Joint Ph.D. project between The Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (www.kt.dtu.dk) and Hempel A/S (www.Hempel.com).

Background and aim:
Growth of marine organisms on the hull of ships (fouling) is a major problem resulting in increased fuel consumption, reduced speed and increased docking times and maintenance cost. The fouling is usually controlled by painting the underwater parts of ships with antifouling coatings. The best performing solution for antifouling paint is based on TriButylTin, but has effectively been banned and replaced by other solutions. Most of the present, tin-free and solvent-based coating systems rely on the action of Cu₂O and organic biocides. Although this is considered friendlier to the environment there is a need to develop better solutions. In this project we will attempt to develop new types of antifouling coatings based on enzymes.

Project contents
The project will consist of:

• Literature survey on antifouling coatings and enzymatic possibilities.
• Laboratory testing of enzymatic solutions.
• Design and formulation of novel antifouling coatings.
• Test and evaluation of novel solutions.
• Explaining the underlying physical and chemical mechanisms of the new systems.
• Full-scale testing.

During the project there will be close co-operation with coating producer Hempel A/S, in particular the Spanish R&D center.

Qualifications:
Applicants must have a M.Sc. degree in chemical engineering and top grades.

Salary and appointment terms:
The salary and appointment terms are consistent with the current rules for PhD degree students. The period of employment is 3 years.

Application:
If you are interested and qualified please open the link “apply for this job online” and fill in the application form and attach a concise application including CV and university certificates with grades, and a statement of motivation for applying.

Deadline for submission is October 1, 2010.

Further scholarship details:
Read more: http://scholarship-positions.com/phd-positionnovel-antifouling-coatings-based-on-enzymes-denmark/2010/08/21/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ScholarshipPositions+%28International+Scholarships+and+Financial+Aid+Positions%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail#ixzz0y55tqyPV