, D.L., Xie, S., Jin, W.H., Xiao, S., Wen, J., Abd-Allah, Z., Liu, Z.T., Peng, X., Chu, P.K. (2024) 'Heterophase junction engineering-induced Co spin-state modulation of CoSe2 for large-current hydrogen evolution reaction.' Rare Metals, 43(6) pp. 2660-2670.

    Deng, W., Xu, B., Zhao, Q., Xie, S., Jin, W., Zhang, X., Gao, B., Liu, Z., Abd-Allah, Z., Chu, P.K., Peng, X. (2023) 'C≡N vacancy engineering of Prussian blue analogs for the advanced oxygen evolution reaction.' Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 11(2)

    Capp, S.C., Sawtell, D.A.G., Banks, C.E., Kelly, P.J., Abd-Allah, Z. (2021) 'The effect of TiO2 coatings on the formation of ozone and nitrogen oxides in non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma.' Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9(5)

    Sawtell, D.A.G., Abd-Allah, Z., Bradley, J.W., West, G.T., Kelly, P.J. (2017) 'Mechanisms of atmospheric pressure plasma treatment of BOPP.' Plasma Processes and Polymers, 15(1)

    Abd-Allah, Z., Sawtell, D.A.G., West, G.T., Kelly, P.J., Bradley, J.W. (2015) 'Mass Spectrometric Observations of the Ionic Species in a Double Dielectric Barrier Discharge Operating in Nitrogen.' Plasma Processes and Polymers, 13(6) pp. 649-653.

    Allah, Z.A., Whitehead, J.C. (2015) 'Plasma-catalytic dry reforming of methane in an atmospheric pressure AC gliding arc discharge.' Catalysis Today, 256(P1) pp. 76-79.

    Abd-Allah, Z., Sawtell, D.A.G., McKay, K., West, G.T., Kelly, P.J., Bradley, J.W. (2015) 'Mass spectrometric investigation of the ionic species in a dielectric barrier discharge operating in helium-water vapour mixtures.' Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 48

    Abd Allah, Z., Whitehead, J.C., Martin, P. (2014) 'Remediation of dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) using non-thermal, atmospheric pressure plasma generated in a packed-bed reactor.' Environmental Science and Technology, 48(1) pp. 558-565.

    Allah, Z.A., Sawtell, D., Kasyutich, V.L., Martin, P.A. (2009) 'FTIR and QCL diagnostics of the decomposition of volatile organic compounds in an atmospheric pressure dielectric packed bed plasma reactor.' Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 157

  • Conference papers

    Abd-Allah, Z., Sawtell, D., West, G., Kelly, P., Bradley, J. (2015) 'Mass spectrometric investigation of the ionic species in a dielectric barrier discharge operating in He-H2O and N2-C2H2 mixtures.' In 22nd International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry. Antwerp, Belgium,

    Abd-Allah, Z., Sawtell, D., McKay, K., West, G., Kelly, P., Bradley, J. (2014) 'Mass spectrometry study of plasma ion chemistry in an atmospheric pressure DBD based plasma reactor.' In 14th International Symposium on High Pressure Low Temperature Plasma Chemistry (HAKONE XIV). Zinnowitz, Germany,

    Abd-Allah, Z., Arafeh, A., Martin, P.A. (2013) 'Treatment of Chloroform and methyl chloride in a packed-bed plasma reactor.' In Advances in Process Analytics and Control Technology. Chester, UK 2013,

    Sawtell, D., Abd-Allah, Z., Martin, P.A. (2009) 'Process diagnostics and optimization of atmospheric pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition of silica films.' In 19th International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry, ISPC. Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany, 27/6/2009 - 31/7/2009.

    Abd-Allah, Z., Sawtell, D., Ibrahim, R.K., Kasyutich, V.L., Martin, P.A. (2009) 'Study of dichloromethane destruction in dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactors using advanced spectroscopic diagnostics techniques.' In 19th International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry. Ruhr University, Bochum in Germany, 27/7/2009 - 31/7/2009.