Department of Chemical Engineering
University of Cambridge
Start: 1 October 2008
Professor L F Gladden and Dr M D Mantle
Department of Chemical Engineering, Pembroke Street,
Cambridge CB2 3RA (E-mail: recruitment@cheng.cam.ac.uk)
Heterogeneous catalysis plays an important role in the manufacture of most finished products from pharmaceuticals to electrical devices. Catalysis is a cornerstone of green technology; however, most of our fuels and feedstocks for manufactured goods such as paints and polymers come from fossil reserves of hydrocarbons. Against this background, there is a move to increase the utilisation of bio-diesel which is derived from the reaction of methanol with vegetable oils. However, bio-diesel production produces large quantities of glycerol as a by-product. This project aims to discover ways of using the glycerol (which is currently produced in far larger quantities than is needed) as a bio-renewable feedstock for new heterogeneous catalytic processes for the production of intermediates for the manufacture of biopolymers, textiles, lubricants etc. The project will focus on using magnetic resonance techniques, including imaging, to understand flow and mass transfer processes in catalytic reactors. These techniques provide the first opportunity to measure transport processes and catalytic conversion in realistic reactor environments. The aim is to work with chemists to use this capability to develop novel reaction engineering technologies to achieve new catalytic conversions based on glycerol as a feedstock. We are undertaking this project with Imperial College (Chemical Engineering) and University of Cardiff (Chemistry), as well as a number of industrial partners.
Funding information
- Funding applies to:
- Open to applicants from a range of countries
Contacts and how to apply
- Administrative contact and how to apply:
- Applications from students with first degrees in chemistry or chemical engineering are particularly encouraged. The studentship is fully-funded (i.e. pays tuition as well as a tax-free maintenance stipend of £12,940 p.a. for 2008/9; £13,240 p.a. for 2009/10; £13,540 for 2010/11). In the first instance, applicants should send a detailed curriculum vitae (to include numerical details of grades obtained in relevant examinations) to: Linda Craft at recruitment@cheng.cam.ac.uk as soon as possible.
