Dr Natanael Bolson

Dr Natanael Bolson

Department of Mechanical Engineering
MTC Manufacturing Futures Fellow

Contact details

Email
n.o.faverobolson@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
Sustainable Manufacturing Group
School of Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr Natanael Bolson is an MTC Manufacturing Futures Fellow at the University of Birmingham, focusing on sustainable manufacturing, resource efficiency, and industrial decarbonisation through innovative research and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Energy Resources and Petroleum Engineering, King Abdulah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, 2021
  • MSc Mechanical Engineering, King Abdulah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, 2018
  • BSc Renewable Energy and Environment Engineering, Universidade Federal do Pampa (UNIPAMPA), Brazil, 2015

Biography

Natanael is an energy engineer and sustainability researcher. He is currently a Manufacturing Futures Fellow at the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham. He holds a PhD in Energy Resources and Petroleum Engineering and an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. Prior to KAUST, he obtained a BSc in Renewable Energy and Environment Engineering at the Federal University of Pampa in Brazil.

Natanael’s research focuses on the intersection of energy and material flow analysis, sustainability, and industrial decarbonisation. His work aims to develop innovative, research-based solutions to address the complex challenges in sustainable manufacturing and resource efficiency.

Before joining Birmingham, Natanael was a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, as part of the TransFIRe hub, working on projects to map energy and material flows to establish efficient resource use in the UK’s foundation industries. He focused on resource efficiency and decarbonisation strategies for energy-intensive sectors. His research also involved developing methods for calculating theoretical minimum energy requirements and visualising resource interactions across industries.

Research

  • Sustainable Manufacturing: Developing innovative strategies to enhance resource efficiency in manufacturing processes, focusing on sustainable development.
  • Industrial Decarbonisation: Exploring advanced methods to reduce carbon emissions in industries through electrification and improvements in energy and material efficiency.
  • Carbon Accounting: Developing frameworks and methodologies to accurately measure and reduce carbon emissions across industries and supply chains.
  • Circular Economy: Promoting the circular economy through research on recycling, resource recovery, and waste reduction to enhance sustainability in industrial practices.
  • Material and Energy Flow Analysis: Mapping and optimising energy and material flows to improve resource utilisation across various industrial sectors.
  • Complex Systems: Studying and modelling interactions within complex industrial systems to develop sustainable, resilient, and efficient solutions.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Saffer, JJ, Bolson, N & Cullen, J 2025, 'Allocation of national energy use to the industrial sector', Applied Energy, vol. 397, 126388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126388

Bolson, N, Cullen, L & Cullen, J 2025, 'A robust framework for estimating theoretical minimum energy requirements for industrial processes', Energy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2025.135411

Favero Bolson, N, Sarfraz, S, Drewniok, M, Basavaraj, A, Hafez, H, Purnell, P, Salonitis, K & Cullen, J 2025, 'Assessing minimum energy requirements and emissions for different raw material compositions in clinker production', Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability, vol. 5, no. 3, 035005. https://doi.org/10.1088/2634-4505/adf146

Favero Bolson, NO, Yutkin, M & Patzek, T 2023, 'Primary Power Analysis of a Global Electrification Scenario', Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 19, 14440. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914440

Bolson, N, Prieto, P & Patzek, T 2022, 'Capacity factors for electrical power generation from renewable and nonrenewable sources', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 119, no. 52, e2205429119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2205429119

Bolson, NF & Patzek, T 2022, 'Evaluation of Rwanda’s Energy Resources', Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 11, 6440. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116440

Bolson, N, Yutkin, M, Rees, W & Patzek, T 2022, 'Resilience rankings and trajectories of world's countries', Ecological Economics, vol. 195, 107383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107383

Bolson, N, Yutkin, M & Patzek, T 2021, 'Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Assessment for Methane Harvesting from Lake Kivu', Energy, vol. 225, 120215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.120215

Favero Bolson, NO 2019, 'All-polymer based polymorph skin with controllable surface texture', Smart Materials and Structures. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-665x/ab1c01

Conference contribution

Bolson, N & Cullen, J 2025, A Comprehensive Analysis of Fuel Mix and Waste Heat Recovery in the UK's Foundation Industries. in M Jolly, SG Scholz, RJ Howlett & R Setchi (eds), Sustainable Design and Manufacturing 2024: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Sustainable Design and Manufacturing (KES-SDM 2024). 1 edn, Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, vol. 112, Springer, Singapore, pp. 1-10, 11th International Conference on Sustainable Design and Manufacturing, KES-SDM 2024, Madeira, Portugal, 18/09/24. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4459-9_1

Sarfraz, S, Sherif, Z, Drewniok, M, Favero Bolson, N, Cullen, J, Purnell, P, Jolly, M & Salonitis, K 2025, Potentials for Energy Savings and Carbon Dioxide Emissions Reduction in Cement Industry. in H Kohl, G Seliger, F Dietrich & S Mur (eds), Sustainable Manufacturing as a Driver for Growth: Proceedings of the 19th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, December 4–6, 2023, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering, pp. 765–773, 19th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 4/12/23. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-77429-4_85

Doctoral Thesis

Favero Bolson, NO 2021, 'The Interdependence of Energy and Sustainability', ???thesis.qualification.phd???, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.25781/KAUST-UP099

Master's Thesis

Favero Bolson, NO 2018, 'All Organic Polymers Based Morphing Skin with Controllable Surface Texture', ???thesis.qualification.mcs???, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.25781/KAUST-477AJ

View all publications in research portal