Exploring and imaging nano- to micro-scale graphite-organic interactions underpinning novel water treatments

在本项目中，将评估这一过程对破坏合成和复杂（天然）水基质中的各种有机和有机金属化合物，如杀虫剂、药品、多环芳烃和三丁基锡的有效性。这将使用小型/实验室规模的装置以及较大的工业规模的处理装置来完成。各种最先进的分析和成像技术，包括气相色谱和/或液相色谱质谱，衰减全反射和原位多重内反射傅里叶变换红外光谱，以及透射电子显微镜，将用于检查在吸附过程中发生在吸附剂表面的附着，脱离和可能的碎裂反应背后的基本关系。这些将包括表征起始材料的实验和获取非原位反应表面的快照。为了补充成像工作，我们还将利用最近nerc资助的NIAFEM（纳米环境材料成像和分析）仪器，这在英国是独一无二的，结合了环境扫描电子显微镜，-拉曼和- x射线荧光。这些技术有可能在单个和亚粒子水平上获得有关有机成分和结构的详细信息。吸附物-有机物相互作用的模型将用于为不同类别的有机/有机金属污染物建立预测模型。至关重要的是，实验室规模和更大规模实验的协同作用，最先进的分析/成像技术和建模的使用，将允许推断破坏过程的有效性，为我们对这种潜在重要的新型水处理方法的理解提供一个步骤的改变。在这个跨学科项目中工作的学生将在水文学，有机（地球）化学，环境矿物学/表面化学和分析（地球）化学方面获得广泛的培训，并且适合具有这些领域背景的学生。他/她将在地球与环境科学学院工作，并将有机会使用世界一流的设施，包括最近翻新的有机地球化学实验室和nerc资助的NIAFEM设施，位于牛津大学威廉姆森分子环境科学研究中心。产出将收录在同行评议出版物的论文中。该学生将与该项目的工业合作伙伴Arvia Technology UK密切合作，增加适当的研究预算，获得工业规模的单位进行更大规模的实验，并接触到蓬勃发展的工业环境。Arvia科技有限公司在英国Runcorn的Heath商业和技术园区建立了研究设施，将吸附与电化学再生相结合的（专利）工艺商业化，用于破坏水性有机物。它在创新、可持续性和实施方面获得了众多奖项（IChemE、IET、RSC、Innovate 10、Rushlight、4I），还登上了《卫报》全球清洁技术100强榜单。该学生将作为UoM和Arvia之间的联络人，并负责将在该项目中获得的所有基本学术知识转化为具有工业价值和有用的流程/协议。他/她还将参与Arvia的一系列商业活动，将被要求定期参加Arvia的技术团队会议，最好每月（双）次报告研究更新。这将确保学生了解水务行业所需的监管要求、行业内的商业地位和机会以及知识产权意识。该项目汇集了一个在上述领域具有互补经验和集体经验的（学术）导师团队

In this project the effectiveness of this process for the destruction of a variety of organic and organometallic compounds, such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and tributyltin, in synthetic and complex (natural) water matrices will beassessed. This will be done using, small/lab scale set ups as well as larger, industry size treatment units. A variety of state of the art analytical and imaging technologies, including gas chromatography and/or liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, attenuated total reflectance and in situ multiple internal reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy will be used to examine the fundamental relationships behind the attachment, detachment and possible fragmentation reactions that occur on the adsorbent surface during the process. These will include experiments to characterise the starting material and to acquire snapshots of ex situ reacted surfaces. To complement the imaging work we will also utilise the recently NERC-funded NIAFEM (Nanoscale Imaging and analysis of environmental materials) instrument, which is unique in the UK and combines environmental scanning electron microscopy, -Raman and -X-ray fluorescence. These techniques have the potential to allow detailed information about the organic composition and structure at the single and sub-particle level. Modelling of adsorbate-organics interactions will be used to produce predictive models for different classes of organic/organometallic contaminants. Critically, the synergy of the lab scale and larger scale experiments, the use of state of the art analytical/imaging techniques and modelling will allow the effectiveness of the destruction process to be deduced, providing a step change in our understanding of this potentially important novel water treatment method.The student working on this cross-disciplinary project will gain a wide breadth of training in hydrology, organic (geo)chemistry, environmental mineralogy/surface chemistry and analytical (geo)chemistry and would suit a student with a background in any of these fields. He/she will be based in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and will have access to world-class facilities, including the recently refurbished Organic Geochemistry Laboratories and the NERC-funded NIAFEM facility, in the Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science at UoM. Outputs will be captured in a thesis of peer reviewed publications. The student will work closely with the industrial partner in this project, Arvia Technology UK, bringing appropriate research budget enhancements, access to industry size units for the larger scale experiments and exposure to a thriving industrial environment. Arvia Technology Ltd has established research facilities at The Heath Business and Technical Park in Runcorn to commercialise the (patented) process of adsorption coupled with electrochemical regeneration for the destruction of aqueous organics. It has received a multitude of awards for innovation, sustainability and implementation (IChemE, IET, RSC, Innovate 10, Rushlight, 4I) and also featured on the Guardian's Global Cleantech 100 List. The student will act as the liaison between UoM and Arvia and will be responsible for the transfer of all essential academic knowledge acquired during this project into industrially valuable and useful processes/protocols. He/she will also be involved in a range of commercial activities within Arvia, will be required to regularly attend Arvia's technical team meetings and present research updates ideally on a (bi)monthly basis. This will ensure that the student will gain an understanding of the regulatory requirements needed in the water industry, the commercial position and opportunities within the industry and IP awareness.This project brings together a team of (academic) supervisors with complementary experience in the fields mentioned above and collective experience of wat