This is amazing. KAUST – King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (http://www.kaust.edu.sa/) -is an ambitious project of the Saudi government to create a world class university that will attract world renowned scholars and top caliber students from the globe.
It was started from scratch in the summer of 2006, with the goal of being fully operational by September 2009. This in itself is astonishing.
But what I find amazing is that Saudi Aramco, the national oil company, was assigned the task of making this happen.
And yet, there is a certain logic to the assignment. If there is one thing that distinguishes one oil major from another, it is the quality of the technical expertise at its disposal. What better way to access that expertise than to be involved in the creation of a world class educational institution dedicated to the development of that expertise?
How does this pertain to desulfurization? Saudi Aramco, like other majors, is dealing with the fact that the supply of high quality oil is shrinking. There is still lots of heavy crude, but to make it marketable, economically feasible desulfurization technologies are required.
Here are a few resources to explore for more background, along with selected quotes.
CERAWeek, Keynote Address, February 10, 2009
Ali I. Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
“Our commitment to energy stability extends beyond our ongoing upstream and downstream investments. We believe it is also essential to invest in knowledge and in our human capital. We therefore are growing the Kingdom’s capacity to conduct research and development on technologies that will help ensure a cleaner, more sustainable energy future. We are building new scientific institutions to advance our knowledge of energy and the environment and training the scientists and technicians of tomorrow. These institutions include the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, known as KAUST, which will open September 5th of this year, and the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center”
source: www.mees.com/postedarticles/oped/v52n09-5OD01.htm
Meeting Report
1st Workshop on Future Challenges for Catalysis, held at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; May 5-6, 2009
A. M. Aitani, Center for Refining & Petrochemicals, Research Institute, KFUPM, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Email: maitani@kfupm.edu.sa
“KFUPM and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) played host to over 180 workshop attendees and high profile academic and industry speakers at their 1st Workshop on Future Challenges for Catalysis in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The two-day technical event was jointly organized by “KAUST Catalysis Center” (KCC) and the Center-in-Development (CID) “Transformative Research in Petrochemicals & Polymers” at KFUPM and was devoted for discussions on the advances and challenges in catalysis research”
source: www.kfupm.edu.sa/kaust-cid/Misc%20Files/Meeting%20Report.pdf
KAUST-KFUPM Catalysis Workshop: Global Collaborative Research (2009)
KAUST Catalysis Research Center (KCC)
“KAUST established the Catalysis Research Center to be a world-leading node for the establishment of a multidisciplinary approach to “catalysis by design.” The center will develop new catalysts, new catalytic reactions, and new catalytic technologies which are crucial to meet these future challenges. The center will move from “catalyst discovery” to “catalysis by design.” The Center will be focused on single-site catalysts which are relevant to the petroleum industry, the environment, bio-based raw materials, polymers, and nanotechnology. These domains correspond to areas of need in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world.”
source: www.kfupm.edu.sa/kaust-cid/.../Workshop%20Program.pdf
Saudi Aramco Annual Review (2008)
“In the summer of 2006, the government directed us to lead the development of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, or KAUST, a decades-long vision of King Abdullah. KAUST is setting new precedents in a variety of areas for research universities. The university's organization and endowment, its interdisciplinary approach and partnerships with other institutions, its physical campus and unique setting, and its approach to recruiting faculty and students from around the world have all set new standards in higher education.
“The project is situated on a site of more than 36 million square meters on the Red Sea approximately 80 km north of Jiddah. KAUST will be an international, graduate-level research university open to men and women from around the world and dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement in the Kingdom that will also benefit the region and the world.
“In June 2008, we signed a memorandum of understanding with KAUST to create a partnership to support carbon emissions research, advanced petroleum reservoir and oil recovery technologies, and energy conservation and marine environment studies. “
source: http://www.saudiaramco.com/irj/portal/anonymous?favlnk=%2FSaudiAramcoPublic%2Fdocs%2FNews+Room%2FAnnual+Review&ln=en
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