IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
Department of Earth Science and Engineering
PhD Studentship in
Chemical Receptors for Removal of Arsenic for Safe Drinking Water
Duration of Studentship: 48 months
Supervisors: Dr Dominik Weiss, Dr Ramon Vilar, Dr Andrew Berry, Dr Darryl Williams and Dr Kieron Maher
(Severn Trent)
An Industrial Case PhD Studentship is available for a UK candidate (or those who have studied in the UK for the past 3 years) with a background in Chemistry and an interest in developing sorbing materials for the removal of arsenic from polluted groundwater. This is a 4 year studentship in collaboration with Severn Trent Water and at least 3 months of the studentship will involve an industrial placement at the company.
Arsenic contamination of drinking water is a serious global public health problem. Arsenic is a potent carcinogen via long-term exposure and it is estimated that 137 million people throughout the world are being unknowingly exposed to unsafe levels of Arsenic in their drinking water. Therefore, more effective and lower-cost robust methods to decontaminate waters from source to point of use are needed. To achieve this, highly selective and efficient low cost sorbent materials must be developed for remediation and monitoring purposes.
In this project we aim to develop a new approach for arsenic removal from contaminated waters. Our approach is based on a two-stage process in which two sorbing materials are employed. In the first state a bi-composite material (based on TiO
2
and Fe
2
O
3
) will be used to remove the bulk anions from the contaminated waters (e.g. phosphates and silicates) and to oxidise arsenite to arsenate. This pre-treated water will then go through a second stage material, based on a solid-supported arsenate-specific chemical receptor. The outcome of the project is expected to be a novel low cost device with a long operational life span that will entirely remove arsenic from contaminated water. In addition, the project will provide a detailed fundamental understanding of the associated physical-chemical processes associated to arsenic sorption.
Candidates should have, or expect to receive, a Chemistry Degree (at least 2.1 or equivalent qulaification) and have an interest in adsorption, spectroscopy, synthetic coordination chemistry and supramolecular chemistry with applications to environmental problems. The successful applicant will join the Departments of Chemistry,
Chemical Engineering and Earth Science and Engineering, which were all rated highly in the most recent
Research Assessment Exercise.
General Details
The project is funded by the Natural Environmental Research Council and offers a tax-free stipend of
£16,500 per annum , rising annually with inflation. It is open to UK and European graduates who qualify for ‘home’ UK fees. The anticipated start date is 1 October 2010. Application forms and instructions can be obtained from our website
( http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/earthscienceandengineering/courses/phdopportunities/phdapplicationprocedure ) or from Ms Samantha Delamaine (Email: sam.delamaine@imperial.ac.uk
or Tel: +44 (0) 207 594 7339). Further information about the project can be obtained from Drs Dominik Weiss and Ramon Vilar (e-mail: d.weiss@imperial.ac.uk
or r.vilar@imperial.ac.uk
).
Applications are accepted until the post is filled
Committed to equality and valuing diversity. We are also an Athena Silver SWAN Award winner and a Stonewall
Diversity Champion
Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ U.K. www.imperial.ac.uk/ese