Bio-ethanol Upgrading Catalysed by Multifunctional Zeolites

Department: Chemistry

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Renewable Energy Northeast Universities (ReNU) is a collaborative doctoral training programme run by the Universities of Northumbria, Newcastle and Durham. In addition to undertaking an individual scientific research project at one of the three partner Universities, doctoral candidates will engage with added value training opportunities, for example in business, innovation and internationalisation through a 4-year training programme that has been designed to maximise the benefits of a cohort approach to doctoral training. The start date is 1st October 2022.

Background: Bioethanol is used as a drop-in renewable fuel additive to gasoline. Unfortunately ethanol is corrosive to most engines and so only low levels (10%) are added to gasoline. Biobutanol, derived from bioethanol, is a much better renewable additive for gasoline engines as it is non-corrosive and has a higher energy density than ethanol. Many precious metal catalysts have been shown to affect the ethanol to butanol conversion, but these are unsustainable for industrial production.

Project: The aim of the project is to develop well defined, multifunctional, zeolite-based catalysts bearing Lewis acid and Lewis basic sites that are able to affect the cascade reactions of ethanol to butanol via dehydrogenation and condensation pathways. Building on our recent results (Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2021, 5, 2136) the project will elucidate how the nature and location of the differing catalytic components affects the overall catalytic function, which will provide structure function models for future catalyst design. The location of the disparate catalytic functionalities will be controlled via rationalised synthetic approaches such as organometallic grafting. The multistep conversion of ethanol to butanol will be explored using flow reactors coupled with online analysis (GCMS) and mechanistic pathways will be probed by in-situ DRIFTS analysis.

The project is supervised by Dr Russell Taylor and Dr Karen Johnston. For informal enquiries please contact [Email Address Removed].

The application closing date is 6^th February 2022 and interviews will take place later in the month. Please note that interviews will be online rather than in person due to COVID-19.

Eligibility and How to Apply

Our eligibility requirements are:

•      Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.

•      If required, an IELTS score of 6.5 with no component under 6.0.

·      Two satisfactory academic references.

•      Applicants cannot apply for this funding if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Durham or elsewhere.

You must apply through the University’s online application portal - Home · Application Portal (microsoftcrmportals.com)

• Create an account and click ‘Postgraduate Apply’ on the top ribbon.
• Search for ‘EPSRC CDT’ in Course and select Renewable Energy Northeast Universities (EPSRC CDT) starting in 2022/23. 
• Complete the application form, ensuring the following:
• On the funding tab select ‘yes’ you are applying for a scholarship, select ‘Other’, write RENU/Taylor in the name of the scholarship, and select 1^st October 2022 as the start date. No scholarship documents are required.
• On the project course details tab write RENU/Taylor in Field of Study.
• Please include an application letter summarising your motivation and suitability for the project.
• Please ensure you follow all of these steps to ensure your application is considered.

Funding notes

Home and International students (inc. EU) are welcome to apply. The studentship is available to Home and International students, and includes a full stipend at UKRI rates (for 2020/21 full time study, this was £15,609 pa) and full tuition fees. Also, significant additional funding is included to cover research costs and local, national and international travel such as conferences and exchanges. Note that these studentships will be awarded on a competitive basis between projects. We anticipate that up to 5 awards will be made for projects hosted at Durham. 

Please note there are a limited number of full international scholarships available. Further information about how EPSRC classifies international fee status please see Annex B of UKRI-170821-TrainingGrantTermsConditionsGuidance-Aug2021.pdf