糖心原创

Low Carbon Energy and Resources Technologies Research Group
 

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Clement Uguna

Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Engineering

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Biography

I am a Senior Research Fellow, I began my career at the 糖心原创 in 2008 and held a fellowship position at the British Geological Survey between 2014 and 2017. I obtained a PhD in 2008 and Master of Research (MRes) in 2004 both in Petroleum Geochemistry from the Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, 糖心原创. I hold a NEEBOSH certificate in Environmental Management (2019) and a BSc in Chemistry (2001) from Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. My background is in Chemistry, Petroleum Geochemistry/Geochemistry, Environmental Science and Environmental Management. I am a member of the Low Carbon Energy and Resources Technologies Research Group

Expertise Summary

I am an expert in pyrolysis, in the past 15 years i have developed laboratory high water pressure pyrolysis for use in shale gas reserve estimation and artificial maturation of petroleum source rocks for oil and gas exploration in high pressured conventional petroleum reservoirs.

Research Summary

My research focuses on the application of pyrolysis for low carbon energy production, biochar production, characterisation of biochar for its application to soil for CO2 sequestration from the… read more

Recent Publications

  • KHAIRY A, UGUNA C N, EL DIASTY W S, PETERS K E, VANE C H, SNAPE C E and FAROUK S, 2026. Organic Geochemistry. 212(105098),
  • BAI F, STEVENS L A, UGUNA C N, LI W, MEREDITH W, SNAPE C E, VANE C H, LIU Y and SUN C, 2026. Fuel. 417(138559),
  • BAI F, UGUNA CN, MEREDITH W, VANE CH, SNAPE CE and SUN C, 2025. Fuel Processing Technology. 278, 108327
  • HAGEMANN N, SCHMIDT HP, BUCHELIA TD, GRAFMUELLER G, VOSSWINKEL S, HERDEGEN V, MEREDITH W, UGUNA CN and SNAPE CE, 2025. PLOS One. 20(9), e0330206

Current Research

My research focuses on the application of pyrolysis for low carbon energy production, biochar production, characterisation of biochar for its application to soil for CO2 sequestration from the atmosphere, and quantification/reconstruction of past natural global warming and, CO2 and methane emissions events.

We utilise hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) for the conversion of biomass and organic waste to low energy carbon solid products (hydrochar) that can be used directly as solid fuels or pyrolysed further at higher temperature to produce biochar, and for biochar production we use direct carbonisation method (high temperature pyrolysis).

My work on biochar production and characterisation is part of a multidisciplinary greenhouse gas removal (GGR) research , applying biochar on land for CO2 sequestration funded by BBSRC. Biochar comprises both labile carbon and stable carbon fractions, a key element of biochar regarding CO2 sequestration is based on the fraction of biochar that will be stable over a long timescale when applied on land. Our research uses hydropyrolysis to quantify the stable polycyclic aromatic carbon (SPAC) content of biochar (recalcitrant carbon) that is resistant to decomposition that can store carbon in the form of CO2 in soil.

I am currently applying our well established multi-step sequential high pressure pyrolysis method on North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP) rocks for the simulation of hydrocarbon and CO2 emitted during past magma intrusion into the NAIP to aid quantification and reconstruction of past natural global warming and, carbon dioxide and methane emissions events from North Atlantic gneous Province. This is multidisciplinary research on global warming reduction led by the University of Birmingham and funded by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Past Research

I have investigated the mechanism of shale gas formation and how gas is stored within shale rocks in unconventional shale gas reservoirs and the effects of pressure on hydrocarbon (oil and gas) generation, source rock maturation and oil cracking to gas in conventional petroleum reservoirs using closed system high liquid water pressure pyrolysis technique, and also investigated biomass conversion to liquid hydrocarbon using liquefied solvent extraction method.

  • KHAIRY A, UGUNA C N, EL DIASTY W S, PETERS K E, VANE C H, SNAPE C E and FAROUK S, 2026. Organic Geochemistry. 212(105098),
  • BAI F, STEVENS L A, UGUNA C N, LI W, MEREDITH W, SNAPE C E, VANE C H, LIU Y and SUN C, 2026. Fuel. 417(138559),
  • BAI F, UGUNA CN, MEREDITH W, VANE CH, SNAPE CE and SUN C, 2025. Fuel Processing Technology. 278, 108327
  • HAGEMANN N, SCHMIDT HP, BUCHELIA TD, GRAFMUELLER G, VOSSWINKEL S, HERDEGEN V, MEREDITH W, UGUNA CN and SNAPE CE, 2025. PLOS One. 20(9), e0330206
  • KHAIRY A, UGUNA CN, VANE CH, EL DIASTY WS, PETERS K, SNAPE CE, FAROUK S and MEREDITH W, 2025. International Journal of Coal Geology. 300, 104708
  • MEYER ZU DREWER J, VORRATH ME, AMMAN T, HARTMANN J, DE LA ROSA JM, M脰LLMER J, P脡REZ-DAL脥 S, MEREDITH W, UGUNA CN, SNAPE CE, KAMMANN C, SCHMIDT HP and HAGEMANN N, 2025. Frontiers in Climate. 7, 1631368
  • YANG, F., LIU, X., LI, M., UGUNA, C., WANG, W. and SUN, C., 2023. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 180,
  • AHMED KHAIRY, WALEED SH. EL DIASTY, CLEMENT N. UGUNA, KENNETH E. PETERS, CHRISTOPHER H. VANE, COLIN E. SNAPE and WILL MEREDITH, 2023. International Journal of Coal Geology. 274, 104283
  • IBRAHIM, A., LIU, X., UGUNA, C. N. and SUN, C., 2023. Materials Today Sustainability. 23,
  • FAROUK, S., KHAIRY, A., SHEHATA, A. M., UGUNA, C. N., EL SHEENNAWY, T., SALAMA, A., AL-KAHTANY, K. and MEREDITH, W., 2023. Journal of African Earth Sciences. 205,
  • LI, W., STEVENS, L. A., MEREDITH, W., UGUNA, C. N., VANE, C. H., ZHANG, B., CARR, A. D., ZHENG, D. and SNAPE, C. E., 2022. Fuel. 316,
  • WEIR, A., JIM脡NEZ DEL BARCO CARRI脫N, A., QUEFF脡LEC, C., BUJOLI, B., CHAILLEUX, E., UGUNA, C. N., SNAPE, C. and AIREY, G., 2022. Construction and Building Materials. 330,
  • MUSA, U., CASTRO-D脥AZ, M., UGUNA, C. N. and SNAPE, C. E., 2022. Fuel. 325,
  • UGUNA, C. N. and SNAPE, C. E., 2022. ACS Omega.
  • IBRAHIM, A., LIU, X., UGUNA, C. N. and SUN, C., 2022. Fuel. 329,
  • LI, W., STEVENS, L. A., UGUNA, C. N., VANE, C. H., MEREDITH, W., TANG, L., LI, Q. and SNAPE, C. E., 2021. International Journal of Coal Geology. 237,
  • DURAN-JIMENEZ, GABRIELA, KOSTAS, EMILY T, STEVENS, LEE A, MEREDITH, WILL, ERANS, MARIA, HERNANDEZ-MONTOYA, VIRGINIA, BUTTRESS, ADAM, UGUNA, CLEMENT N and BINNER, ELEANOR, 2021. Chemosphere. 279, 130512
  • MEREDITH, W., UGUNA, C. N., SNAPE, C. E., CARR, A. D. and SCOTCHMAN, I. C., 2020. Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 484,
  • RIGBY, SEAN P., JAHAN, HOSNE, STEVENS, LEE, UGUNA, CLEMENT, SNAPE, COLIN, MACNAUGHTON, BILL, LARGE, DAVID J. and FLETCHER, ROBIN S., 2020. MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY. 112,
  • WHITELAW, P, UGUNA, C. N, STEVENS, L. A, MEREDITH, W, SNAPE, C. E, VANE, C. H, MOSS-HAYES, V and CARR, A. D, 2019. Nature Communications.
  • XIE, LIUJUAN, SUN, YONGGE, UGUNA, CLEMENT N., LI, YOUCHUAN, SNAPE, COLIN E. and MEREDITH, WILL, 2019. Thermal Cracking of Oil under Water Pressure up to 900 Bar at High Thermal Maturities: 2. Insight from Light Hydrocarbon Generation and Carbon Isotope Fractionation ENERGY & FUELS. 33(10), 9546-9558
  • JAKUB FR膭TCZAK, JOS脡 M. HIDALGO HERRADOR, JAROM脥R LEDERER, LEE STEVENS, CLEMENT UGUNA, COLIN SNAPE, JOS脡 L, G脫MEZ DE LA FUENTE, LUK脕艩 AND臍L, PETR SVOBODA and FILOMENA PINTO, 2018. Fuel. 234, 364-370
  • MONAGHAN, A. A, ARSENIKOS, S, QUINN, M. F, JOHNSON, K. R, VINCENT, C. J, VANE, C. H, KIM, A. W, UGUNA, C. N, HANNIS, S. D, GENT, C. M. A, MILLWARD, D, KEARSEY, T. I and WILLIAMSON, J. P, 2017. Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology. 88, 282-302
  • CASTRO-DIAZ, M., UGUNA, C. N., FIORENTINO, L., DIAZ-FAES, E., STEVENS, L. A., BARRIOCANAL, C. and SNAPE, C. E., 2017. JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL AND APPLIED PYROLYSIS. 124, 742-751
  • UGUNA C. N, CARR A. D, SNAPE C.E, MEREDITH W, SCOTCHMAN I.C, MURRAY A and VANE C.H, 2016. Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology. 73, 72-85
  • CASTRO D脥AZ, M., UGUNA, C. N., CHEESEMAN, B., BARKER, J. and SNAPE, C. E., 2016. Energy and Fuels. 30(3), 2012-2020
  • ISA, K. M., SNAPE, C. E., UGUNA, C., MEREDITH, W. and DENG, H., 2016. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. 119, 180-188
  • LIUJUAN XIE, YONGGE SUN, CLEMENT N. UGUNA, YOUCHUAN LI, COLIN E. SNAPE and WILL MEREDITH, 2016. 30, 2617-2627
  • UGUNA, C.N., CARR, A. D., SNAPE, C.E. and MEREDITH, W., 2016. Organic Geochemistry. 97, 61-73
  • UGUNA, C.N., CARR, A.D., SNAPE, C.E. and MEREDITH, W., 2015. Organic Geochemistry. 78, 44-51
  • MARSHALL C, LARGE D J, MEREDITH W, SNAPE C E, UGUNA C, SPIRO B F, ORHEIM A and ORHEIM A, 2015. International Journal of Coal Geology. 143, 22-33
  • DENG, H., MEREDITH, W., UGUNA, C. and SNAPE, C.E., 2015. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. 113, 340-348
  • ISA KHAIRUDDIN MD, SNAPE E COLIN, UGUNA CLEMENT and MEREDITH WILL, 2015. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. 113, 646-654
  • CARR A. D and UGUNA C. N, 2015. Journal of Petroleum Geology. 38(4), 459-465
  • UGUNA C. N, AZRI M. H, SNAPE C. E, MEREDITH W and CARR A. D, 2013. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. 103, 268-277
  • UGUNA, C.N., SNAPE, C.E., MEREDITH, W., CARR, A.D., SCOTCHMAN, I.C. and DAVIS, R.C., 2012. Retardation of hydrocarbon generation and maturation by water pressure in geologic basins: An experimental investigation. In: PETERS, K.E., CURRY, D.J. and KACEWICZ, M., eds., Basin Modeling: New Horizons in Research and Applications: AAPG Hedberg Series 4 19-37
  • UGUNA, C.N, CARR, A.D, SNAPE, C.E, MEREDITH, W and CASTRO-D脥AZ, M, 2012. Organic Geochemistry. 52, 103-113
  • SONIBARE, O.O, SNAPE, C.E, MEREDITH, W, UGUNA, C and LOVE, G.D., 2009. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. 86, 135-140
  • CARR, A.D., SNAPE, C.E., MEREDITH, W., UGUNA, C., SCOTCHMAN, I.C. and DAVIS, R.C., 2009. Petroleum Geoscience. 15(1), 17-26
  • MEREDITH, W, SNAPE, C.E, UGUNA, C and LOVE, G.D., 2008. Maximising the yield of bound aliphatic biomarkers via a convenient two-stage hydropyrolysis procedure. In: LIANG, D, WANG, D and LI, Z, eds., Petroleum Geochemistry and Exploration in the Afro-Asian Region Taylor and Francis. 145-152

Low Carbon Energy and Resources Technologies

Energy Technologies Building
The 糖心原创
Jubilee Campus, NG7 2TU


telephone: +44 (0) 115 84 68661
email:LCERT@nottingham.ac.uk