Dr Oluwasola Afolabi - Loughborough University

Dr Afolabi’s Academy Research Fellowship advances sustainable biogenic waste management by delivering a next-generation waste reclamation system integrated from biological and thermochemical waste conversion processes. These render pathogenic and hazardous biogenic waste safe and provide clean, carbon-neutral energy/soil-ameliorants that irreversibly bind carbon. His research represents a timely engineering solution to the unsustainable open-burning and unsanitary landfilling options for managing biogenic waste in sub-Saharan Africa. These generate greenhouse gas emissions and disregard the intrinsic energy value from waste. Successful implementation is critical for addressing perennial waste-related challenges, which cause avoidable deaths and for improving economic, health, and environmental outcomes, particularly for marginalised communities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).