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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
PhD Project Template
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Use one form per project
Please complete & submit to international@nuigalway.ie as soon as possible, and by 27/11/2012
In your email, begin the subject line with [SWB] (be sure to use square brackets) to ensure that
your email is filed correctly. Emails will be automatically filed
PI name & contact details:
Dr Mark Healy (NUI Galway) / Dr Ronan Courtney (UL)
School:
Engineering and Informatics
Has project been agreed with head (or
nominee) of proposed registration school?
Yes
Research Centre / group affiliation:
The Ryan Institute
Research group / centre website:
www.ryaninstitute.ie
PI website / link to CV:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/civileng/Staff/markhealy.html
Brief summary of PI research / research group / centre activity (2 or 3 lines max):
If you are already involved in relevant scholarly activities relating to Brazil, please mention them here.
Note: we wish to build new collaborative networks to work with and complement our existing
research
The Geo-Environmental Research Group (GERG) at NUI Galway is led by Dr Mark Healy (NUI
Galway), and comprises statisticians, agronomists, and biologists. GERG’s research focus is the study
of the impact of engineering and agricultural activities on the soil, environment and atmosphere.
Title & brief description of PhD project (suitable for publication on web):
The impact of applications of compost/organic amendment and gypsum to bauxite residue on
erodibility and surface runoff
Bauxite residue, the alkaline by-product generated when alumina is extracted from bauxite ores, is
usually deposited in impoundments around a refinery, and owing to its high pH and sodium content,
limits plant growth. Gypsum, used in combination with organic matter (e.g. compost/organic
amendment), may be added to bauxite to reduce its pH and to improve soil structure and stability.
However, while such amendments to bauxite residue have been examined from the point of view of
chemical properties and nutrient availability, no work to date has quantified optimal amendments
to limit erodibility. Therefore, the aims of this project are:
(1) To investigate, in a long-term experiment, the optimal amendment on soil nutrient
availability; carbon, nitrogen and P leaching; and greenhouse gas emissions (if this is an
issue).
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
(2) To determine the impact of different bauxite residue treatments on surface runoff of
nutrients and sediment in a rainfall simulation study.
Tasks involved: Working as part of a research team. Literature search. Characterisation of bauxite
residue and gypsum. Application of bauxite/gypsum mixtures to soil in rainfall simulator runoff
boxes, and measurement of surface runoff of nutrients, solids and anions.
Unique selling points of PhD project in NUI Galway:
NUI Galway projects should emphasise features that are not typically available in Brazil – specific equipment,
multi-disciplinarity, aspects of structured programme, links with industry, placements, links with other research
groups etc.
This project would allow the successful candidate the opportunity to work as part a multidisciplinary
group within NUI Galway’s environmental engineering facility, which has links in Australia, USA,
Finland, France, the UK, and Brazil. The Civil and Environmental Engineering Laboratory, constructed
in 2011 at NUI Galway, is a state-of-the-art laboratory and is amongst the most pre-eminent
laboratories of its type in Ireland. It is located in the largest engineering building in Ireland. The
laboratory has state-of-the-art environmental water quality measurement, microbiological, and gas
measurement facilities. GERG is also closely affiliated with Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, which is
Ireland’s leading research institute on the rural environment, and which conducts both fundamental
and applied research on a wide range of subjects, e.g. nutrient efficiency, water quality.
Name & contact details for project queries, if different from PI named above:
Please indicate the graduates of which disciplines that should apply:
Graduates with a background in Civil/Environmental Engineering, or any natural science subject
(geology, chemistry, hydrogeology) should apply. Training will be provided by the project
supervisors.
Ciência sem Fronteiras / Science Without Borders Priority Area:
Please indicate the specific programme priority area under which the proposed PhD project fits- choose only
one (tick box):
Engineering and other technological areas
x
Please indicate which of the following applies to this project (referring to Science Without Borders
arrangements):
Suitable only as a Full PhD (Y/N): _ _Y___
Available to candidates seeking a Sandwich PhD arrangement (Y/N): ___N__
Suitable for either: ___Y__