PhD student Lignin-sourced carbons for biorefinery hydrogenation catalysts and biogas desulfurization (LIGNOCATS) (100%)

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PhD student Lignin-sourced carbons for biorefinery hydrogenation catalysts and biogas desulfurization (LIGNOCATS) (100%) Sintesi in italiano (traduzione automatica): L'organizzazione cerca candidati per un dottorato di ricerca incentrato sulla conversione di scarti di lignina in catalizzatori a base di carbonio per l'idrogenazione in bioraffineria e la desolforazione del biogas. Il candidato sarà principalmente basato presso l'Università di Hasselt in Belgio, collaborando con il gruppo di chimica analitica e circolare, e avrà interazioni regolari con il gruppo di materiali biosourced dell'Université de Lorraine in Francia. È richiesta una solida formazione in chimica della biomassa e nello sviluppo di metodi analitici. Le mansioni includono la ricerca, la scrittura e pubblicazione di articoli scientifici, e la partecipazione a congressi internazionali. È preferibile una laurea in chimica o un campo correlato per accedere a questo programma di dottorato. Your function This is a call for candidates to join our research team in the framework of a joint-PhD application between UHasselt (Belgium) and Université de Lorraine (France). During your PhD trajectory, you will be mainly based at UHasselt (in the Analytical and Circular Chemistry (ACC) Group, IUMAT, prof. W. Marchal, prof. D. Vandamme), yet regular exchanges with the Biosourced materials group (BMG, ULorraine, the Institut Jean Lamour laboratory, prof. S. Cherniak, prof. V. Fierro) are planned. We look for PhD candidates with a strong curiosity for discovering new pathways to convert lignin waste streams into specialty activated carbon-based catalysts. Several functionalization routes based on lignin amination and phosphorylation prior to thermochemical conversion will be explored. Finally, the obtained structures will be explored in catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) and as H2S scavengers for biogas desulfurization. You will be involved in the development of challenging and novel functionalization approaches to design activated carbons with tunable surface groups. Establishing correlations between the lignin structure and the properties of the obtained carbon catalysts/adsorbents will be of pivotal importance, requiring a strong background in biomass chemistry and analytical method development, data interpretation and surface science. You will conduct research in 2 partnering research groups, write and publish scientific articles, actively participate in international and national congresses/meetings and develop your soft- and technical- skills by via international research stays and (doctoral school) training courses, with the aim of writing a doctoral dissertation. You will get the opportunity to build expertise in thermochemical conversions, surface characterization tools , textural and compositional analysis of complex materials. Your team You will be mainly based in the Analytical and Circular Chemistry (ACC) group at Hasselt University, where you will collaborate in a team of approximately 10 PhD researchers and 10 research technicians. More information can be found on our website: https://www.acchemlab.com/ . Within the ACC and BMG groups, a strong research focus is present directed towards material development for a carbon-neutral future. In this context, the pursuit of recovering renewable materials from biomass waste is a key aspect in the EU sustainable resource management targets. The ACC group is embedded within the IUMAT research institute , an international and state-of-the-art environment bringing together chemists, physicists and engineers to bridge the gap between atomic-level science and real-world applications. Annuncio in inglese. Fonte: Euraxess (Commissione europea).