Opportunités : dernières actualités

About the Project

BACKGROUND

Investment in the circular economy has grown rapidly in the past decade as governments and industry recognise the importance of recycling resources to ensure planetary health (Kirchherr et al., 2017). In the water sector, wastewater offers an array of potential sustainable resources and hence opportunities to develop new products with a wide variety of applications e.g. energy, biofuels, and biopolymers (Kehrein et al., 2020). These potential resources recovered from wastewater can also address scarcity emerging in some existing industrial processes due to a variety of social drivers, including an increasing global population (Dagilienė et al., 2021). In addition, the circular economy develops profitable sustainable alternatives to synthetic products, for example, livestock manure as fertiliser (Awasthi et al. 2022). Furthermore, circular practices can be sustainable and effective solutions to challenges in a number of other ways, including reducing operating costs, offsetting carbon footprints, and increasing energy efficiency (e.g. Kehrein et al., 2020; Gherghel et al., 2019).

The European Commission’s Waste Framework Directive guides the transition of recycled resources from waste to marketable product through a process using end-of-waste criteria. Specific requirements must be met for safety and quality assurance, including ensuring product standardization, to ensure legal compliance and encourage manufacturer and consumer confidence (Zorpas, 2016). However, this has proved problematic across member states due to the diverse approaches and capacities across regions (Johansson and Forsgren, 2020). Complexities in defining ‘acceptable risk’ and demonstrating risk to environmental and human health further complicate this, and there remains no homogenous approach to defining ‘safe’ for the diversity of new innovations requesting end-of-waste status. Therefore, with this difficulty in understanding and demonstrating ‘acceptable risk’ and ‘safety’, unfair competition between secondary and raw materials emerges and potentially undermines this important shift towards embracing circularity.

Furthermore, there is uncertainty amongst innovators over when to apply for end-of-waste status, and an absence of strategies to support this, so there is an opportunity to gather and share ‘best practice’ approaches to managing end-of-waste status across EU countries. However, there will be no single solution that fits all situations or potential products. Due to regulatory complexities, in many regions significant time and resources are required to obtain certification from understandably risk-averse governing agencies. However, where a straight-to-market route without this approval is adopted as in the Netherlands, consumer and client perceptions around using self-certified recycled waste present a further significant market challenge. There is a pressing need for research to map these challenges and their potential solutions.

AIMS

In this context, the main objectives of this PhD are:

1) To conduct a comparative study of end-of-waste strategies in five selected case study nations – the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany;

2) To explore approaches within each country to investigate which approaches are selected for different recoveries;

3) To analyse the above and, if possible, create a generic framework for resource recovery from wastewater.

The project is part of a collaborative project entitled Biopolymers in the circular economy (BICE) funded by Ofwat Innovation Fund. This project aims to recover biopolymers from wastewater treatment plans and use them to replace synthetic and procured chemicals from multiple industries (https://waterinnovation.challenges.org/winners/bice/). The student will benefit from access to and potential support from consortium partners, including a leading end-of-waste consultancy based in the Netherlands.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Applicants should hold a first degree (at least a 2.1) ideally in social sciences e.g. social policy, politics, law, or a closely related discipline. A minimum English language level of IELTS score of 6.5 (or equivalent) with no element below 6.0 is required.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Applicants should complete the online GCU Research Application Form, stating the Project Title and Reference Number (listed above). They are requested to submit a more detailed research proposal (of a maximum of 2000 words) on the project area as part of their application. Please also attach to the online application, applicant’s CV, copies of academic qualifications (including IELTS if required), 2 references and a cover letter.

Please send any enquiries regarding your application to: researchapplications@gcu.ac.uk Applicants shortlisted for the PhD project will be contacted for an interview. For more information on How to apply and the online application form please go to https://www.gcu.ac.uk/research/postgraduateresearchstudy/applicationprocess/

The closing date for this opportunity is 12noon on Friday 10 May 2024. Interviews will be conducted during the week commencing 10 June 2024.

REFERENCES

Awasthi, S.K., Kumar, M., Sarsaiya, S., Ahluwalia, V., Chen, H., Kaur, G., Sirohi, R., Sindhu, R., Binod, P., Pandey, A. and Rathour, R., 2022. Multi-criteria research lines on livestock manure biorefinery development towards a circular economy: from the perspective of a life cycle assessment and business models strategies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 341, p.130862

Dagilienė, L., Varaniūtė, V. and Bruneckienė, J., 2021. Local governments’ perspective on implementing the circular economy: A framework for future solutions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 310, p.127340.

Gherghel, A., Teodosiu, C. and De Gisi, S., 2019. A review on wastewater sludge valorisation and its challenges in the context of circular economy. Journal of cleaner production, 228, pp.244-263.

Johansson, N. and Forsgren, C., 2020. Is this the end of end-of-waste? Uncovering the space between waste and products. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 155, p.104656.

Kehrein, P., Van Loosdrecht, M., Osseweijer, P., Garfí, M., Dewulf, J. and Posada, J., 2020. A critical review of resource recovery from municipal wastewater treatment plants–market supply potentials, technologies and bottlenecks. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 6(4), pp.877-910.

Kirchherr, J., Reike, D. and Hekkert, M., 2017. Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions. Resources, conservation and recycling, 127, pp.221-232.

Zorpas, A.A., 2016. Sustainable waste management through end-of-waste criteria development. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 23(8), pp.7376-7389.

BACKGROUND

Investment in the circular economy has grown rapidly in the past decade as governments and industry recognise the importance of recycling resources to ensure planetary health (Kirchherr et al., 2017). In the water sector, wastewater offers an array of potential sustainable resources and hence opportunities to develop new products with a wide variety of applications e.g. energy, biofuels, and biopolymers (Kehrein et al., 2020). These potential resources recovered from wastewater can also address scarcity emerging in some existing industrial processes due to a variety of social drivers, including an increasing global population (Dagilienė et al., 2021). In addition, the circular economy develops profitable sustainable alternatives to synthetic products, for example, livestock manure as fertiliser (Awasthi et al. 2022). Furthermore, circular practices can be sustainable and effective solutions to challenges in a number of other ways, including reducing operating costs, offsetting carbon footprints, and increasing energy efficiency (e.g. Kehrein et al., 2020; Gherghel et al., 2019).

The European Commission’s Waste Framework Directive guides the transition of recycled resources from waste to marketable product through a process using end-of-waste criteria. Specific requirements must be met for safety and quality assurance, including ensuring product standardization, to ensure legal compliance and encourage manufacturer and consumer confidence (Zorpas, 2016). However, this has proved problematic across member states due to the diverse approaches and capacities across regions (Johansson and Forsgren, 2020). Complexities in defining ‘acceptable risk’ and demonstrating risk to environmental and human health further complicate this, and there remains no homogenous approach to defining ‘safe’ for the diversity of new innovations requesting end-of-waste status. Therefore, with this difficulty in understanding and demonstrating ‘acceptable risk’ and ‘safety’, unfair competition between secondary and raw materials emerges and potentially undermines this important shift towards embracing circularity.

Furthermore, there is uncertainty amongst innovators over when to apply for end-of-waste status, and an absence of strategies to support this, so there is an opportunity to gather and share ‘best practice’ approaches to managing end-of-waste status across EU countries. However, there will be no single solution that fits all situations or potential products. Due to regulatory complexities, in many regions significant time and resources are required to obtain certification from understandably risk-averse governing agencies. However, where a straight-to-market route without this approval is adopted as in the Netherlands, consumer and client perceptions around using self-certified recycled waste present a further significant market challenge. There is a pressing need for research to map these challenges and their potential solutions.

AIMS

In this context, the main objectives of this PhD are:

1) To conduct a comparative study of end-of-waste strategies in five selected case study nations – the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany;

2) To explore approaches within each country to investigate which approaches are selected for different recoveries;

3) To analyse the above and, if possible, create a generic framework for resource recovery from wastewater.

The project is part of a collaborative project entitled Biopolymers in the circular economy (BICE) funded by Ofwat Innovation Fund. This project aims to recover biopolymers from wastewater treatment plans and use them to replace synthetic and procured chemicals from multiple industries (https://waterinnovation.challenges.org/winners/bice/). The student will benefit from access to and potential support from consortium partners, including a leading end-of-waste consultancy based in the Netherlands.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Applicants should hold a first degree (at least a 2.1) ideally in social sciences e.g. social policy, politics, law, or a closely related discipline. A minimum English language level of IELTS score of 6.5 (or equivalent) with no element below 6.0 is required.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Applicants should complete the online GCU Research Application Form, stating the Project Title and Reference Number (listed above). They are requested to submit a more detailed research proposal (of a maximum of 2000 words) on the project area as part of their application. Please also attach to the online application, applicant’s CV, copies of academic qualifications (including IELTS if required), 2 references and a cover letter.

Please send any enquiries regarding your application to: researchapplications@gcu.ac.uk Applicants shortlisted for the PhD project will be contacted for an interview. For more information on How to apply and the online application form please go to https://www.gcu.ac.uk/research/postgraduateresearchstudy/applicationprocess/

The closing date for this opportunity is 12noon on Friday 10 May 2024. Interviews will be conducted during the week commencing 10 June 2024.

REFERENCES

Awasthi, S.K., Kumar, M., Sarsaiya, S., Ahluwalia, V., Chen, H., Kaur, G., Sirohi, R., Sindhu, R., Binod, P., Pandey, A. and Rathour, R., 2022. Multi-criteria research lines on livestock manure biorefinery development towards a circular economy: from the perspective of a life cycle assessment and business models strategies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 341, p.130862

Dagilienė, L., Varaniūtė, V. and Bruneckienė, J., 2021. Local governments’ perspective on implementing the circular economy: A framework for future solutions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 310, p.127340.

Gherghel, A., Teodosiu, C. and De Gisi, S., 2019. A review on wastewater sludge valorisation and its challenges in the context of circular economy. Journal of cleaner production, 228, pp.244-263.

Johansson, N. and Forsgren, C., 2020. Is this the end of end-of-waste? Uncovering the space between waste and products. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 155, p.104656.

Kehrein, P., Van Loosdrecht, M., Osseweijer, P., Garfí, M., Dewulf, J. and Posada, J., 2020. A critical review of resource recovery from municipal wastewater treatment plants–market supply potentials, technologies and bottlenecks. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 6(4), pp.877-910.

Kirchherr, J., Reike, D. and Hekkert, M., 2017. Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions. Resources, conservation and recycling, 127, pp.221-232.

Zorpas, A.A., 2016. Sustainable waste management through end-of-waste criteria development. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 23(8), pp.7376-7389.

A Master of Research in Economics at the EUI

The European University Institute’s Master of Research in Economics programme is a foundational year of economics in which you will gain a clear understanding of core and modern economics and engage with a range of economic issues facing Europe today. It is an immersion into a scholarly environment with many opportunities to interact with and learn from leading professors and advanced doctoral researchers. The Master of Research is a unique experience that allows you to gain insight into whether a PhD could be right for you.

Programme structure

The one-year programme is composed of seven core courses covering micro, macro, math, statistics and econometrics, as well as four field courses. Each course consists of 20 taught hours and eight hours of teaching assistance. The academic year is divided into four blocks; the first three include courses and the fourth block is dedicated to field and thesis work. Advanced doctoral researchers will mentor your coursework. Faculty, fellows and advanced doctoral researchers will supervise thesis work.

What to expect:

-         close mentorship by advanced doctoral researchers in a programme led by top professors

-         a familial and supportive study and research environment

-         a chance to transition to a PhD in Economics at the EUI

-         a dynamic research community with visiting experts and high-level institutional and government actors from around the world

-         excellent research support facilities, including an outstanding social science research library, an on-site European Documentation Centre, and the Historical Archives of the European Union

-         an inclusive and multi-lingual campus situated in the hills overlooking Florence

Apply at www.eui.eu/MRES by 30 April (14:00 CEST).

Contact: Applyres@eui.eu

Quick facts

Duration: 1 year

Starting in: September 2024

Fees, Funding and Scholarship

Tuition Fee:

EUI Contracting States: There is no tuition fee for candidates from EU Member States adhering to the EUI Convention (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden).

EUI Associate Member States (Norway and Switzerland): Candidates must pay the tuition fee of 15.000 EUR

Other EU Member States (not adhering to the EUI convention): Candidates must pay the tuition fee of 15.000 EUR.

Candidates in receipt of a grant from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation 'Grants for Foreigners Programme' (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, People's Republic of China, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Russian Federation, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, United States of America): There is no tuition fee for these candidates.

Candidates in receipt of a grant from EUI's Widening Programme (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia; Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova, and Ukraine): There is no tuition fee for these candidates.

Other Non-EU States' candidates: Must pay the tuition fee of 15.000 EUR.

Funding:

Some EUI Contracting States provide funding for eligible candidates

Candidates with external funding from public or private institutions and those who are self-funded are also accepted

About the Programme

Location

Physics and Astronomy, Streatham Campus, Exeter

The University of Exeter’s Department of Physics and Astronomy is inviting applications for an EPSRC iCASE PhD studentship fully-funded by the EPSRC and Renishaw plc to commence in September 2024. The studentship will cover Home or International tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £21,327 for 4-years full-time.

Project Description:

The project aims to develop a novel technology that merges the complementary capabilities of Raman and coherent Raman scattering microscopy. Raman and coherent Raman scattering (CRS) are both advanced optical analytical techniques used for a wide range of materials and healthcare technologies research. Raman provides detailed molecular information based on the spectral signature of photons inelastically scattered by molecular vibrations. In contrast, CRS microscopy uses ultrafast laser pulses to drive nonlinear light-matter interactions to enhance the signal from a specific vibrational frequency to provide real-time label-free image contrast based on the intensity of a single Raman band.

By harnessing the complementary features of these methods, we intend to create a single, versatile platform that gives comprehensive chemical and structural information from microscopic regions of interest guided by high-resolution, label-free, images of the sample. The instrument's versatility will make it an invaluable tool for a wide array of applications, including pharmaceutical development, environmental monitoring, and materials characterization. It will enable scientists to gain deeper insights into complex materials and biomedical processes, facilitating for example the development of novel therapeutics.

We are looking for a candidate with an enthusiasm for research, ability to work independently, and a passion for multidisciplinary collaboration. Prior research experience (such as a MPhys/MSc project or equivalent) in optics, and coding skills are desirable but not essential.

International applicants need to be aware that you will have to cover the cost of your student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD.

Entry requirements

Applicants for this studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in Physics, or an appropriate area of science or technology.

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the required level as per our guidance at https://www.exeter.ac.uk/pg-research/apply/english/

For Further information and how to apply see link: Award details | Funding and scholarships for students | University of Exeter

In the application process you will be asked to upload several documents.

• CV outlining your academic achievements and relevant experience

• Letter of application (max 500 words) outlining what attracts you to this particular project, how it aligns with your career aspirations, and what you feel you would bring it.

• Transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained (this should be an interim transcript if you are still studying)

• Two references from referees familiar with your academic work. If your referees prefer, they can email the reference direct to PGRApplicants@exeter.ac.uk quoting the studentship reference number

• If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country you will need to submit evidence of your proficiency in English.

The closing date for applications is midnight on May 31st 2024. Interviews will be held on the University of Exeter Streatham Campus in June/July 2024.

If you have any general enquiries about the application process please email PGRApplicants@exeter.ac.ukor phone 0300 555 60 60 (UK callers) +44 (0) 1392 723044 (EU/International callers) Project-specific queries should be directed to the main supervisor (j.moger@exeter.ac.uk)

About the Project