Description Project title: Decentralised Production of Terpene Esters from Flower Waste Project Description: The billion-dollar flavour and fragrance industry rely on petrochemical feedstock for 87% of their processes and changing regulations have prompted this industry to identify climate-neutral 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 state-of-art reactors. The outcomes from this research activities align with the UK’s priority to utilise biomass as an alternative feedstock to achieve net-zero target by 2050 in chemical industries. The aim of the 10-week project is to optimise the scale-up 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 scale-up. 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 scale-up. 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 19 th 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 scale-up 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 non-binary Be in receipt of a University of Nottingham core bursary or 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 UCAS application is in an area where people are less likely to go to university Students can check their postcode here to 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 you're not sure what you want to do. develop the skills you need to be successful in the workplace. Go to the Careers and Employability Service website 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 pre-assignment checks. 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