Exploring and imaging nano- to micro-scale graphite-organic interactions underpinning novel water treatment

Supervisors: Dr. Bart van Dongen (PI), Prof. Roy Wogelius, Dr Stephen Boult and Prof Dave Polya (University of Manchester; UoM); Drs Nigel Brown, Mohammed Akmez Nabeersasool and Andrew Campen (Arvia Technology Ltd, case partner).

Contact: [Email Address Removed]
Application Deadline: 15th June 2017

Outstanding candidates from the UK or EU (fees only for EU students) are invited to apply for a PhD studentship that is fully funded by NERC (September 2017 start).
Introduction to the PhD projectAccess to clean drinking water is a basic human need and a global problem. Worldwide around 663 million people lack access to an improved water source. In the UK water suppliers are required to comply with the requirements set by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI). Any compounds that alter the colour, taste or content (organic or inorganic at concentrations above limit set by the DWI) of water needs to be removed before water is deemed to be fit for consumption. This represents a real challenge for the water industry as some compounds are persistent in water or cannot be removed by current technologies/treatment methods. Recently, Arvia technology Ltd developed a novel water treatment technology, which makes use of an adsorption and electrochemical regeneration process, to remove and completely oxidize organic contaminants from aqueous solutions. The process uses a low capacity, proprietary graphitic adsorbent material (NyexTM) that can be electrochemically regenerated. It has been successfully applied in the removal of acid violet and metaldehyde from water and has the potential to remove a wide range of other organic contaminants. Although, this technology might provide a simple, flexible and reliable solution to organic waste problems with significantly lower operating costs than traditional alternatives it remains unclear whether this is possible. This is because the fundamental molecular scale adsorption processes associated with this technology and the effectiveness of removing target contaminants in complex, natural, water samples, such as peat waters, are still poorly understood.
Project SummaryIn this project the effectiveness of this process for the destruction of a variety of organic and organometallic compounds, such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and tributyltin, in synthetic and complex (natural) water matrices will be assessed. This will be done using, small/lab scale set ups as well as larger, industry size treatment units. A variety of state of the art analytical and imaging technologies, including gas chromatography and/or liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, attenuated total reflectance and in situ multiple internal reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy will be used to examine the fundamental relationships behind the attachment, detachment and possible fragmentation reactions that occur on the adsorbent surface during the process. These will include experiments to characterise the starting material and to acquire snapshots of ex situ reacted surfaces. To complement the imaging work we will also utilise the recently NERC-funded NIAFEM (Nanoscale Imaging and analysis of environmental materials) instrument, which is unique in the UK and combines environmental scanning electron microscopy, μ-Raman and μ-X-ray fluorescence. These techniques have the potential to allow detailed information about the organic composition and structure at the single and sub-particle level. Modelling of adsorbate-organics interactions will be used to produce predictive models for different classes of organic/organometallic contaminants. Critically, the synergy of the lab scale and larger scale experiments, the use of state of the art analytical/imaging techniques and modelling will allow the effectiveness of the destruction process to be deduced, providing a step change in our understanding of this potentially important novel water treatment method.

The student working on this cross-disciplinary project will gain a wide breadth of training in hydrology, organic (geo)chemistry, environmental mineralogy/surface chemistry and analytical (geo)chemistry and would suit a student with a background in any of these fields. He/she will be based in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and will have access to world-class facilities, including the recently refurbished Organic Geochemistry Laboratories and the NERCfunded NIAFEM facility, in the Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science at UoM. Outputs will be captured in a thesis of peer reviewed publications. The student will work closely with the industrial partner in this project, Arvia Technology UK, bringing appropriate research budget enhancements, access to industry size units for the larger scale experiments and exposure to a thriving industrial environment. Arvia Technology Ltd has established research facilities at The Heath Business and Technical Park in Runcorn to commercialise the (patented) process of adsorption coupled with electrochemical regeneration for the destruction of aqueous organics. It has received a multitude of awards for innovation, sustainability and implementation (IChemE, IET, RSC, Innovate 10, Rushlight, 4I) and also featured on the Guardian’s Global Cleantech 100 List. The student will act as the liaison between UoM and Arvia and will be responsible for the transfer of all essential academic knowledge acquired during this project into industrially valuable and useful processes/protocols. He/she will also be involved in a range of commercial activities within Arvia, will be required to regularly attend Arvia’s technical team meetings and present research updates ideally on a (bi)monthly basis. This will ensure that the student will gain an understanding of the regulatory requirements needed in the water industry, the commercial position and opportunities within the industry and IP awareness.

This project brings together a team of (academic) supervisors with complementary experience in the fields mentioned above and collective experience of water related projects worldwide. This will mean that the student will get an in-depth training, which combined with the access to world-class facilities and contributions/opportunities supplied by the case partner presents the student with a fantastic opportunity for personal and professional development through the delivery of a strategic solution in an industrial environment. Upon graduation he/she will be well equipped for a career in either industry or academia, in a rapidly expanding research area of international importance.