Project 1 - Is biochar production the answer to biosolid reuse? (Mark Hodson, University of York)

About the project

About the Project Is biochar the answer to the UKs biosolids reuse challenge?" Are you passionate about solving complex environmental challenges? Interested in creating non-toxic environments that benefit society and nature alike? This innovative and exciting PhD project, co-designed with non-academic partners, is part of the NERC-funded ECOSOLUTIONS Doctoral Focal Award, and offers the opportunity to address real world challenges with key opinion-formers to help support sustainable chemical development and create non-toxic urban & rural landscapes. Project details: Biosolid production is an inevitable consequence of wastewater treatment. In the UK, most biosolids are used as a soil amendment, providing organic matter and nutrients. Disposal to sea is illegal and, although popular in Europe, concerns over past combustion-related pollutants such as dioxins and furans, and CO2 emissions mean that biosolid incineration remains unlikely to be widely adopted in the UK. With increasing analytical capabilities concerns have been raised about residual levels of various xenobiotic chemicals in biosolids and biosolid products, their potential accumulation in soils and crops grown in amended soils and their potential leaching from soils. This project will investigate whether use of charring technologies is a solution to reducing the chemical load of biosolid products and any unwanted uptake of chemicals from biosolids by plants whilst maintaining the organic carbon and nutrient benefit of biosolid products used as a soil amendment. Thus the project spans agricultural, water and soil systems within the context of sustainability and waste reuse. Using laboratory-scale facilities you will produce biosolid chars using conventional and microwave pyrolysis and hydrocharring, investigate how operational parameters alter yields and determine organic and inorganic chemical loads and their leachability for initial biosolid products and biosolid-derived chars. You will then produce chars at York’s Biorenewables Development Centre in sufficient quantity to conduct crop plant growth experiments to compare chemical uptake from conventional and charred biosolids into plants and monitor leaching from, and soil health parameters in, amended soils. You will also carry out stakeholder mapping and interviews to determine perceived risks and opportunities associated with the charring approach and the sustainability of the process. The ECOSOLUTIONS DFA Led by the Universities of Sheffield and York and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, ECOSOLUTIONS is a cutting-edge, transdisciplinary initiative. This innovative programme combines science, policy, and societal engagement to transform chemicals policy and management, enabling a safe, sustainable chemicals sector and non-toxic environments. This project is one of 19 projects that are available for the third ECOSOLUTIONS and final cohort who will work together to begin to understand and solve the problems of sustainable chemical design and use, as well tackling the problems that pollution causes in urban environments, rural landscapes and food systems. What You will Gain As an ECOSOLUTIONS PhD student, you will work with world-leading experts across diverse fields such as ecology, data science, digital solutions, chemistry, geography, psychology, environmental engineering, policy, and law. You will learn to tackle the risks posed by chemicals while enabling their societal benefits, adopting a whole-systems and solutions-focused approach. You will receive 3 years and 9 months of funding and take part in a dynamic training and development programme, including: Induction course: Connect with fellow students, supervisors, and the ECOSOLUTIONS team while exploring the programme’s mission. Primer course: Gain foundational knowledge on the environmental risks that chemicals pose, policy landscapes, and sustainable chemical innovation. Transferable skills workshops: Master data management, big data methods, research practices, communication, stakeholder engagement and more. Systems-solutions workshops: Collaborate across disciplines to explore sustainable chemical design and development, address pollution in urban & rural landscapes, and develop actionable solutions. Three-month secondment: Yorkshire Water/UKWIR International conferences: Share your findings and network with global experts. The skills you will need To do this project you will need the following essential skills: Laboratory skills Data analysis and/or modelling Whilst the PGR would not require pre-existing skills in social science methodologies, the stakeholder engagement work needs to be something that they are willing to do; the supervisory team has the necessary experience to help the PGR to develop the skills they need for this. Eligibility : To be considered for the ECOSOLUTIONS DFA, you will need at least an upper 2nd class honours degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline. As a collaboration of international research-led universities, we welcome students from all walks of life and from across the world. Within our programme, we are dedicated to diversifying our community. As part of our ongoing work to improve Equality, Diversity and Inclusion we strongly encourage applications from UK/Home candidates from identified underrepresented groups: Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, those from a disadvantaged socio-economic background, and disabled people. Start Your Research Career with ECOSOLUTIONS: This PhD is part of the ECOSOLUTIONS Doctoral Focal Award (DFA), a prestigious NERC-funded program dedicated to training the next generation of environmental practitioners. For more details and a full list of other PhD projects under this programme, visit: https://ecosolutions.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/ Application Web Page: For more information on how to apply, please visit the ECOSOLUTIONS website: https://ecosolutions.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/ Project specific enquiries: Professor Mark Hodson, University of York, mark.hodson@york.ac.uk

Research areas