PhD position: Reactor Technologies for Conversion of Plastic Recyclates.
Context
Context
Join REFCORE as a PhD researcher and help developing the future circular carbon economy. REFCORE is a four‑year program, in which you will work on fundamental reaction engineering challenges, advanced heat‑transfer concepts, and electrified conversion routes for the development of novel conversion reactors for mixed plastic recyclates.
Your research will mostly involve reactor and systems modelling and (experimental data) analysis, in close collaboration with experts developing and testing inductive‑heating particles and novel reactor designs. You will be part of a strong academic–industrial consortium, providing access to state‑of‑the‑art facilities and interdisciplinary supervision. The academic partners include TU Delft, TU-Eindhoven and University of Twente (NL) and University of Ghent (B), with one PhD student and/or a post-doc at each of these universities.
This is your opportunity to shape next‑generation recycling technologies in support of a sustainable, electrified process industry.
Program
The proposal anticipates on assessing two technology pathways: (i) dry conversion of plastic recyclates (granulates), which are fast heated and decomposed in an electrified “FCC-type” process (gas phase continuous); and (ii) conversion in a liquid-pool configuration (e.g., slower but possibly more selective decomposing in melt phase, with products leaving via gas phase). For energy input, inductive heating is anticipated (but requiring particle recovery/regeneration). Synthesis of these induction-active (catalytic) particles is an objective, as well as the investigation of the capabilities, efficiency and robustness of this method.
The main 5 Work Packages (WP’s) in the overall REFCORE project comprise:
WP1 System analysis and Concept development
WP2 Catalyst carrier development for inductive heating
WP3 Gas phase processing (FCC-type) using induction heating
WP4 Liquid pool conversion systems
WP5 Techno-economic evaluation
The PhD position at Ghent University will focus primarily on WP1 and WP5. However, the PhD student is expected to work closely together with other partners and contribute to all 5 WP’s. Moreover, a temporary secondment at one of the other partners’ locations is recommended.
WP1 encompasses a thorough and critical review of the state of the art, insights in mechanisms, potential products, catalysts etc. and an interpretation with respect to the integration potential to downstream operations. Feed and targeted products are selected, in view of potential application / valorization routes (in consultation with industry). Where needed and possible in collaboration with the other partners, additional (scouting) experiments will be carried out to confirm ‘proof of principle’ conversions. The scope of the targeted conversions is defined, with selected “idealized” conversion conditions (‘wishlist’). Based on this, the conversion routes and concepts for reactor and process are formulated. After year 1, focus is put on determination of reaction schemes and kinetics and, where relevant, on the impact of downstream separation.
In WP5, which runs in parallel to all other WP’s, the process is evaluated with respect to commercial scale technical feasibility, scale-up risk, techno-economics economics based on carbon and energy balances and the efficiency/integration within the value chain plastic-to-plastic (full recycle).