CO₂ Capture Cost Optimization
Optimized heat exchanger and absorber parameters — minimum temperature approach (ΔTmin), absorber stages and gas velocity — for MEA-based capture.
Aspen HYSYS v14PythonTEAIn-Plant Cost Estimator
Based in Norway · Open to global opportunities · 2026
Atlantic
Bhandari.
▸ Chemical Process Engineer
▸ Aspen HYSYS Specialist
▸ CO₂ Capture Researcher
▸ Python Process Automation
▸ Techno-Economic Assessment
▸ Process Simulation & Optimization
Transforming urgent environmental challenges into sustainable engineering solutions through innovation, entrepreneurship, carbon management, waste valorization, and circular technology.
LOCATION
Porsgrunn · Norway
STATUS
● AVAILABLE
0+
Years Experience
0
Engineering Projects
0
Conference Papers
0
Software Suites
0
Award
01About
Engineering with discipline, researching with curiosity.
I am a Chemical Process Engineer with hands-on experience across process design, simulation, plant engineering, production supervision, cost estimation, and optimization — combining an M.Sc. from the University of South-Eastern Norway with several years of leadership and production roles in Nepal.
My master's work sits at the intersection of Aspen HYSYS simulation, Python-based automation, and techno-economic assessment for MEA-based CO₂ capture systems. I care deeply about turning rigorous simulation into decisions that reduce cost and carbon at industrial scale.
Focus & Motivation
Growing up in Nepal, I witnessed how environmental challenges — from plastic waste and resource limitations to climate change affecting the Himalayas and Mount Everest — can directly impact ecosystems, communities, and livelihoods. Motivated to turn real-world problems into practical solutions, I launched my own manufacturing startup in 2019, developing cleaning products and hand-sanitiser formulations as demand surged during the COVID-19 crisis. That entrepreneurial experience shaped my approach as a chemical engineer: identify urgent global challenges and develop efficient, sustainable, and economically viable solutions. Today, my focus is on carbon capture, storage and utilisation, low-energy systems, waste valorisation, and circular technologies that create both environmental and societal value.
Mission
Design low-carbon industrial processes at scale.
Vision
Bridge academic research with commercial reality.
Focus
CCUS, Aspen HYSYS, Python automation, TEA.
Now
Seeking process engineering & R&D roles worldwide.
02Education
A foundation in first principles.
Trained across two continents — from Kathmandu University's chemical engineering fundamentals to Norway's process technology and sustainability engineering.
Aug 2024 — Jun 2026
University of South-Eastern Norway (USN)
Process Simulation · CO₂ Capture · Techno-Economic Assessment
Aug 2024 — Jun 2026 · University of South-Eastern Norway (USN)
M.Sc. Process Technology
Supervisor: Prof. Lars Erik Øi & Dr. Solomon Aforkoghene Aromada
Thesis / Focus: Process Simulation in Aspen HYSYS and Python Programming for Automated Cost Optimization of CO₂ Capture
Best Poster Presentation Award — USN 2026SIMS 2026 Full Paper — AcceptedAspen HYSYS ↔ Python automation pipeline
Aug 2015 — Dec 2019
Kathmandu University, Nepal
Process Design · Unit Operations · PRO-II Simulation
Aug 2015 — Dec 2019 · Kathmandu University, Nepal
B.E. Chemical Engineering
Supervisor: Department of Chemical Science & Engineering
Thesis / Focus: Coursework — Thermodynamics, Reaction Engineering, Heat & Mass Transfer, PFD/P&ID Development
Process DesignPFD / P&IDPRO-II
03Master's Thesis
Automated cost optimization of CO₂ capture — Aspen HYSYS × Python.
A rigorous Aspen HYSYS v14 model of MEA-based post-combustion CO₂ capture, coupled with Python to automate parametric studies and drive CAPEX, OPEX, capture cost and NPV optimization.
Supervisors: Prof. Lars Erik Øi & Dr. Solomon Aforkoghene Aromada · University of South-Eastern Norway · 2026
DWG · MEA-CO₂-004ASPEN HYSYS v14
Problem
MEA-based CO₂ capture carries a significant energy and cost penalty; industrial deployment demands rigorous, automated techno-economic evaluation.
Objectives
Minimize CO₂ capture cost while sizing absorber, desorber and heat exchangers under realistic performance and capture-efficiency targets.
Methodology
Aspen HYSYS v14 model connected to Python; automated parametric sweeps over ΔTmin, absorber stages and gas velocity.
Simulation
Absorber and desorber columns modeled at industrial scale; equipment sized via Aspen In-Plant Cost Estimator.
Economics
CAPEX, OPEX, CO₂ capture cost and NPV computed via Aspen spreadsheets, Python scripts, and power-law cost methods.
Results
Automated pipeline identifies cost-optimal operating windows; framework extended to blended solvents in the SIMS 2026 paper.
04Experience
From plant floor to research lab.
Founder's business cards.
Hover or tap to flip
B & B Foods
True Care Business Solution
On site.
Field visits · Industrial plants · Click for full photo
Simulation only becomes valuable when it meets the plant. Site visits to cement and fertiliser producers keep my models honest — walking the process, meeting operators, and tying every mass and energy balance back to real equipment.
Demineralization on the skid.
Field build · Ion exchange · Hardness testing
Hands-on with a demineralization skid — FRP columns, PVC service manifolds and regeneration lines — validated with Aquasol titration for total hardness before the treated water goes downstream.
04.5Manufacturing Gallery
Products from the plant floor.
A snapshot of formulations, packaging and production lines shipped under the True Care Business Solution and B & B Foods brands — from disinfectants and toilet cleaners to extruded pasta.
Click any tile to enlarge
05Selected Projects
Engineering, documented.
Click any image to enlarge
Water Deaeration System Design
Designed a stripping column with a three-stage energy-efficient plate heat exchanger system, reducing dissolved oxygen down to 5 ppb.
Stripping ColumnPlate HXSizing
Urea Plant & Demineralization
Developed single-unit PFD/P&ID documentation for urea plant design; worked on mixed-bed ion exchange integrated with RO water treatment.
PFDP&IDIon ExchangeRO
06Research & Publications
Where science meets industrial scale.
Carbon Capture (CCUS)
MEA and MDEA/PZ solvent systems; absorber/desorber design and cost comparison.
Process Simulation
Aspen HYSYS v14 and Aspen Plus workflows for rigorous steady-state modeling.
Python Automation
Coupling Aspen HYSYS with Python for automated parametric and cost studies.
Techno-Economic Assessment
CAPEX, OPEX, capture cost, and NPV via power-law and In-Plant Cost Estimator.
Heat Integration
Column and heat exchanger sizing, ΔTmin studies, energy-efficient plate HX design.
Solvent Evaluation
Comparative analysis of MEA vs. blended amines for lower energy and cost.
Accepted Full PaperSIMS 2026 · Eskilstuna, Sweden · Sep 16–17, 2026
Process Simulation, Cost Estimation and Comparison of CO₂ Capture Using MEA and MDEA/PZ Solvents
Simulated CO₂ absorption and desorption using 29 wt.% MEA and a blended 30 wt.% MDEA / 20 wt.% PZ solvent in Aspen HYSYS v14 (absorber: 10 stages; desorber: 6 stages). Equipment sizing and cost estimation via Aspen In-Plant Cost Estimator at 85% CO₂ removal efficiency. Heat consumption: 3.77 MJ/kg CO₂ (MEA) vs. 3.65 MJ/kg CO₂ (MDEA/PZ). Capture cost: 31 €/t (MEA) vs. 28 €/t (MDEA/PZ) — showing the MDEA/PZ blend as a lower-energy, lower-cost alternative.
Authors: Lars Erik Øi*, Arash Khatapoosh Azar, Atlantic Bhandari, Kuleni Diriba, Solomon Aforkoghene Aromada, Neda Razi, Sumudu Shanaka Karunarathne · University of South-Eastern Norway
Carbon captureMEAMDEA/PZ blendAspen HYSYSSimulationCost estimation
Conference
67th
Scandinavian Simulation Society — SIMS 2026
07Skills & Software
A technical stack, built by discipline.
Simulation
- Aspen HYSYS v14
- Aspen Plus
- PRO-II
- Sensitivity Analysis
Process Design
- PFD & P&ID
- Unit Operation Design
- Plant Layout
- Heat & Mass Transfer
Automation
- Python
- Aspen HYSYS Spreadsheets
- Excel-based Calculations
- Parametric Studies
Carbon Capture
- MEA-based CO₂ Capture
- Absorber / Desorber Systems
- Solvent Evaluation
Cost Analysis
- CAPEX
- OPEX
- CO₂ Capture Cost Optimization
- NPV & TEA
Plant Engineering
- Production Supervision
- Commissioning
- Process Improvement
Software · Tooling
Aspen HYSYS v14
Aspen Plus
PRO-II
Aspen In-Plant Cost Estimator
Python
AutoCAD Plant 3D
Microsoft Excel
Languages
- EnglishProfessional working
- NorwegianBasic proficiency
- NepaliNative
Interests
- Technical Simulations
- Process Optimization
- Mountain Hiking
- Instrumental Music
08Awards, Scholarships & Achievements
Recognition, earned along the way.
2026
Best Poster Presentation Award
University of South-Eastern Norway — Master's Thesis on CO₂ Capture Cost Optimization
CERT · 001
2026
SIMS 2026 Full Paper — Accepted
67th Scandinavian Simulation Society Conference · Eskilstuna, Sweden
CERT · 002
MSc
NORPART Full Funding Scholarship
Fully funded through the Norwegian Government-funded NORPART programme.
CERT · 003
09Resume
Take the full CV with you.
A print-ready CV with detailed coursework, experience, publications and a technical portfolio index.
Atlantic Bhandari
M.Sc. Process Technology · USN, Norway
EXPERIENCE
· B & B Foods — Sole Proprietor (20–24)
· True Care Business Solution — CEO (20–24)
· Raj Brewery — Process Engineer (19–20)
EDUCATION
· M.Sc. Process Technology, USN Norway
· B.E. Chemical Eng, Kathmandu University
SKILLS
· Aspen HYSYS · Python · TEA · CCUS
PUBLICATIONS
· SIMS 2026 — MEA vs. MDEA/PZ CO₂ Capture
AWARD
· Best Poster Presentation — USN 2026
10Contact
Let's build the next process, together.
Currently open to engineering, R&D, and doctoral positions worldwide. Response within 24 hours.