(SATURN CDT) Designing cementitious wasteforms for retention of radioactive waste containing oils and organics

About the Project

Saturn_Nuclear_CDT

Nuclear power provides 20% of UK energy demand, and is central to UK Energy Security and Net Zero policies, however, it also generates significant amounts of radioactive waste. Legacy, current, and planned UK nuclear facilities will generate 450,000 m3 of radioactive waste by the end of the century - enough to fill Wembley Stadium. Most of this radioactive waste needs conditioning by encapsulating it in cement to prevent release to the environment.

Contaminated oil and organic waste arising from nuclear decommissioning activities are not compatible with conventional Portland cement matrices. Geopolymer cements produced through the reaction of an aluminosilicate precursor material (such as metakaolin) and an alkali-silicate solution possess a highly cross-linked, durable gel network, and have been shown significant promise as a compatible wasteform for immobilisation of oils and organics. Geopolymers are of significant interest to the UK and international nuclear sector as a cementitious wasteform, and are therefore key in enabling clean energy and meeting “Net Zero” targets.

This PhD will examine the fluid-particle interactions, and mechanisms of reaction, immobilisation, and retention of oil/organic wastes in geopolymer cements. Specifically, it will use a novel in-situ characterisation approach including surface-specific techniques, spectroscopic, and microstructural characterisation, to examine the chemistry and interactions at the interface of the oil/organic and the geopolymer matrix, in both the fresh cement paste and the hardened wasteform.

This will allow us to develop next-generation low-carbon cement wasteforms for safe disposal of radioactive waste that will help to protect the wellbeing of society and the environment, and enable clean nuclear energy production.

Based in the School of Chemical, Materials, and Biological Engineering, the successful candidate will be joining a team of multidisciplinary researchers at The University of Sheffield to develop research and innovation for decarbonisation. The successful applicant will join the Sustainable Materials at Sheffield research team. They will also benefit from co-supervision by Dr Daniel Geddes at Paul Scherrer Institute, and industrial supervision by the UK National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) and Sellafield Ltd, and be part of a comprehensive doctoral training programme in this area at The University of Sheffield, led by the primary supervisor Dr Brant Walkley, in collaboration with Sellafield Ltd. and UK National Nuclear Laboratory, and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, that comprises >20 current PhDs in encapsulant/wasteform development across the Faculty of Engineering. They will benefit from being a member of a friendly and collegial group with world-leading expertise and facilities.

About SATURN

This PhD is based with the SATURN Centre for Doctoral Training. SATURN is made up form a consortium of NW Universities that include Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Lancaster, Sheffield and Strathclyde. The ethos of the programme is to recruit students from across STEM and give them the necessary skills and training to become a subject matter expert in the nuclear sector in either industry or academia. You will be recruited with a cohort of other researchers all looking at nuclear focused research but from across the breadth of the sector. Your training will include an introduction to nuclear course as well as opportunities to do a deep dive in the areas that really interest you. You will also have the opportunity to broaden your experience and skills by visiting internationally relevant facilities, having an industry secondment, undertaking leadership training, and involving yourself in outreach and public engagement activities. If this sounds like the sort of opportunity that you are looking for, we would love to hear from you.

Nuclear Boot Camp (Months 1 - 3)

The Bootcamp is based at Manchester for any of our students based at a partner institution SATURN can offer you accommodation in Manchester

Entry Requirements

Applicants should have a minimum of an upper second class honours degree in chemical engineering, chemistry, bioscience or a related technical subject. If English is not your first language then you must have an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) average of 6.5 or above with at least 6.0 in each component, or equivalent. Please see this link for further information: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/phd/apply/english-language

How to apply

Please complete the enquiry form to express your interest.

We strongly recommend you contact the project supervisor after completing the form to speak to them about your suitability for the project. You can find their details on the project listing.

If your qualifications meet our standard entry requirements, the CDT Admissions Team will send your enquiry form and CV to the named project supervisor.

Our application process can also be found on our website: Apply | EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Skills And Training Underpinning a Renaissance in Nuclear | The University of Manchester. If you have any questions, please contact SATURN@manchester.ac.uk

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and economic impact. We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status. We also support applications from those returning from a career break or other roles. We consider offering flexible study arrangements (including part-time: 50%, 60% or 80%, depending on the project/funder).

Before you apply

Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to contact the project supervisor Dr Bran Walkley (b.walkley@sheffield.ac.uk) to discuss their interest in and suitability for the project prior to submitting an application, also register their interest with the EPSRC CDT SATURN (Saturn@manchester.ac.uk) for this project.

Funding Notes

The project will be part of the EPSRC-supported Centre for Doctoral Training in Skills And Training Underpinning a Renaissance in Nuclear (SATURN). This is a fully funded PhD studentship, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Sellafield Ltd. The funding covers the cost of tuition fees and provides an enhanced annual tax-free stipend for 4 years commencing at £26,000 at the start of the project (increasing each year in line with the UKRI base-rate). The studentship is available for a student from the United Kingdom or from the European Union with 3 years’ residency in the UK.