WVU Researcher Cleans The Air, One Molecule At A Time

The West Virginia University graduate student researcher at the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources has helped create a system that removes the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converts it into a common industrial chemical.

Her research is two-fold, she said, addressing both pollution and resource sustainability.

“Most people think about carbon capture as just removing carbon dioxide from the air,” Roy said. “But here, we’re not just removing it — we’re making it into something valuable that people can use every day. I’m on the downstream part of that process, but I’m still helping to clean up the air.”

When Roy came to WVU from New Delhi, she knew she wanted to contribute to something that would help the environment, and research “felt like the right path to get there,” she said.

After completing her bachelor’s degree in India, she had applied to graduate programs in the United States with the intention of working in water treatment. But when she arrived at WVU, her advisor, J. Wayne and Kathy Richards Faculty Fellow Oishi Sanyal, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the Statler College, recruited her to join an NSF-funded project developing innovative processes for carbon management and utilization.

The focus was gas, rather than water, but Roy was intrigued.

“At first, I didn’t know much about it,” she said. “But I studied, I learned from my advisor and my lab mates and eventually, I picked it up. This is a challenging project, and it’s a good challenge. I’ve been fortunate to work on it.”

Roy’s role in the research comes into play after her electrochemist collaborators have converted the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into ethylene, a high-value chemical. Because the ethylene they produce may contain impurities like leftover, unreacted carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, Roy uses membranes she has specially engineered to clean the ethylene stream. Once the impurities are removed, the ethylene can be used to manufacture everyday plastic products like toys, hospital equipment and household goods.

Roy’s membranes act like molecular sieves, separating gases that are identical in size.

“I engineer the pore sizes to separate specific molecules,” she explained. “We’re talking about working on the scale of nanometers — things that you can’t see but can be designed to behave in just the right way.”

Her work helped her earn the Gary and Lisa Christopher Fellowship from the Statler College for the 2025-2026 academic year.

“It’s not just about the funding,” she said. “It’s recognition that will go on my resume and help me when I apply for postdoctoral positions.”

After completing her PhD, Roy plans to continue working with membranes. She hopes to explore other applications, like liquid separation or bio-based separations. Ultimately, she envisions leading her own lab as a professor, with research dedicated to membrane-based approaches for sustainable separations.

Roy said she has found WVU to be a place where research turns learning into expertise.

“I came here because I wanted to work on something that could help the environment,” she said. “Now, I’ve learned how to take an idea and make it into something real — something that could make a difference in the world.”