Start date of studentship: 01 Oct 2021
Loughborough University is a top-ten rated university in England for research intensity (REF2014). In choosing Loughborough for your research, you’ll work alongside academics who are leaders in their field. You will benefit from comprehensive support and guidance from our Doctoral College, including tailored careers advice, to help you succeed in your research and future career.
Find out more: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/supporting-you/research/
Full Project Detail:
There is an increasing international focus on the role that plastic packaging plays in protecting goods up to and after the point of sale, and also in its impacts on global sustainability issues. Reports from governmental bodies, environmental action groups and from media have highlighted the impact that single use plastics have on the natural environment. One of the solutions for reducing the impacts of plastic packaging is to shift towards a circular approach where packaging can be reused several times before entering a closed-loop recycling system.
This project will focus on a particular issue relating to the reuse of food packaging: prevention of contamination by crossover from the old product to the new. The applicability of ultraviolet fluorescence will be investigated to determine its suitability for the detection of various food residues following the cleaning of polymer-based food containers. Most food stuffs contain some proteins, and these are well known to fluoresce under excitation by ultraviolet light – a technique which has is being used by Loughborough to determine the cleanliness of food production equipment.
This project will have scope to also consider packaging design, cleaning activities as well as associated business models, but the primary activities will be based around the development of an imaging technology for detecting the fluorescence of fouling media and interpreting the results to allow decision making on the suitability of packaging for reuse. The project will run alongside a £1M initiative funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Entry requirements:
Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent) in Physics, Food Science, Chemical Engineering or related subject. A relevant Master’s degree and/or equivalent experience would be an advantage.
How to apply:
All applications should be made online at http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/apply/research/. Under programme name, select ‘Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering’. Please quote reference number: SAM21/21.
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