PhD Scholarship in Chemical and Process Engineering at University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Brief Description
A PhD position is available in the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Canterbury for the following project:

• Title: Desulfurization of fuel using advanced oxidation process
• Closing Date: Position will be open until filled.
• Subjects: Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Catalysis. Environmental and Energy

Desulfurization of fuel using advanced oxidation process
Strict regulations and standards regarding the sulfur content of motor fuels have been enacted worldwide, especially in developing countries, in the past decade in response to the need for cleaner air. Petrochemical industry, therefore, is expected to meet the challenge of the new regulatory constraints at a significant cost as the conventional hydro-desulfurization (HDS) process requires elevated temperature and pressure for deep desulfurization. HDS cannot readily achieve very low sulfur level in the fuels and also has severe cost burden because of the enormous hydrogen consumption in the process.

An alternative method to obtain “zero sulfur” fuels under a mild and a more economical condition compared with the existing HDS process is the oxidative desulfurization technology. Oxidative desulfurization can effectively remove the difficult-to-desulfurize compounds, such as dibenzothiophenes (DBT), from the fuels by oxidizing them under low temperature and pressure to form highly polar compounds, which can be easily separated by extraction or adsorption.

This project involves designing a new heterogeneous catalyst using metal organic frameworks, which is a new class of material possesses surface area and porosity surpassing activated carbon and zeolites, as the support for deep oxidative desulfurization of refractory sulfur compounds. Focus will be placed on evaluating the performance of this new catalyst on sulfur removal using advanced oxidation process at atmospheric pressure and a much lower temperature condition compared with the existing process. Completion of this project will allow the PhD student to gain extensive knowledge in material synthesis and photo-catalysis.

We are looking for hard-working and ambitious candidates with proven track record of academic achievement. Previous experience on academic research related to catalysis during undergraduate training, or equivalent, will be a clear asset.

TO APPLY
Send your CV and an application letter clearly describing your experience and motivation in pursuing postgraduate study to Dr. Alex Yip . Two confidential letters of reference will be requested upon further consideration.

Eligibility
BE(Hons), BSc(Hons), ME, MSc (with either a chemical engineering or physical chemistry or material science background)

• Amount : $25,000 per annum
• Tenure : 3 years
• Closing Dates : 30 September 2011

http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/scholarshipsearch/ScholarshipDetails.aspx?ScholarshipID=6935.1323

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