Amer Alanazi

Lead Petroleum Engineer

Saudi Aramco

Saudi Arabia

Amer Alanazi is a Lead Petroleum Engineer at Saudi Aramco’s Upstream Advanced Research Center, with more than 16 years of experience across the energy sector. He holds a PhD in Energy Resources and Petroleum Engineering from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), where his research focused on hydrogen energy and subsurface hydrogen storage. His doctoral dissertation received the 2025 Best PhD Dissertation Award.


His research spans hydrogen energy, clean and sustainable energy resources, subsurface energy storage, critical minerals, carbon management, and advanced energy-resource technologies. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and has extensive experience as a technical reviewer for international scientific journals.


Amer currently leads the Integrated Modeling and Simulation Team at the Aramco–KAUST Upstream Advanced Research Center, advancing modeling and simulation solutions for complex subsurface and emerging energy-resource challenges.

Participates in

TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Technologies

GHG Emissions (Scope 1&2) Abatement (CO2, Methane) - Detection; CO2 Capture; CCUS; DAC; Carbon Products
Forum 20 | Hall 5 Digital Poster Plaza 4
13
October
12:30 14:30
UTC+3
The global imperative to decarbonize the energy and industrial sectors has intensified the search for scalable, economically viable CO₂ utilization technologies. In response, this study introduces a breakthrough electrocatalytic platform designed to convert supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) into high-value chemicals and synthetic fuels, leveraging a custom-engineered membrane electrode assembly (MEA) electrolyzer system. This innovation addresses key limitations of conventional aqueous-phase CO₂ electroreduction, particularly low solubility, poor mass transfer, and limited product selectivity.

Operating under supercritical conditions (≥31°C and ≥74 bar), our system integrates a zero-gap cell architecture within a continuous-flow high-pressure reactor. The design incorporates scCO₂-compatible ion-exchange membranes and tailored electrocatalysts (e.g., Cu-, Sn-, and Bi-based systems), enabling efficient and selective CO₂ conversion. Experimental results demonstrate Faradaic efficiencies exceeding 80% for carbon monoxide (CO) and 65–75% for formic acid, with tunable selectivity toward multicarbon (C₂+) products such as ethylene and ethanol. Notably, C₂+ product selectivity reached up to 40% under optimized cathodic potentials and proton donor co-feeding strategies.

The modular, scalable system is uniquely suited for integration with both upstream (e.g., enhanced oil recovery, gas processing) and downstream (e.g., refining, petrochemicals) oil and gas operations. By transforming waste CO₂ into marketable intermediates and fuels, the technology supports asset-level decarbonization and contributes to circular carbon economy strategies. Furthermore, it aligns with global net-zero ambitions by offering a pathway to repurpose existing infrastructure for sustainable chemical and energy production. This work bridges the gap between high-pressure process engineering and advanced electrochemical conversion, offering a promising route for the oil and gas industry to transition toward sustainable, low-carbon operations.
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