PhD Scholarship Project: Closing the Loop on Vanadium: Techno-Economic Process Development for Recovering Critical Raw Materials and Low-Carbon Cement Additives from Spent Sulfuric Acid Catalysts

About the project

About the Project Spent vanadium pentoxide catalysts from sulfuric acid manufacture are produced at large scale worldwide and currently disposed of as hazardous waste, despite containing both a critical raw material (vanadium) and a silica-rich diatomaceous earth capable of substituting for carbon-intensive Portland cement. Building on preliminary bench-scale work at Imperial College London, which demonstrated selective vanadium leaching using tetramethylammonium hydroxide-based extractants and showed that the purified diatomaceous earth residue can perform as a supplementary cementitious material, this project will optimise and scale the separation process and assess recovered vanadium as feedstock for both fresh catalyst manufacture and vanadium electrolyte for redox flow batteries. Working jointly with Dr Jenny Baker's group at the University of Bath, whose expertise spans the recycling of functional materials and life-cycle assessment of energy storage systems, the student will characterise the purity and performance of the recovered vanadium and diatomaceous earth products and build techno-economic and life-cycle models comparing this circular route against conventional vanadium production and cement manufacture. Aligned with the CDT in Green Industrial Futures' focus on industrial decarbonisation, resource efficiency and critical raw material security, the project will deliver the process and economic evidence needed to scale a dual-value recycling pathway that cuts both hazardous waste and embodied carbon. This scholarship is open to all applicants regardless of their fee status. It covers both tuition fees and a tax-free contribution to maintenance costs of £25,000 per annum for 42 months. The Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London offers an advanced 3-4-year research degree that provides in-depth specialist training and knowledge in a topical area pertaining to Chemical Engineering and related Engineering and Science disciplines. The Department has state-of-the-art experimental and computational facilities and is the home of the Automated high-throughput platform suite , the Sargent Centre for Process Systems Engineering and the Sustainable Futures Lab . The Department holds a Silver Athena Swan award for good practice in supporting academic women and gender equality renewed in 2024. This award recognises the good practices already in place for supporting women at all stages as well as our commitment to removing barriers to equal progress and achievement. Deadline: 01 November 2027 for the first selection round 11 January 2027 for the second selection round 01 March 2027 for the third selection round (subject to availability of scholarships) In order to be considered for the Chemical Engineering PhD Scholarships, you will need to submit your PhD application for admission through the online admissions system . Full details on the application and selection process can be found on our webpages . We encourage all interested applicants to contact Prof Hallet ( j.hallett@imperial.ac.uk )before making an application.

Research areas