Leverhulme Centre for Doctoral Training in the Sustainable Production of Chemicals and Materials

At present, most of the fuels, chemicals and materials of everyday use (e.g. petrol, plastics, pharmaceuticals, fertilisers) are produced using fossil fuels as feedstock and energy source. This is not sustainable, because fossil fuels are a finite resource and their combustion has a negative effect of the planet's climate. 

Our CDT aims to train a new generation of researchers, equipped with the skills and knowledge to deliver the sustainable production of chemicals and materials from organic waste and renewable resources and to evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of developing such new technologies. The research focuses on the conversion of organic waste into chemicals via anaerobic digestion followed by separation and further chemical conversion of the products. Aims of the research programme are maximising product yield whilst minimising energy consumption and using energy from renewable sources.

The research is highly interdisciplinary and brings together our expertise from Biological/Medical Sciences, Chemistry, Economics, Engineering, and Politics. Under the overarching theme of producing chemicals and materials from renewable resources and using sustainable processes, we will develop the fundamental science, technologies, economic and political arguments to encourage using organic waste for the production of chemicals and materials.

The CDT will offer a total of 15 PhD scholarships, 5 to start in October 2018, 5 in October 2019 and 5 in October 2020. The CDT is managed by the Postgraduate Research School.