Green methods to revalorise wastes: transformation into sustainable materials and chemicals at Aberdeen University on FindAPhD.com

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Dr C Fernandez-Martin, Dr Alan McCue Applications accepted all year round Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Aberdeen United Kingdom Analytical Chemistry Applied Chemistry Chemical Engineering Environmental Engineering Physical Chemistry Polymer Chemistry Synthetic Chemistry

About the Project

This project will focus on facing the global challenge of reducing landfilling by revalorising wastes of different nature (e.g. plastic waste, agroforestry and food/drinks industry waste streams) to produce added-value materials/chemicals to facilitate energy transition and tackle greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions (i.e. CO₂).

The research candidate will investigate the sustainable conversion of wastes into porous sorbents (of different nature and composition), and gases (e.g. H₂). Formed products in the solid and gaseous fraction will then be fully characterised. Solid materials will be tested for gas separation application (i.e. elimination of undesired gaseous species and/or impurities from industrial gaseous mixtures, such as CO₂ from flue gas). Gas fraction will be analysed for its potential to be used as energy vector.

The above will involve experimental activities such as the application of green, conventional and unconventional thermochemical conversion treatments to the selected wastes, surface modification, materials characterisation, evaluation of gas adsorption (uptakes) at equilibrium and dynamic conditions, adsorption selectivity determination, adsorption-desorption kinetics evaluation, among others. Knowledge on materials and energy balances, and thermochemical conversion treatments is essential.

Knowledge on gas spectrometry, microwave heating, and materials science is desired.

Applicants who would like to explore a specific innovative idea within the scope of this project are welcomed and encouraged. For the later, a brief and concise description of the idea (maximum 2 pages) should be submitted as part of the application.

Further information:

This project requires knowledge of some of the following: thermochemical conversion treatments of materials, materials surface modification, materials characterisation: namely N₂ sorption to determine textural properties (BET, micropore volume, total pore volume, average pore diameter…), gas chromatography (product analysis and quantification), FTIR, XRD, TGA, porosimeter. Organic chemistry, physical chemistry, reactor design and kinetics/reactor dynamics, thermodynamics and heat transfer, gas separation processes, adsorption principles, kinetics of adsorption and desorption, etc.

Microsoft Office package (specially Excel, Word, Power Point).

The knowledge of any other software such as Matlab, Aspen Hysys (Adsorption) will be valuable.

Selection will be made on the basis of academic merit. The successful candidate should have, or expect to obtain, a UK Honours Degree at 2.1 or above in Chemical Engineering or any related discipline, such as BSc in Chemistry, Materials Science.

Necessary experience:

Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, Renewable Energy Engineering, Microwave Heating, Gas Separation Processes, Adsorption, Mass and Energy Balances, …

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

Formal applications can be completed online: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pgap/login.php

• Apply for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering

• State name of the lead supervisor as the Name of Proposed Supervisor

• State ‘Self-funded’ as Intended Source of Funding

• State the exact project title on the application form

When applying please ensure all required documents are attached:

• All degree certificates and transcripts (Undergraduate AND Postgraduate MSc-officially translated into English where necessary)

• Detailed CV, Personal Statement/Motivation Letter and Intended source of funding

Funding Notes

This PhD project has no funding attached and is therefore available to students (UK/International) who are able to seek their own funding or sponsorship. Additional research costs of between £2,000 - £2,300 per annum will be required (for laboratory consumables), in addition to tuition fees and living expenses.
Supervisors will not be able to respond to requests to source funding. Details of the cost of study can be found by visiting https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/finance.php

References

[1] Jie, X., Gonzalez-Cortes, S., Xiao, T.,Wang, J., Yao, B., Slocombe,D.R., Al-Megren, H.A., Dilworth, J.R., Thomas, J.M., Edwards, P.P. (2017). ‘Rapid Production of High-Purity Hydrogen Fuel through Microwave-Promoted Deep Catalytic Dehydrogenation of Liquid Alkanes with Abundant Metals’. Angewandte.Chemie, vol 129,no 34, pp. 10304–10307.
[2] Martin, C.F., Plaza, M.G., Garcia, S., Pis, J.J., Rubiera, F. & Pevida, C. (2011). 'Microporous phenol-formaldehyde resin-based adsorbents for pre-combustion CO2 capture'. Fuel, vol 90, no. 5, pp. 2064-2072.
[3] Martin, C.F., Garcia, S., Pis, JJ, Rubiera, F & Pevida, C. (2011). 'Doped phenol-formaldehyde resins as precursors for precombustion CO2 capture adsorbents'. Energy Procedia, vol 4, pp. 1222-1227.
[4] Martin, C.F., Plaza, M.G., Pis, J.J., Rubiera, F., Pevida, C. & Centeno, T.A. (2010). 'On the limits of CO2 capture capacity of carbons'. Separation and Purification Technology, vol 74, no. 2, pp. 225-229.
[5] Yassin, M. M., Biti, S., Afzal, W., Martín, C.F.(2021). ‘A systematic analysis of the dynamics of microwave- and conventionally-assisted swing adsorption on zeolite 13X and an activated carbon under post-combustion carbon capture conditions’. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, vol 9, no 6, 106835.