PhD Studentship - Process Industries: Net Zero - Sustainable Methanol from Waste

Award Summary

100% fees (UK Home only), a minimum tax-free annual living allowance at the 2026/27 UKRI rate (£21,805), and a research training support grant of £20,000.

Overview

The PINZ CDT will train the next generation of process and chemical engineers, and chemists, to develop the new processes, process technologies and green chemistries required for the process industries’ transition to Net Zero.

Global methanol market demand has increased rapidly and is forecasted to grow to over 130 MMT by 2030. Compared to hydrogen and ammonia as low-carbon fuel options for long-distance maritime routes, methanol fuel tankers are already in action, with multiple international fleets of methanol-fuelled vessels.

Over 99% of methanol is produced from steam methane reformation of natural gas, which is an efficient, mature technology, yet it requires high temperatures and has a large carbon footprint.

This PhD project addresses a key challenge: efficiently producing bio-methanol from abundant, high-moisture waste feedstocks such as digestate (a byproduct of anaerobic digestion) and other high-moisture waste streams. The research will focus on hydrothermal processing, a promising potential for disruptive market innovation by eliminating the energy-intensive drying steps typically required for wet biomass sources. Process Intensification strategies will be employed, offering substantial advantages in energy efficiency and process economics. The impact of operating parameters on hydrothermal processing will be investigated, exploring advanced modelling techniques, catalysis for methanol production, leveraging facilities at Newcastle University and PuriFire.

The project also offers great opportunities to work with experienced engineers/scientists at PuriFire in:

(i) Reactor Design Optimisation: Contribute to the design of the UK’s largest hydrothermal methanol synthesis, exploring advanced modelling techniques to maximize yield and minimize byproduct formation.

(ii) Scalability Studies: Investigate the challenges and opportunities associated with scaling up this technology.

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

1 October 2026

Award Duration

4 years

Sponsor

EPSRC

Supervisors

Academic supervisor: Professor Anh Phan, Process Intensification Group, Newcastle. There will also be an industrial supervisor from Purifire.

Eligibility Criteria

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project (usually chemical engineering, but please get in touch if you think your qualification may be relevant). Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements. 

This studentship is open to home students only and if successful will receive a full studentship.

How To Apply

You must apply through the University's Apply to Newcastle Portal. Once registered, select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application'.

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:  

• Search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8856F
• Leave the 'Research Area' field blank
• Select ‘PhD in Process Industries; Net Zero (PINZ)' as the programme of study

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ section:  

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form  
• The studentship code PINZ03-26 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field  
• ‘Research Proposal’ - when prompted for how you are providing your research proposal –select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert. You do not need to upload a research proposal.

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application.

Contact Details

pinz.cdt@ncl.ac.uk

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