Professor Joe Wood

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham

Scientific Background

Research Interests

My main interests are reaction engineering and catalysis. I apply these technologies and techniques to create sustainable processes, transforming fossil-based fuels and chemicals towards sustainable alternatives. This includes bio-feedstocks and products of biotechnology.

Research Groups

Energy

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Outcome-oriented, organised, collaborative

Provision of Training

Training is provided on health and safety, laboratory procedures and instrument operation to enable the researcher to start their lab work. They will also fill in a Development Needs Analysis which will help them to identify areas for further research training and attend university courses as appropriate. Researchers are encouraged to participate in external training such as conferences and summer schools (e.g. Catalysis Summer School).

Progression Monitoring and Management

Progression will be via a collaborative approach with the student. An initial literature survey and experimental plan for the first few months will be suggested. Progress will be monitored by regular discussion and meetings. Once the student establishes themselves, I encourage them to contribute ideas for the research and start to plan their own direction.

Communication

Scheduled meetings with supervisor will be provided at least every two weeks, at which you would normally present any results you have collected and we plan for future research work. You will also have opportunity to present at regular group research meetings and receive feedback. I am available via email, informal discussion or to request a meeting during most of the working week.

Meetings

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me at least once per fortnight. These meetings will be face-to-face. I am usually contactable for an instant response 3 or 4 days per week.

Work Patterns

Certain tasks in my lab need to occur at set times, and students need to be able to commit to a rota/timetable shared with other members of the team. Lab work is mainly Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, but computer work can be done flexibly.

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 2 weeks' notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5,000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Primary supervisor for:

Bio-chemo-cat: Hybrid renewable production of acrylic acid and propylene glycol from potato waste towards a circular bioeconomy

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

Bio-chemo-cat: Hybrid renewable production of acrylic acid and propylene glycol from potato waste towards a circular bioeconomy

Secondary Supervisor(s): Dr Neha Mehta

University of Registration: University of Birmingham

BBSRC Research Themes:

Renewable Resources and Clean Growth (Bio-energy)

Project Outline

Potato waste from food processing generates over 700,000 tonnes of UK waste annually, causing huge environmental burden. This project will transform potato waste into high value platform chemicals including lactic acid (LA), acrylic acid (AA), and propylene glycol (PG). This will be achieved by using fermentation and heterogeneous catalysis. Lactic and acrylic acids are critical platform intermediates for the chemical industry with combined value of ~$18 billion. This work tackles food waste, develops circular bioeconomy and reduces chemical industry emissions supporting net-zero targets.

The aim is to develop an integrated bioprocess converting potato waste into LA and then catalytic products AA and PG. The objectives are: (1) Optimise LA production from potato waste using fermentation; (2) Synthesise active, deactivation-resistant catalysts; (3) Evaluate catalytic conversion of LA to AA and PG in fixed bed/batch reactors, developing kinetic models for scaling; and (4) Conduct life cycle analysis to quantify environmental impacts.

This interdisciplinary methodology combines bioprocess engineering and chemical catalysis. Potato waste will undergo pretreatment and sugar extraction for fermentation optimisation. Novel solid catalysts including basic zeolites for AA dehydration and supported metals for PG hydrogenation will be tailored for selectivity, transport, and stability to maximise conversion of LA to AA. Metals such as Cu or Fe will be incorporated into the catalyst impregnation to augment the effectiveness. Fixed-bed continuous flow testing will establish kinetic parameters, optimise conversion yields from dilute feeds, and inform reactor scale-up models. Cradle-to-grave life cycle analysis will quantify environmental benefits against fossil-based production.

This PhD is supervised by Prof. Joe Wood, Dr. Neha Mehta and Prof. Tim Overton at Univ. Birmingham.