PhD Project Areas

The research conducted within the bioenergy themes will address short, medium and long term challenges associated with realising the national and international targets.

Each individual research and innovation project will benefit from a supervisory team and sponsorship from industry or other key stakeholders. Currently, we have more than 20 industry/stakeholder partners and 40 potential supervisors who will assist in project development and execution.

Example projects will fall within or cross our four themes. Please click each one to find out more:

Theme 1 – Feedstocks, Processing and Safety
A range of projects available including: studies of bioenergy feedstocks (waste, agricultural residues, algae, forestry etc.), pre-processing (for example torrefaction – 'roasting' of biomass to reduce water content); hazards and safety issues such as spontaneous combustion of stored biomass.
Many projects will be heavily industry-led and all will be underpinned by aspects of Theme 4 – Sustainability and Whole Systems e.g. supply chain Life Cycle Analysis.

Theme 2 – Conversion
A range of projects spanning fundamental combustion studies, gasification, liquefaction, anaerobic digestion, use of bioenergy in fuels for transport
Many projects will be heavily industry-led or use large pilot-scale facilities such as those at the PACT facility Sheffield, and all will be underpinned by aspects of Theme 4 – Sustainability and Whole Systems e.g. regulation, standards.

Theme 3 – Products, Utilisation and Impacts
A range of projects studying end use of bioenergy – for example effects on engines, boilers, environmental impacts e.g. studies of particulate emissions, and bioenergy incorporation into larger systems such as Bio-CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) for potential negative greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Many projects will be heavily industry-led or use world-class facilities such as the Instrumented Car facility and Driving Simulator at Leeds, and all will be underpinned by aspects of Theme 4 – Sustainability and Whole Systems e.g. environmental impacts, emissions modelling, social aspects (e.g. food vs fuel debate), policy and economics.

Theme 4 – Sustainability and Whole Systems
Underpinning the other themes, Theme 4 will form a greater or lesser part of all projects on an individual basis, and on a spectrum from fundamental science through to social aspects, policy and economics. Areas of interest include Life Cycle Analysis, supply chain innovation, regulations, standards, environmental impacts, competition between products etc.