PhD Candidate in absorption-based CO2 capture focusing on solvent degradation and corrosion

11 Mar 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Department

Department of Chemical Engineering

Research Field

Engineering » Chemical engineering

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Norway

Application Deadline

24 Mar 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Oslo)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

37,5

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

H2020 / Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description
This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

About the position

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

Department of Chemical Engineering seeks a PhD candidate to investigate amine solvent degradation and its control in amine-based CO2 capture plants. The work will be part of project MISSION-CCS (Material Science Innovation for Accelerated, Sustainable and Safe Implementation of Carbon Capture and Storage), a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) program with the network consisting of 16 international organisations in seven countries. 

 This position at the Department of Chemical Engineering at NTNU focuses on understanding  amine degradation and its control in CO2 capture process. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities, and the development and implementation of technologies for CO2  emission reduction is of great importance. Of the various methods to separate CO2 from industrial gases, absorption-based CO2 capture using aqueous alkanolamine solutions has reached the commercial stage. Two of the remaining challenges are closely linked: solvent (amine) degradation and equipment corrosion. Degradation is the irreversible transformation of an absorbent solution into other compounds that may cause equipment corrosion, amine loss, fouling, foaming, reduction of CO2 absorption capacity and more. Corrosion and degradation are closely tied since some of the degradation compounds formed are corrosive agents and corrosion often increases degradation.

This PhD work focuses on improving the understanding of parameters affecting the corrosion and degradation of selected solvent systems by addressing two challenges:

1) Significant progress has been made in understanding degradation and corrosion in CO2 capture plants, but more work is needed. This work aims to fill some identified knowledge gaps related to solvent degradation, how that impacts corrosion and how process parameters affect degradation and corrosion. 

2) Additives could inhibit degradation and corrosion in absorption-based post-combustion capture plants. Thus, identifying and evaluating non-toxic corrosion and degradation inhibitors would be beneficial. 

The latest starting date for the position is the 30th of September 2024.

Duties of the position

• Conduct independent research including activities, in collaboration with the project team. The activities include:
  • Literature review and selection of concepts, solvents, inhibitors and challenges to focus. 
  • Experimental and analytical work to investigate degradation and corrosion, as well as testing degradation and corrosion inhibitors.
  • Critically assess results and uncertainties and develop new or improved methods to study degradation and corrosion.
  • Qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of using inhibitors in industrial processes and how degradation and corrosion are linked to process operation and design 
• Present the performed work and progress internally and externally 
• Publish the result in recognised scientific journals
• Take part in the mandatory PhD research education program

The candidate is further expected to:

• Participate actively in group, institute, and MISSION-CCS project activities and travel to project meetings and the planned research stay at DTU in Denmark.  
• Collaborate with other PhD candidates and research partners in MISSION-CCS and internally at the department
• Contribute to the supervision of undergraduate students.

Information about eligibility

The applicant shall, at the time of recruitment by NTNU, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and not yet have been awarded a doctoral degree. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible. Full-time equivalent research experience is measured from the date when a researcher obtained the degree which would formally entitle him or her to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is recruited.

 

The applicant is required to undertake transnational mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up his/her appointment. At the time of recruitment by NTNU, the applicant must not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the reference date. Note that the mobility rule applies to Norway, where the researcher is recruited, and not to co-hosting research groups to which the researcher is sent or seconded.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in Chemistry
• You must have a professionally relevant background in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or equivalent.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented within 3 months after the start of the position.
• The position requires spoken and written fluency in English.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program 

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate  and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant 

Preferred selection criteria

• Knowledge and experience in chemical absorption 
• Knowledge and/or experience in liquid phase chemical analysis methods such as titration, chromatography, mass spectrometry, NMR, and other spectroscopic methods. 
• Has been working on / has knowledge about chemical reactions and mechanisms
• Experience with preparing and delivering scientific presentations

Personal characteristics

• Self-driven and persistent– able to plan and organise own work in a systematic way
• Team player – able to work with others
• Curious – eager to learn new things
• Positive and enthusiastic 
• Critical – ability to question and reflect on own and others' work
• Good communicator

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment  with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme   within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

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The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants , and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must be attached to the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include: 

• CV and certificates
• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted.
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you recently have submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Name and contact information of three referees
• If you have publications or other relevant research work

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here . If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality.

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The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

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As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation . You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact HR-Advisor Merete Thyholdt, email [email protected] If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Professor Hanna Knuutila, e-mail: [email protected]

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.  

Application deadline: 24.03.2024

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Chemical Engineering 

We take chemistry from laboratory scale to industrial production. This demands a wide range of knowledge, from molecular processes and nanotechnology to building and operation of large processing plants. We educate graduates for some of Norway's most important industries. The Department of Chemical Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Natural Sciences.  

Requirements

Research Field

Engineering » Chemical engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Department of Chemical Engineering

Country

Norway

City

Trondheim

Postal Code

7491

Street

Høgskoleringen 1

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/259052/phd-candidate-in-absorpti…

Contact

City

Trondheim

Website

http://www.ntnu.no

Street

Høgskoleringen 1

Postal Code

7491

STATUS: EXPIRED