Development of clean-up and clean technologies for the treatment of industrial waste streams

The main focus of my research is on process innovations in various industries, for example, chemical, petrochemical, textile, plating, and leather manufacturing processes. I work on the development of treatment system which can be subdivided into end-of-pipe technologies and clean technologies. The end-of-pipe technologies are basically designed for installation at the end of the production process, without altering the chemical reactions manufacturing the main product. The clean technology, on the other hand, is a type of technology with which pollution is eliminated from within the production process, meaning that pollutants do not form in the first place. Thus, clean technologies are frequently seen as being superior to end-of-pipe technologies for both environmental and economic reasons. The selection of these technologies to combat the problems associated with the management of pollution control largely depends on the nature of the environmental problems and the type of regulations involved.

The development of clean-up technologies involves the use of various types of solvents to remove toxic materials from both solid and liquid waste streams. The main focus of my research is to prepare and characterise different types of ionic liquids (ILs) and evaluate their performances for the selective extraction of metals from mixed waste samples. The specific objectives are: 1) to synthesis ILs using solvent-free methods, 2) to characterise these ionic liquids and 3) to investigate the solubility of heavy metals, rare earth metals, and metal oxides in these ILs. The development of clean technologies involves optimisation and improved control of chemical reactions in existing processes and the development of new processes to achieve environmentally clean reactions. In particular, I work on the development of a concentrator cell to improve metal recovery systems from dilute solutions for the control of industrial pollution received the Queen’s Award for Environmental Achievement.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for the above PhD topic please follow the steps below:

1. Contact the supervisor by email or phone to discuss your interest and find out if you would be suitable. Supervisor details can be found on this topic page. The supervisor will guide you in developing the topic-specific research proposal, which will form part of your application.
2. Click on the 'Apply here' button on this page and you will be taken to the relevant PhD course page, where you can apply using an online application.
3. Complete the online application indicating your selected supervisor and include the research proposal for the topic you have selected.

Good luck!

This is a self funded topic

Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. See more information here: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Research-degrees/Research-degree-funding. The UK Government is also offering Doctoral Student Loans for eligible students, and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.