45 PhD positions for high-potential researchers

As part of a consortium of high profile universities, research institutions and companies, KU Leuven and its partners offer 45 PhD positions for high-potential researchers. Three different European Training Networks, funded through the Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MCSA), are looking for a total of 45 talented researchers who are willing to participate to groundbreaking research on:

-          Sustainable, zero-waste valorization of critical-metal-containing industrial process residues (SOCRATES)

-          Resource Recovery Through Enhanced Landfill Mining (NEW-MINE)

-          Continuous Sonication and Microwave Reactors (COSMIC)

 

Research fields are Chemistry - Chemical Engineering - Materials Engineering - Metallurgy - Environmental Engineering - Physics - Life Cycle Engineering.

 

For more information and to apply, we refer you to the following websites; the abstracts are copied below:

SOCRATES	etn-socrates.eu/	Deadline 30/07
NEW-MINE	new-mine.eu/
COSMIC	cosmic-etn.eu/	Deadline 15/09

SOCRATES:

Unlike China, Russia or South Africa, the EU-28 Member States are not in the fortunate position of having vast, easily accessible ore deposits containing valuable metals. However, Europe does have large quantities of secondary industrial residues (tailings, sludges, slags and ashes) that contain significant concentrations of both critical and economically important metals. The European Training Network for the Sustainable, zero-waste valorisation of critical-metal-containing industrial process residues (SOCRATES) targets ground-breaking metallurgical processes, incl. plasma-, bio-, solvo-, elec- tro- and ionometallurgy, that can be integrated into environmentally friendly, (near-)zero-waste valorisation flow sheets. By unlocking the potential of these secondary raw materials, SOCRATES contributes to a more diversified and sustain- able supply chain for critical metals (cf. Priority area 3 in EC Circular Economy Action Plan; COM(2015)614/2). The SOCRATES consortium brings together all the relevant stakeholders along the value chain, from metal extraction, to metal recovery, and to residual matrix valorisation in added-value applications, such as supplementary cementitious mate- rials, inorganic polymers and catalysts. To maximise applicability, SOCRATES has selected four commonly available and chemically complementary residue families: (1) flotation tailings from primary Cu production, (2) Fe-rich sludges from Zn production, (3) fayalitic slags from non-ferrous metallurgy, and (4) bottom ashes from incineration plants. As a basis for a concerted effort to strengthen the EU’s critical-metal supply chain for Ge, In, Ga and Sb, SOCRATES trains 15 early-stage researchers (ESRs) in technological innovation: metal extraction (WP1), metal recovery (WP2), residual matrix valorisation (WP3) and integrated assessment (WP4). By training the ESRs in scientific, technical and soft skills, they are the next generation of highly employable scientists and engineers in the raw-materials sector.

Beneficiaries: KU Leuven, University of Leicester, Utrecht University, University Bonn, Freiberg University, Outotec, Kerneos, Metallo
Partner Organisations: Aalto University, VTT, Boliden Kokkola, Umicore, AVR


NEW-MINE:
 Europe has somewhere between 150,000 and 500,000 landfill sites, with an estimated 90% of them being “non-sanitary” landfills, predating the EU Landfill Directive of 1999. These older landfills tend to be filled with municipal solid waste and often lack any environmental protection technology. In order to avoid future environmental and health problems, many of these landfills will soon require expensive remediation measures. This situation might appear bleak, but it does present us with an exciting opportunity for a combined resource-recovery and remediation strategy, which will drastically reduce future remediation costs, reclaim valuable land, while at the same time unlocking valuable resources. However, the widespread adoption of Enhanced Landfill Mining (ELFM) in the EU, as envisaged by NEW-MINE, urgently requires skilled scientists, engineers, economists and policy makers who can develop cost-effective, environmentally friendly ELFM practices and regulatory frameworks. All this demands a European commitment to concerted, inter- and transdisciplinary research and innovation. NEW-MINE trains 15 earlystage researchers (ESRs) in all aspects of landfill mining, in terms of both technological innovation and multi-criteria assessments. The technological innovation follows a value-chain approach, from advanced landfill exploration, mechanical processing, plasma/solar/hybrid thermochemical conversion and upcycling, while the multi-criteria assessment methods allow to compare combined resource-recovery/remediation ELFM methods with the “DoNothing”, “Classic remediation” and “Classic landfill mining with (co-)incineration” scenarios. By training the ESRs in scientific, technical and soft skills, they become highly sought-after scientists and engineers for the rapidly emerging landfill-mining and broader raw-materials industries of Europe.

Beneficiaries: KU Leuven, RWTH Aachen, UGent, Montanuniversität Leoben, Unversity of Padova, ETH Zürich, Linköping University, KTH Stockholm, Shanks, Italcementi
Partner Organisations: ScanArc, Stadler, JMR (Group Machiels), Stadler, BAV, University of Antwerp, Cranfield University

COSMIC: The European chemical industry faces some very serious challenges if it is to retain its competitive position in the global economy. The new industries setting up in Asia and the Near East are based on novel process-intensification concepts, leaving Europe desperately searching for a competitive edge. The transition from batch to continuous micro- and milliflow processing is essential to ensure a future for the European fine-chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries. However, despite the huge interest shown by both academia and industrial R&D, many challenges remain, such as the problems of reaction activation, channel clogging due to solids formation and the scaling up of these technologies to match the required throughput. COSMIC, the European Training Network for Continuous Sonication and Microwave Reactors, takes on these challenges by developing material- and energy-efficient continuous chemical processes for the synthesis of organic molecules and nanoparticles. The intersectoral and interdisciplinary COSMIC training network consists of leading universities and industry participants and trains 15 ESRs in the areas of flow technology, millifluidics and external energy fields (ultrasound and microwaves). These energy fields can be applied in structured, continuous milli-reactors for producing high-value-added chemicals with excellent yield efficiencies – in terms of throughput, waste minimization and product quality – that simply cannot be achieved with traditional batch-type chemical reactors. The chemical processes that are at the heart of COSMIC’s game-changing research are catalytic reactions and solids-forming reactions. COSMIC’s success, which is based on integrating chemistry, physics and process technology, will re-establish European leadership in this crucial field and provide it with highly trained young experts ready for dynamic careers in the European chemical industry.

Beneficiaries: KU Leuven, University of Cordoba, University of Göttingen, University of Zaragoza, UCL, University of Turin, Microinnova, Arkema France
Partner Organisations: Smart Material GmbH, Weber Ultrasonics, Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia, MEAM