The Department of Environmental
Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark invites applications
for a position as PhD student on the topic: Risks and recycling. Are contaminants and additives in waste materials limiting recycling?
The project aims at assessing the limitations of waste recycling. Many products and recyclable waste materials contain additives/contaminants which are unwanted in a recycling context. These contaminants may pose a problem either because they limit downstream recycling or utilization options for waste materials or because the contaminants may accumulate during recycling, potentially to a level where recycling is not feasible. Addressing this issue requires detailed knowledge of the waste composition; however, current waste data are in most cases insufficient for assessing the importance of contaminants in recyclable materials.
The student will work at the Department of Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark with Associate Professor Thomas Astrup as main supervisor and Associate Professor Eva Eriksson as co-advisor. Professor Emeritus Bernd Bilitewski, Technical University of Dresden, DE will be associated with the project in order to ensure direct access to a current EU mapping project on the issue.
Job description
Background Most products ending up in waste are industrial products containing additives (e.g. stabilizers, flame-retardants, plasticizers and pigments) or residues of substances used during manufacturing. These additives yield constant and stable quality of the products at low costs and usually cannot easily be removed. Such substances may persist or even accumulate during waste treatment or recycling processes, and may potentially constitute a health or environmental problem when the treated waste materials are utilized or recycled. An ongoing EU-project is currently addressing the issue conceptually, but the project has already revealed that existing data are few.
Society prioritizes recycling because this is considered to save resources. But recycling may also lead to spreading of contaminants (via the recycled materials) as well as indirectly cause emissions to the environment e.g. if part of the waste stream is used on land. Society may therefore also need sinks for unwanted substances that could constitute a problem if accumulated in recycled products. But better knowledge of which substances may be problematic must be established so that the balance between recycling and destruction can be assessed scientifically. Alternatively, such information - where a risk is identified - could justify the legal abandoning of such substances that may compromise recycling.
Alternative to recycling, the materials can be treated for energy recovery or destruction. For most organic compounds this will be an efficient control, while this for inorganic elements may lead to accumulation in ashes or side streams and then constitute a secondary but potentially controllable issue. For such inorganic contaminants the content in the non-recyclable stream of the waste should also be quantified in order to address the problem in its full perspective.
Content The overall objective of the PhD project is to develop a scientifically based approach to assessing the limitations for recycling based on the presence of contaminants in the waste and to provide a quantitative assessment of the issue on selected waste streams based on analysis of actual waste materials. The work is expected to include:
Qualifications Candidates should have a Master's degree in engineering or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to the Master's degree in engineering. The applicant should have qualifications within the following areas:
We offerWe believe that we offer an exciting and challenging job in an international environment with a good team spirit and good possibilities for professional and personal growth. We are a family-friendly organisation with flexible working hours.
Approval and EnrolmentThe scholarships for the PhD degree are subject to academic approval, and the candidates will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes of DTU. For information about the general requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies, please see the DTU PhD Guide.
Salary and appointment termsThe salary and appointment terms are consistent with the current rules for PhD degree students. The period of employment is 3 years.
Further information Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Thomas Astrup, thas@env.dtu.dk
Do NOT send applications to this e-mail address, but use the electronic submission system mentioned below.
Information about DTU Environment can also be found at www.env.dtu.dk
ApplicationWe must have your online application by the 15 April 2012. Please open the link "apply for this job online", fill in the application form and attach the following documents;
All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.
Graduate schoolThe student will be a part of the graduate school 3R• Residual Resources Research. This graduate school was established in Denmark in the fall of 2005 as an integrated graduate school for PhD students within engineering and socioeconomic studies focusing on integrated resource and waste management. 3R • Residual Resources Research is a partnership between nine Danish universities, research institutions, private companies and utility companies. More information about the graduate school can be found on www.3r.env.dtu.dk
Further Information The project aims at assessing the limitations of waste recycling. Many products and recyclable waste materials contain additives/contaminants which are unwanted in a recycling context. These contaminants may pose a problem either because they limit downstream recycling or utilization options for waste materials or because the contaminants may accumulate during recycling, potentially to a level where recycling is not feasible. Addressing this issue requires detailed knowledge of the waste composition; however, current waste data are in most cases insufficient for assessing the importance of contaminants in recyclable materials.
The student will work at the Department of Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark with Associate Professor Thomas Astrup as main supervisor and Associate Professor Eva Eriksson as co-advisor. Professor Emeritus Bernd Bilitewski, Technical University of Dresden, DE will be associated with the project in order to ensure direct access to a current EU mapping project on the issue.
Job description
Background Most products ending up in waste are industrial products containing additives (e.g. stabilizers, flame-retardants, plasticizers and pigments) or residues of substances used during manufacturing. These additives yield constant and stable quality of the products at low costs and usually cannot easily be removed. Such substances may persist or even accumulate during waste treatment or recycling processes, and may potentially constitute a health or environmental problem when the treated waste materials are utilized or recycled. An ongoing EU-project is currently addressing the issue conceptually, but the project has already revealed that existing data are few.
Society prioritizes recycling because this is considered to save resources. But recycling may also lead to spreading of contaminants (via the recycled materials) as well as indirectly cause emissions to the environment e.g. if part of the waste stream is used on land. Society may therefore also need sinks for unwanted substances that could constitute a problem if accumulated in recycled products. But better knowledge of which substances may be problematic must be established so that the balance between recycling and destruction can be assessed scientifically. Alternatively, such information - where a risk is identified - could justify the legal abandoning of such substances that may compromise recycling.
Alternative to recycling, the materials can be treated for energy recovery or destruction. For most organic compounds this will be an efficient control, while this for inorganic elements may lead to accumulation in ashes or side streams and then constitute a secondary but potentially controllable issue. For such inorganic contaminants the content in the non-recyclable stream of the waste should also be quantified in order to address the problem in its full perspective.
Content The overall objective of the PhD project is to develop a scientifically based approach to assessing the limitations for recycling based on the presence of contaminants in the waste and to provide a quantitative assessment of the issue on selected waste streams based on analysis of actual waste materials. The work is expected to include:
- Review of existing literature on the topic as well as material collected in the EU project overview
- Analysis of suspected contaminants in selected streams of potentially recyclable materials
- Assess risks associated with the selected streams of recyclable materials
- Assess acceptable levels of recycling based on current levels of contaminants and un-wanted substances, and suggest appropriate criteria for decisions regarding selection of material recycling options
- Identify potentially critical additives in recyclable materials which limit the recyclability.
Qualifications Candidates should have a Master's degree in engineering or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to the Master's degree in engineering. The applicant should have qualifications within the following areas:
- Knowledge about waste management
- Background in chemistry and environmental chemistry
- Knowledge about environmental risks
- Knowledge about sampling and analysis.
We offerWe believe that we offer an exciting and challenging job in an international environment with a good team spirit and good possibilities for professional and personal growth. We are a family-friendly organisation with flexible working hours.
Approval and EnrolmentThe scholarships for the PhD degree are subject to academic approval, and the candidates will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes of DTU. For information about the general requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies, please see the DTU PhD Guide.
Salary and appointment termsThe salary and appointment terms are consistent with the current rules for PhD degree students. The period of employment is 3 years.
Further information Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Thomas Astrup, thas@env.dtu.dk
Do NOT send applications to this e-mail address, but use the electronic submission system mentioned below.
Information about DTU Environment can also be found at www.env.dtu.dk
ApplicationWe must have your online application by the 15 April 2012. Please open the link "apply for this job online", fill in the application form and attach the following documents;
- A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
- Curriculum vitae
- Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma
- Conversion of grade averages to Danish grades (see guidelines and excel spreadsheet for the conversion here).
All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.
Graduate schoolThe student will be a part of the graduate school 3R• Residual Resources Research. This graduate school was established in Denmark in the fall of 2005 as an integrated graduate school for PhD students within engineering and socioeconomic studies focusing on integrated resource and waste management. 3R • Residual Resources Research is a partnership between nine Danish universities, research institutions, private companies and utility companies. More information about the graduate school can be found on www.3r.env.dtu.dk
Application Deadline : 15 April 2012
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Posted on 2012-03-18 11:38:48
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