PhD Studentship: Photoreforming of Biomass to Hydrogen in Sea Water

Research theme: Catalysis and Porous Materials

This 3.5 year long PhD project is for UK students and EU students with settled status.

The funding will cover home tuition fees and provide a tax free (depending on circumstances) stipend based on the UKVI rate (£19, 237 for 2024/25).

The project starts in July.

This project focuses on production of hydrogen, a promising candidate for the next generation of energy vectors, through photoreforming of biomass in the presence of seawater. Photoreforming processes typically utilize photocatalysts capable of absorbing light and driving chemical conversions through the electron-hole mechanism. These processes are conducted under mild conditions, and by utilizing biomass as the feedstock, the project aligns well with the urgently prioritised efforts to develop Net Zero solutions and valorise waste.

Photocatalytic reforming of organic compounds is commonly conducted in aqueous solutions, allowing to produce hydrogen through two routes: the direct water splitting reaction and reduction of the organic compound used. The presence of the organic compound prevents the charge recombination on the photocatalysts and allows for higher H2 yields. In this project the use of seawater as medium is proposed as the alternative for utilising freshwater to preventing the competition with its other application. Using this readily available solvent without conducting the energy intensive desalination, can be a potentially more favourable solution. The water splitting has been widely researched since its first report in 1972 by Fujishima and Honda, and although several studies on seawater have been published since, yet what is the effect of ions present in seawater on water splitting reaction and on catalyst activity is ambiguous. This project aims to investigate impact of the presence of ions dissolved in seawater on the photoreforming of biomass and water splitting processes and developing the catalysts resistant to the issues such as changes in catalyst selectivity and activity or competitive adsorption of Cl-.

The project will entail reaction engineering experiments to build mechanistic and kinetic understanding of the process, as well as catalyst development and its characterisation. The successful candidate will receive trainings on a collection of state-of-the-art microscopy, diffraction, and spectroscopy techniques, as well as on data analysis software. The PhD student will be encouraged to attend summer schools on e.g. Catalysis, and to regularly present their results at national and international meetings.
This project will be undertaken under the supervision of Dr Marta Falkowska and Prof. Chris Hardacre within Catalysis and Porous Materials Group in the Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Manchester.

Overall, this project represents an interdisciplinary effort at the intersection of catalysis, environmental science, and renewable energy, with the potential to make significant contributions to the field of sustainable energy technologies.

The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class Honours degree or equivalent in the subjects: Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering or related subject with an interest in catalysis and/or advanced characterization methods.

Before you apply, please contact the supervisors:

Dr Marta Falkowska (marta.falkowska@manchester.ac.uk) and

Prof Hardacre (C.Hardacre@manchester.ac.uk)

Advert information