Francois Botha, Director |
Francois Botha, a native of South Africa, holds two degrees in Chemistry from the University of the North-West in South Africa, and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Bath in England. Dr. Botha’s career in coal science began with Sasol in South Africa where he conducted research in carbon sorbents, coal cleaning, and coal-derived fuels. He joined the Illinois Clean Coal Institute in 2001 as a Project Manager in the areas of coal combustion byproducts, flue gas cleaning, and coal gasification. In 2008 he was appointed as the Director of the ICCI. As the Director, he is responsible for implementing and monitoring the state of Illinois' coal research, development and demonstration projects. Dr. Botha serves as a member of the Technical Program Committee for the World of Coal Ash Conference and as a member of the Advisory Board to the International Pittsburgh Coal Conference.
Debalina Dasgupta, Project Manager |
Debalina Dasgupta was appointed as a Project Manager for the Illinois Clean Coal Institute in November 2008. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Bangalore University, India, and holds a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Ph.D. in Engineering Science from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. The common theme that has spanned her research is the development of technologies that meet the most stringent economic requirements at the highest efficiency while preserving the environment. Her specific research interests are in the area of Fischer-Tropsch process enhancements for the production of liquid fuels, high purity hydrogen production, and carbon dioxide capture with a goal of zero emissions of pollutants.
Joseph Hirschi, Project Manager |
Joseph Hirschi joined the Illinois Clean Coal Institute as a Project Manager in 2002. He came to the ICCI from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale where he is a Ph.D. candidate in Engineering Science. His research interests are in mine and power plant optimization; mining methods; coal processing; and miner health, safety, and training. A native of Utah, Joe has three degrees from the University of Utah; a B.S. and an M.S. in Mining Engineering, and an M.B.A. He moved to Illinois in 1985 to begin a 15-year career at the Galatia Coal Mine. That career included project engineering, supervising underground conveyor systems, safety engineering, and supervising coal preparation. He has been certified by the State of Illinois as a First Class Miner, Mine Examiner, Mine Manager and Shot Firer. He is a member of the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) and the Coal Preparation Society of America (CPSA) and he is on the conference committee for the International Technical Conference on Clean Coal and Fuel Systems.