Summer Research Intern - Decentralised Production of Terpene Esters from Flower Waste
Summer Research Intern - Decentralised Production of Terpene Esters from Flower Waste
Employer Active
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Share
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Not Disclosed
Salary Not Disclosed
1 Vacancy
Job Description
Project title: Decentralised Production of Terpene Esters from Flower Waste
Project Description:
The billiondollar flavour and fragrance industry rely on petrochemical feedstock for 87 of their processes and changing regulations have prompted this industry to identify climateneutral routes for manufacturing flavour ingredients. Flowers are an abundant source of terpenes which are highly versatile molecules that can be tailored into a range of flavour ingredients and have low lignin content allowing for easy processing compared to agricultural biomass. Terpene based chemicals are currently produced in stirred tank reactors and have limited industrial application due to: (i) long reaction times loss in product yield due to product inhibition and (iii) limited reusability of expensive catalysts such as enzymes. This limitation can be overcome through process intensification by identifying alternate reactor design and modes of operation to the current stateofart reactors. The outcomes from this research activities align with the UKs priority to utilise biomass as an alternative feedstock to achieve netzero target by 2050 in chemical industries.
The aim of the 10week project is to optimise the scaleup of terpene esters in continuous flow inverter reactor (CFI) using crude flower oils as starting material. This involves extracts from flowers such as marigold hyacinth begonia dianthus and tulips. The CFI is a modular reactor and has shown potential for enhancing enzyme catalytic reactions through improved mixing. Initial studies using model rose oil feedstock has shown a 10X increase in productivity of the terpene esters compared to the reaction in a conventional stirred tank reactor. This is due to localised mixing effects within the CFI resulting in the formation of series of slugs where there is a reduced resistance to mass transfer in difference to the reaction taking place in bulk volume in a conventional stirred tank reactor. The CFI will now be optimised to produce terpene esters from flower waste streams originating in the UK. Crude flower oils are a heterogeneous mixture of terpene compounds which significantly affects the enzyme selectivity and subsequent reaction scaleup. A biphasic system consisting of an aqueous phase (buffer enzyme) and solvent phase (acyl donor and flower oil) was used in the CFI. This mode of operation allows for improved mass transfer between different phases and hence the reaction kinetics and enables easy recovery and reuse of the enzyme present in the aqueous phase. The small footprint of the CFI allows for better control over the reaction mechanism (due to smaller operating volume) allowing for accurate prediction of reaction kinetics and subsequent scaleup. The modularity of the CFI also allows for flower waste to be processed at the point of origin instead of transporting it into central processing facilities further reducing the carbon footprint of the process.
The project plan and timeline are as follows:
- Week 1 Lab induction equipment and analytical methods training.
- Weeks 2 to 7 Design of Experiment approach to determine the optimum CFI operating parameters such as catalyst loading flowrate residence time pH and temperature. This approach requires fewer experiments to characterise the reactor reducing the time and resources needed for reactor optimisation.
- Weeks 6 to 9 Develop a reaction kinetic model to characterise the performance of the CFI and benchmark against the traditional stirred tank reactor.
- Weeks 8 to 10 Report writing and final presentation
Start Date:Earliest start date 23/06/2025
End Date: 10 weeks from the start date. Latest end date 19th September 2025
Working Hours:36.25 hours per week
Pay Rate: 12.50 per hour plus holiday pay
Location: Coates Building University park
Dress Code:Appropriate clothing for laboratory work Long Trousers closed shoes
The duties will include:
- Carrying out experiments as listed in the project description to optimise the CFI
- Data analysis and reporting of results in appropriate format (graphs/tables)
- Presenting updates in research group meetings
- Participation in meetings with industry collaborators and presenting at these meetings.
Skills and experience required for the role: Basic lab skills including writing a risk assessment form enthusiasm to learn new techniques team working problem solving and critical thinking. Previous experience of working in a research lab is desirable but not essential.
Skills/training to be gained from this internship: This project will allow you to learn new techniques in the area of organic chemistry and reaction scaleup using a novel reactor configuration. The experimental work will allow you to develop lab and analytical skills which is relevant for working in an R&D laboratory of a chemical company and transferrable skills such as problem solving group working and communication skills which are essential skills for career development. This project is at the interface of industry and academia and there will be several opportunities to engage with chemical companies such as Unilever and Croda to enable commercial translation of this research.
Widening Participation Criteria
Please note that candidates must fulfil at least one of the following criteria:
- Identify as having Black Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) ethnicity
- Identify their gender as being female or nonbinary
- Be in receipt of a University of Nottingham core bursaryor Nottingham Potential bursary
- Have a declared disability
- Most recent school or college was a state school i.e. not a private school
- Be a mature student 21 or over at the start of their undergraduate course)
- Have spent more than three months in local authority care
- Be under 25 and estranged from their family
- Be a carer
- Have refugee status from the Home Office
- The home address used on their UCASapplication is in an area where people are less likely to go to university*
* Students can check their postcode hereto see if this criteria applies to them
Application Instructions:
Application Closing Date:20th May 2025
The Careers and Employability Service supports student and alumni to make choices about their future after their studies. To support you every step of the way the team can help you to:
- ace the recruitment process providing advice on CV writing and interview preparation.
- explore a wide range of careers areas through web resources and sector events.
- connect with employers with vacancies through careers fairs.
- generate career ideas if youre not sure what you want to do.
- develop the skills you need to be successful in the workplace.
Go to theCareers and Employability Servicewebsite to find out more.
Our University is a supportive inclusive caring and positive community. We warmly welcome those of different cultures ethnicities and beliefs indeed this very diversity is vital to our success it is fundamental to our values and enriches life on campus. We welcome applications from UK Europe and from across the globe.
Further information:
The University of Nottingham will ask you whether you have any unspent criminal convictions as part of our preassignment checks. If the position you are applying for is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 you will be asked to confirm both spent and unspent convictions at the point of offer. Examples of such posts include clinical medical and allied health roles roles involving childcare services. A DBS check may also be required.
The University will only use information relating to criminal convictions where the law allows us to do so in line with our Data Protection Policy. Personal data relating to criminal convictions will be retained confidentially and securely and access to that data will be strictly controlled. More information relating to the manner in which we process your personal data is located within our privacy notice for staff job applicants and others working at the University. Information about your rights relating to the use of your personal data can be found within our website privacy notice.
What Next:To apply for this vacancy please click Apply Now to complete your details.
Please contactfor further information. Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted.
Required Experience:
Intern
Employment Type
Gig
