Job offers in our research group

 

PhD position in Study of metallic pollutants extraction from soil using recyclable glass nanocomposites

Application Deadline : –

Healthy soils are critical importance to support life and human activity. Healthy soils are essential for food and biomass production as well as in carbon and nutrient cycles. It is known that pollutants in soil can contaminated groundwater through leaching. Pollutants like heavy metals affect soil fertility and prevent the growth of food due to potential risk for human health both indirectly through the consumption of contaminated food and water (through groundwater contamination), and directly through exposure to contaminated soil. Recent studies investigated the health impacts on households living near polluted mining sites and they highlighted clear effects on health. There are many technologies available for soil remediation, which includes mechanical methods, phytoremediation, evaporation, burying, washing, and dispersion. However, these processes are not cost-effective and can potentially induce the partial breakdown of pollutants.
Our research group has developed a new technology based on the combination of porous glass and active nanomaterials that can extract heavy metal ions from contaminated water. The porous glass retains water from soil and can provide water when it is needed (dry period). The pollutants from soil will be extracted by water leaching and absorption by porous glass. The water that will be then release afterward will be cleaned from pollutants. The goal of the project is to investigate the possibility to clean the soil using porous glass nanocomposites.
The composite will be also tested for water depollution (heavy metal extraction and organic pollutant removal). The possibility to reclaim the extracted metallic pollutants from the porous glass will be also investigated with experts in metallurgy and hydrometallurgy, but it will not be the main focus of the thesis. In a second step, outdoor tests will be performed. The PhD student will also assess the effects of glass nanocomposites on telluric microbiota in collaboration with experts from EMÜ.

This PhD student will investigate a technology that combines depollution and resources harvesting. The goal is the study of the extraction of metallic pollutants from contaminated soils using filter glass
nanocomposites and evaluate the efficiency of the extraction through a better understanding of the extraction mechanism. The PhD student will also work closely with companies on this topic (i.e. RagnSells AS, Emajoe Vesi AS) and other partners involved in soil decontamination and water cleaning. The technology will be up-scaled for the remediation of known contaminated soil and a pilot test is scheduled at the end to the PhD thesis.

Please send complete CV and list of 3 referees with your application to erwan.rauwel@emu.ee