Global challenges require global actions to achieve Sustainable Goals while supporting a circular economy1. Biomass is a renewable versatile resource that can be used to produce heat, power, transport fuels and products. However, it should be sustainable. Recently, the UK government published the Biomass Strategy 2023 to strengthen biomass sustainability and opportunities for using sustainable biomass in various sectors of the economy to help achieving UK’s net zero target2. Besides, it clarifies the need of having a “well regulated” Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage while benefiting people, the environment and climate3.
Biomass can be a resource or a biocatalyst or both, and knowing its nature or chemical composition is important for decision making. A key step on biomass transformation, or use as biocatalyst, is to rigorously know its chemical composition at elemental level4. Subsequently enabling the selection of potential sustainable biomass candidates, in turn enabling sustainable biomass transformation systems harmoniously thriving with people, the economy and the environment. Sustainable biomasses need sustainable manufacturing5 as a Yin-Yang relationship. BioRenewables Inspired Development Geared by Elements (BRIDGE) supports these approaches.
In BRIDGE, SEM-EDX can provide visual information on biomass structure and composition of elements like carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, sulphur, calcium and many more6. Although the intern would focus on the main elements of life, there will be an open mindset for discovery and opportunities.
BRIDGE’s Internship is an enabler of elemental characterisation of biomass through SEM-EDX analysis for researching sustainable biomasses and sustainable manufacturing systems.
BRIDGE is an enabler of impactful outputs7 for nurturing a research culture, fostering nascent collaborations while strengthening others currently providing impactful outputs.
Additionally, BRIDGE would add value through Research-Oriented teaching, providing students with some content in lectures and courses that directly refer to research on current topics, with meaningful and deep learning experiences that enhance student experience of real-world issues while developing critical thinking.
References
1. United Nations. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations (2015).
2. Anon. Biomass Strategy 2023. (2023).
3. Anon. The ability of BECCS to generate negative emissions. (2023).
4. Biswas, B., Krishna, B. B., Kumar, M. K., Sukumaran, R. K. & Bhaskar, T. Chapter 7 – Biomass characterization. in Advanced Biofuel Technologies (eds. Tuli, D., Kasture, S. & Kuila, A.) 151–175 (Elsevier, 2022). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-88427-3.00014-3.
5. Hernandez, J. E., Espinosa-Solares, T., Cortés-Trejo, I., Téllez-Jurado, A. & Ramírez-Arpide, F. R. Sustainable Systems for Advanced Ethanol Production from Opuntia Prickly Pear Cactus. SSRN 1–15 (2023).
6. Michalak, I., Chojnacka, K. & Marycz, K. Using ICP-OES and SEM-EDX in biosorption studies. Microchimica Acta 172, (2011).
7. Morgan Jones, M., Manville, C. & Chataway, J. Learning from the UK’s research impact assessment exercise: a case study of a retrospective impact assessment exercise and questions for the future. Journal of Technology Transfer 47, (2022).
