Plastic recycling is a major issue in the energy transition. These materials are widely used in many fields: packaging, automotive, household appliances, construction, agriculture, thus generating a significant amount of waste. Today, recycling is mainly done through mechanical recycling processes. The recycled plastic material can then sometimes be considered as "degraded" compared to equivalent virgin polymers in terms of intrinsic properties (purity, mechanical properties, etc.). Therefore, chemical recycling is seen as a beneficial alternative to mechanical recycling. Chemical recycling can take different forms: dissolution, depolymerization, or conversion. Whatever the recycling process used, the characterization of the input materials (plastics to be recycled) is essential. Indeed, plastics are generally composed of different polymers (polyolefins, polyesters, polyurethanes, etc.) to which are added organic and/or inorganic additives of various kinds (colorants, pigments, stabilizers, plasticizers, etc.). These can have an impact on the efficiency of the processes; therefore, they must be clearly identified and quantified.
The de-formulation of plastics to be recycled is at the heart of this thesis whose objectives are mainly turned towards the characterization of plastic additives and their degradation products.
The scientific approach will be based on the implementation of extraction, prefractionation and analysis methods based on the use of liquid chromatography combined with high resolution mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry. This analytical approach generates a large volume of data whose exploitation will require the development of methodologies using chemometric tools.
Keywords : Liquid chromatography, Fractionation of complex matrices, High resolution mass spectrometry, Plastic recycling, Chemometrics.
Academic supervisor PhD, CHAUMONOT Alexandra, IFPEN
Doctoral School ED206 - Ecole doctorale Chimie, Procédé, Environnement
IFPEN supervisor PhD, BERLIOZ-BARBIER Alexandra, Research Engineer, Physics and Analysis Division, Fluid Characterization Department, alexandra.berlioz-barbier@ifpen.fr / olivier.boyron@univ-lyon1.fr
PhD location IFP Energies nouvelles, Lyon, France
Duration and start date 3 years, starting in fourth quarter 2022
Employer IFP Energies nouvelles, Lyon, France
Academic requirements University Master degree in analytical chemistry, chemical science or material sciences
Language requirements Fluency in English, willingness to learn French
Other requirements Strong knowledge of analytical sciences, particularly liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Strong taste for experimentation. Knowledge of data processing.
To apply, please send your cover letter and CV to the IFPEN supervisor indicated here above.
IFP Energies nouvelles is a French public-sector research, innovation and training center. Its mission is to develop efficient, economical, clean and sustainable technologies in the fields of energy, transport and the environment. For more information, see our WEB site.
IFPEN offers a stimulating research environment, with access to first in class laboratory infrastructures and computing facilities. IFPEN offers competitive salary and benefits packages. All PhD students have access to dedicated seminars and training sessions. For more information, please see our dedicated WEB pages.