Achraf Delhali
Achraf Delahli during his stay at EPFL. © 2024 EXAF-EPFL
Summary
In North African countries, high temperatures lead to almost constant use of air conditioning, which is often based on costly vapour-compression systems that use toxic refrigerants. Evaporative cooling offers an environmentally friendly alternative, but its efficiency drops significantly in humid conditions.
This project explores an innovative solution: improving the performance of this system by dehumidifying the air beforehand using porous adsorbent materials. Adsorbent solids have thus been developed and tested under real-world conditions to selectively capture moisture from the air and optimise cooling
Over the course of the research, the project has evolved from an approach focused on evaporative cooling and water recovery towards a new theme: CO₂ capture using ultramicroporous MOFs.
This shift is based on the strong potential of fluorinated materials to capture CO₂ at very low concentrations, particularly in the context of direct air capture. It remains consistent with the initial objectives, as the mechanisms of adsorption and transport in porous materials are central to both issues.
This shift is based on the strong potential of fluorinated materials to capture CO₂ at very low concentrations, particularly in the context of direct air capture. It remains consistent with the initial objectives, as the mechanisms of adsorption and transport in porous materials are central to both issues.
Publications / Scientific news
A. Delhali, A. Jouanneaux, Y. Elaouzy, A. El Amri et al. Scalable room temperature aqueous assembly of high CO2 capture performing NbOFFIVE-1-Ni MOF via NiNbOF5·6H2O using DoE-driven optimized synthesis, Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, Volume 410, 2026, 114190, ISSN 1387-1811
F. El Alem, A. Delhali, N. I. Hatti, U. R. Gandra, S. Eissa et al. Metal-organic frameworks: dual role in ammonia synthesis and storage for sustainable hydrogen economy, Coordination Chemistry Reviews, Volume 562, Part 2, 2026, 218038, ISSN 0010-8545,
S. Saadat, A. Delhali, B. Guillemat, A. Rousseau, A.H. Assen et al. Hydrocarbon recovery using ultra-microporous fluorinated MOF platform with and without uncoordinated metal sites: II-structure properties relationships for Cis/ Trans-2-butene separation, Separation and Purification Technology, Volume 386, 2026, 136580, ISSN 1383-5866,
A. Delhali, S. Saadat, B. Guillemat, A. Rousseau, A.H. Assen et al. Hydrocarbon recovery using ultramicroporous fluorinated MOF platform with and without uncoordinated metal sites: II-structure properties relationships for Cis/ Trans-2-butene separation. Separation and Purification Technology. 386. 136580. 10.1016/j.seppur.2025.136580.
Delhali, A., Assen, A.H., Mohammed, A. et al. Enabling simultaneous valorization of tannery effluent and waste plastic via sustainable preparation of Cr-BDC MOFs for water adsorption. Sci Rep 13, 14653 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41840-9