Utilisation of Textile Waste for Enhanced Biogas Production
Loughborough UniversityLoughborough, United Kingdom
Course overview
Large amounts of textile waste are generated worldwide during their manufacture and as post-consumer waste. Textile recycling is difficult as a variety of fabric materials are used in production, and most of it ends up in landfills or get incinerated. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an environment-friendly microbial process that can degrade organic materials and produces biogas.
Cotton represents the largest fraction of textile waste that can be subjected to AD. However, its high crystallinity resists microbial degradation. An effective pretreatment is required before using cotton-rich textiles as AD feed, to aid the breakdown of organic matter and increase biogas yield.
Most pretreatment techniques are often energy-intensive, expensive and produce toxic residues that can adversely affect sensitive AD microbial communities. The main aim of this PhD project is to study textile pretreatment process using highly reactive species produced by gas plasma and how the AD microbial system is affected by the pretreated materials (mostly experimental but may involve computational simulations). An energy-efficient and scalable plasma-microbubble pretreatment reactor that has been developed over the past few years will be used for this purpose.
94% of Loughborough’s research impact is rated world-leading or internationally excellent. REF 2021
Key highlights
- Research into anaerobic digestion of cotton-rich textile waste for biogas
- Investigates gas plasma pretreatment to boost biogas yield
- Uses an established energy-efficient, scalable plasma-microbubble pretreatment reactor
- Studies how pretreated textiles affect AD microbial communities
- Mainly experimental work with possible computational simulations
- 94% of research impact rated world-leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021)
Entry requirements
- Degree: 2:1 — 2:1
Scholarships
Alumni Bursary
10% of tuition fees which will be credited to the student’s tuition fee account.
Up to 10% of feesAlumni Discount
UK students: £1,500 tuition fee discount for one academic year. International students: £3,000 tuition fee discount for one academic year.
Care Leaver's Scholarship
Excellence Scholarships
UK students: £3,000 off tuition fees; International students: £6,000 off tuition fees which will be credited to the student’s tuition fee account.
International Sports Student Postgraduate Bursary
Our International Sports Student Postgraduate Bursary offers a £12,000 tuition fee discount (set against the tuition fees of your chosen postgraduate taught programme ONLY).
Up to £12,000London 10th Anniversary Award
£5,000 off tuition fees.
Up to £5,000Loughborough Business School Scholarship
£1,500 (UK students) and £3,000 (international students) off tuition fees which will be credited to the student’s tuition fee account.
MBA Progress with Purpose Scholarship
50% of tuition fees which will be credited to the student’s tuition fee account.
Up to 50% of feesQatari Ghanim Al-Muftah Excellence Scholarship
Careers this course leads to
- Bioprocess engineer
- Renewable energy research scientist
- Waste management and recycling engineer
- Environmental engineer
- Postdoctoral research associate
- Process development engineer
Cost of study
UK/Home: £5,238 | International: £29,500
Admission
Applications are made through AHZ at no cost. Share your transcripts, English test scores and personal statement, and your AHZ Counsellor will review your profile, submit your application to Loughborough University, and guide you through interview, offer, CAS and visa — right up to enrolment.
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