Chemical Technology & Energy Research

[FMSTNigeria]

  INTRODUCTION

The Chemical Technology and Energy Research (CTER) Department is one of the Technical Departments of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.

VISION

Accelerate the development of our national economy through the application of Science, Technology and Innovation.

MISSION

To promote and coordinate Research and Development (R&D) support for enhanced use of Chemical Technology; improved energy generation, transmission, distribution and utilization in an environment-friendly manner.

Functions

MANDATES

The Department has the following mandates:

• To promote and coordinate Research and Development (R&D) support for enhanced use of chemical technology within the country.
• To provide Research and Development (R&D) support for improved energy generation, transmission, distribution and utilization in an environment-friendly manner within the country.
• To promote the activities of the Ministry through various departmental programmes.

The Department executes its mandates, programmes and projects through four (4) Divisions namely:

• Chemical Technology Division.
• Renewable Energy Division.
• Conventional Energy Division.
• Process Technology and Collaborations.

There are two functions that cut across the four Divisions of CTER Department. These functions are:

• Liaising with other Departments of the Ministry (i.e. FMST) to ensure efficient and effective performance of the Ministry's mandates.
• Liaising with other Ministries, their Agencies, the private sector and International organizations/agencies on matters concerning chemical industry and energy development.

SUPERVISION/COORDINATION OF R&D ACTIVITIVIES

The following Parastatals under the Ministry are being supervised by CTER Department:

NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY (NARICT), ZARIA

The National Research Institute for Chemical Technology is mandated to provide innovative R&D in the processing and conversion of indigenous raw materials into valuable chemicals and chemical products for industrial application. The Institute also provides technologies in industrial and agro-chemicals, solid minerals, bio-chemicals, leather and leather products, man-made fibres, effluent monitoring and control, petrochemicals, engineering plastics and allied chemicals.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LEATHER SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY (NILEST), ZARIA

As part of its oversight functions, the CTER Department also coordinates the activities of the Institute. NILEST formerly Federal College for Leather Technology (CHELTECH) was established in 1964 as a modest Institute for Hides and Skins demonstration and training project. The Institute had been upgraded to carry out its primary mandate of training students in the areas of science and laboratory & polymer technology with programmes accredited by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

ENERGY COMMISSION OF NIGERIA (ECN), ABUJA

The Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) was established by Act No. 62 of 1979 with the statutory mandate for the strategic planning and coordination of National Policies in the field of Energy in all its ramifications. The Commission also inspects, monitors and coordinates the performance of the energy sectors to ensure consistency with National Energy policy.

There are some Renewable Energy Centres under Energy Commission of Nigeria namely:

• Sokoto Energy Research Centre, Usman Dan fodio University, sokoto
• National Centre for Energy Research & Development (NCERD), University of Nigeria, Nsukka
• National Centre for Energy Efficiency and Conservation, University of Lagos
• National Centre for energy and Environment, University of Benin, Edo State
• National Centre for Hydropower Research & Development, University of Ilorin, Kwara State
• National Centre for Petroleum Research & Development, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi State

CTER Department also serves as the National focal point for the following programmes:

• Participation at the Chemical and Biological Weapons (C&BWCs) Activities
• International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO)
• Coordination of the National Science and Technology (NASTECH) Week
• FMST's Developing Eight (D-8) Countries Programmes
• Monitoring & Partnership with the Energy Commission of Nigeria on the Renewable Energy Projects
• Participation at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)

Divisions

Chemical Technology Division

• Initiation, formulation, implementation, monitoring and review of policies and programmes for the application of chemical technology in the industrial practices of the Nation.
• Development of priorities in chemical technology research and development.
• Problem identification in industrial practices of the Nation and development of research and other strategies for their solutions especially chemical and allied industries.

Renewable Energy Division

• Coordinating the initiation, formulation, implementation, monitoring and review of the national and Renewable energy policies.
• Coordination of activities to ensure that other Renewable energy policies derive from and are consistent with the National Energy Policies
• Development of priorities in energy research and development including determination of programmes and projects for their implementation in the country
• Promotion of Research and Development for providing solutions to energy related problems associated with environmental degradation, pollution and climatic changes
• Promotion of pilot plants in respect of locally developed energy generation, devices and technologies.

Conventional Energy Division

• Coordinating the initiation, formulation, implementation, monitoring and review of the national and Sectoral energy policies.
• Coordination of activities to ensure that other Sectoral energy policies derive from and are consistent with the National Energy Policies
• Development of priorities in energy research and development including determination of programmes and projects for their implementation in the country
• Promotion of Research and Development for providing solutions to energy related problems associated with environmental degradation, pollution and climatic changes
• Promotion of pilot plants in respect of locally developed energy generation, devices and technologies.

Process Technology and Collaborations

• Initiation, formulation, implementation, monitoring and review of policies and programmes for the application of process technology in the industrial practices of the Nation.
• Development of priorities in process technology research and development.
• Problem identification in industrial practices of the Nation and development of research and other strategies for their solutions especially in process technologies.
• Collaborations with other MDAs.

There are four (4) branches in the Department, namely:-

• Industrial Chemicals
• Leather Technology
• Convectional Energy and
• Renewable/Alternative Energy.

Industrial Chemicals Branch

This branch is expected to proffer Research and Development activities that would lead to producing intermediate and finished chemicals for various industries from locally available raw materials. Various sections of the chemical industry such as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and synthetic textiles, organic and inorganic chemicals would be the focus of this branch.

Leather Technology Branch

The branch will coordinate Research and Development in providing services to the Nigerian Leather Products and tanning industry. Currently, raw materials for the industry are imported from abroad. Research and Development of raw materials which can be sourced locally will be of paramount important, example, production of sulphated fat liquor, pancreatic fungal (composite) Bate G, mineral acids, salts and bases.

Conventional Energy Branch

Traditionally, oil has and is still Nigeria's main revenue earner and a major source of energy in terms of petroleum products, kerosene, diesel and many others. Similarly, hydropower is a major source of base load electricity generation in the country. Also there is large deposit of coal in Nigeria and it is very much underutilized.

This branch will focus on coordinating Research and Development activities geared into:

• Developing Nigeria's local content within the oil and gas industry and improving the efficiency of production of oil and gas.
• Increasing the percentage contribution of hydro-electricity to the total national energy mix in an environment-friendly manner.
• Development of local briquettes as a source of energy use within Nigeria
• Ensuring clean technology in all aspects of the chemical and allied industries

Renewable /Alternative Energy Branch

Renewable energy sources of Nigeria amongst which are Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Geothermal and Tidal Energy, Small hydro resources, Bio-fuels, Biomass being developed to contribute to the nations energy mix. More importantly, they have been identified as capable of providing electricity generation to remote and rural areas of Nigeria which are far from the National grid and hence can not be economically supplied by electricity by the conventional energy sources. They are also environment-friendly.

The Department has four sections, namely:

• Process Design and Development
• Hides and Skin Research and Development
• Oil and Gas, Hydropower and Coal
• Renewable, Bio-fuel, Biomass and Nuclear

Their functions are stated below:

Process Design and Development

This section will oversee the development of local raw materials to an intermediate or finished chemical product by ensuring that the Research and Development activities reaches a pilot plant stage with the process flow diagram and design ready for onward commercialization.

Hides and Skin Research and Development

While developing Research and Development activities in Hides and Skin to be used for leather products, this section is also charged with designing suitable cost effluent treatment process/plants with a view to keeping industrial pollutants from the tannery industry within tolerable

Oil and Gas, Hydropower, Coal and Nuclear Section

This section is charged with developing coal briquettes that can act as substitute to fuel wood and domesticate the technology

Development of Research and Development activities that is relevant to Nigeria's Petrochemical industry (that is Olefins and Aromatics)

Coordinate the production of hydropower equipment in Nigeria

(Develop manpower capacity required in this sector

Similarly, Research and Development activity in nuclear Science and Technology which is useful in the medical, agriculture, electricity generation, industry and water resources management is being developed within the branch.

Renewable, Bio-Fuel, Biomass Section

The section is to continue coordinating research aimed at provision of renewable energy (solar, wind, etc) to communities which have no access to electricity

• To set up pilot/projects as a demonstration of the Research and Development efforts on the need to use renewable energy within Nigeria
• To demonstrate this technology by encouraging Research and Development activities that would lead to the local production of Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, Balance of Systems (Converters, Inverters, Controllers and Chargers, etc)

Organogram

 

 Director

BRIEF PROFILE OF DIRECTOR, CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY

AND ENERGY RESEARCH (CTER), DEPARTMENT

DR. OBISESAN, BOLATITO MORENIKE PRINCESS

A 1983 graduate of the Bayero University, kano, Dr. Bolatito Obisesan obtained her Ph.D in Industrial Education with specialization on E-learning from the University of Ibadan. She also has a Masters in Industrial Education and an MBA. She joined the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Abuja in December, 2012 as the Director, Chemical Technology and Energy Research Department (CTER). Her previous posting was Director, Human Resources – Training with the Federal Ministry of Finance.

Dr. Obisesan started her civil service career with the then Federal Ministry of Mines and Power in 1985 with the Ajaokuta Steel Plant.

She is currently an active member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) and has numerous notable publications on electronic learning in Education to her credit. She is also a recipient of a Presidential Commendation in 2009 for her role on the Drafting of the Social Security Policy for the Nation. Dr. Bola Obisesan, born on 30^th May, 1961 is widowed with children.

E-mail: bolatitoobisesan@yahoo.com

bolatitoobisesan@gmail.com

   

Via: Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) Nigeria