About the Project
*This scholarships is part funded by the Welsh Government’s European Social Fund (ESF) convergence programme for West Wales and the Valleys.*
PhD Scholarship for UK or EU applicants in the field of: Physical Geography
The main objective of the PhD is to develop amended biochars to remove heavy metals from motorway runoff. Ever since the first section of a motorway opened in 1958, there has been research to reduce damage to the surrounding environment. Within the motorway system, a wide range of pollutants exist: from de-icing salts (potassium and sodium); herbicides that were applied to road verges; particulate emissions from exhausts, tyres and brakes (notably aluminium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese and zinc); hydrocarbons in the form of suspended solids; diesel/oil runoff; to the water soluble tertiary methyl butyl ether from unleaded fuels.
Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) are now common to minimise pollution to water bodies. In motorway systems, balancing ponds are used to hold water to ensure that local watercourses are not overloaded. These may be singe ponds or several linked ponds that exist as part of a management train. As rainwater enters the system, the flow velocity is controlled, and pollutants are removed sequentially. Water may be stored in the balancing pond so that it enters the local watercourses or drainage systems in a slow, controlled fashion. Motorway balancing ponds have the advantage that they filter water before it is returned to the natural watercourses. Unfortunately, many of the pioneering motorway balancing ponds are now full of hazardous silt that requires incredibly expensive treatment and removal.
We propose to utilise our complementary research into amended biochars to address these concerns. Biochar is the carbon-rich product when biomass is pyrolysed (heated in a closed container with little or no oxygen). It can be used to produce designer soil amendments that lock up carbon for centuries to millennia, store nutrients, immobilise inorganic (heavy metals) and organic contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, invasive-plant toxins), and aid restoration of former industrial sites and degraded land.
With the full support of Frog Environmental Ltd, we will develop a series of independent balancing ponds that can remove contaminants with minimal maintenance. Frog Environmental are widely acknowledged as world-experts at using silt control measures to improve water quality. The first phase of the studentship will be to prepare a wide range of fully characterised amended biochars to remove heavy metals. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) will be used to assess the efficiency of amended biochars. Later stages of the KESS-II funded PhD will focus upon silt trapping and the removal of hydrocarbons from the same system as part of an integrated approach to reduce diffuse pollution, minimise flooding and increase potential water storage.
Scholarships are collaborative awards with external partners including SME’s and micro companies, as well as public and third sector organisations. The scholarship provides 3 years of funding with a 6 month period to complete the thesis. The achievement of a postgraduate skills development award, PSDA, is compulsory for each KESS II scholar and is based on a 60 credit award.
Eligibility
Candidates should have a 2.1 or above in their undergraduate degree in Bioscience, Chemistry, Ecology, Engineering, Environmental Science, Geography or a related subject. They should also be eligible for UK/EU Fees (see http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information--Advice/Fees-and-Money/Wales-fee-status for more information).
We would normally expect the academic and English Language requirements to be met by point of application. For details on the University’s English Language entry requirements, please visit – http://www.swansea.ac.uk/admissions/englishlanguagerequirements/
Funding Notes
The scholarship covers the full cost of UK/EU tuition fees, plus a stipend. The bursary will be limited to a maximum of £14,483 p.a. dependent upon the applicant's financial circumstances.
There will also be additional funds available for research expenses.