PhD Studentship - Transforming Non-recyclable Waste into Sustainable Solutions - Novel Anti-corrosion Coatings for Offshore Wind Turbines

Supervisor(s)

1. Dr. Amthal Al-Gailani
2. Dr. Martin Taylor
3. Dr. Kirsten Dyer, Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult
4. Professor Richard Barker, University of Leeds

Enquiries email: A.Z.Al-Gailani@hull.ac.uk

By 2050, it is estimated that the generation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) will increase to around 4.54 billion tonnes, a 45% increase from 2019. Among MSW, Non-Recyclable Plastic (NRP) waste has been a long-term environmental and economic concern. Landfilling and incineration of NRP waste have several environmental consequences, such as contamination of groundwater and soil, the release of greenhouse gas emissions, microplastics, bisphenols, and phthalates, and resource depletion. This waste management approach represents a missed opportunity for a more sustainable approach to waste management.

Offshore wind energy is a leading option for clean energy generation due to more reliable and higher wind speeds than onshore locations. However, since Offshore Wind Turbines (OWTs) are exposed to harsh and corrosive environmental conditions, corrosion is the main root cause of offshore structure failure. The cost of corrosion repair can reach £1k/m2 depending on the distance from shore and water depth. The application of coating systems is the most common method used to control corrosion in OWTs.

The EU's energy plan aims to become the world leader in offshore wind energy production by 2030 by including 55 GW. To meet this objective, it is necessary to decrease OWTs maintenance costs and increase the reliability of current wind energy system technologies.

This project aims to develop a sustainable, superhydrophobic, cost-effective, anti-corrosion coating system from the NRP waste for the direct application on the steel structures of the submerged zone, tidal zone, splash zone, and atmospheric zone, based on the following objectives:

1. Generation of coating material from NRP waste, mainly polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride, using electrophoretic deposition technique.

2. Characterisation of coating material structure and stability.

3. Testing the corrosion performance of the coatings.

4. Carrying out a Techno-economic Assessment (TEA) for utilising NRP waste in developing an anti-corrosion coating system, to be completed in parallel with the experimental work.

The student will be provided with fully funded training on electrochemical characterisation technologies at the University of Leeds, the research partner. This includes sample preparation, electrochemical setup, PP and EIS measurements, and data analysis. The University of Leeds will also provide funded access to its Bragg Centre for Materials Research via Professor Richard Barker.

The student's extensive technical knowledge will enable them to pursue an academic path or work in various roles in the offshore wind industry, such as an environmental engineer, senior material and corrosion technologist, or quality control specialist.

Eligibility requirements

Entry Requirements

If you have received or expect to achieve before starting your PhD programme a First-class Honours degree, or a 2:1 Honours degree and a Masters, or a Distinction at Master’s level a degree (or the international equivalents) in chemistry, engineering, or environmental science, we would like to hear from you.

This scholarship is only open to Home (UK) students.

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