Emmanuel Iyayi Unuabonah

Biography

Emmanuel Iyayi UNUABONAH sadly passed away in March 2025.

He was a lecturer in the Department of Chemical Sciences in the College of Natural Sciences at Redeemers University in Nigeria. He obtained his MSc (2003) and PhD (2007) in industrial chemistry at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. His research focused on the preparation of functional materials from locally obtained kaolinite clay and polymer-clay composites as ion-exchange resins. The objective was to determine the possibility of using these ion-exchange resins to remove metal ions and dyes/organics from industrial wastewater as a replacement for such expensive resins as zeolites and activated carbon. He was also developing novel mesoporus materials for catalytic purposes and exploring novel bio-related strategies for the treatment of wastewater. He published several articles in international peer reviewed Journals and won several awards and fellowships including the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) postdoctoral fellowship. In 2009, he was inducted as a TWAS Young Affiliate Fellow. He was amongst the few young scientists in Nigerian working to initiate the establishment of a Nigerian Young Academy (NYA). He leaves behind a wife and child.