EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Resilient Chemistry: Feedstock to Function (CDT-F2F)

Advanced economies are confronted with serious challenges that require us to approach problem solving in a completely different way. As the climate emergency deepens and our global population continues to rise, we must all consider several quite taxing philosophical questions, most pressingly we must address our addiction to economic growth, our expectation for longer, healthier lives and our insatiable need to collect more stuff! Societies demand for performance molecules, ranging from pharmaceuticals to fragrances or adhesives to lubricants, is growing year-on-year and the advent of competition in a globalised marketplace is generally forcing the market price downward, cutting margins and reducing the ability for some industry sectors to innovate.

Feedstock to Function (F2F) is an exciting opportunity to forge a new philosophy that could underpin the next phase of sustainable growth for the chemicals manufacturing industry in the UK and further afield. An overarching driving force in the development of F2F was the desire to apply the knowledge and learning of Green and Sustainable Chemistry onto some of the biggest challenges that confront chemicals manufacture, from the smallest-scale, to the delivery of efficient and resilient processes that will future proof supply chains for the foreseeable future.

Our CDT in resilient chemistry will deliver a sustainable pipeline of performance molecules, by moving towards circularity and resilience in feedstocks, and efficiency in processing and reaction chemistries .

F2F will create an Integrated Approach to Sustainable Chemistry, promoting a culture of resilience in terms of materials and matter via industrially defined priorities:
I. Sustainable routes to nitrogen containing molecules, avoiding Haber-Bosch fixed precursors:
II. Non-petroleum routes to hydrocarbon feedstocks, particularly synthetic naphtha (C8-C30)
III. Circular chemistries to manage the impact of phosphorus and other key inorganic materials; and
IV. Enhanced circularity for technical materials including metals, catalysts, solvents and salts.

F2F represents a multidisciplinary group of 45 academic advisors spanning 7 academic disciplines and two Universities, working together with a growing family of industrial partners who have expressed a common desire to develop Smarter products using Better chemistry to enable Faster processing and Shorter manufacturing routes.

F2F will innovate by:

1 fostering a multidisciplinary, cohort-based approach to problem solving;

2 focus on challenge areas identified by our F2F partners such that sub-groups of our cohort can become immersed in research that impacts on industry;

3 embedding aspects of data-driven decision making in the day-to-day design and execution of high-quality research either on paper or indeed in the lab;

4 nurturing a vibrant and supportive community that allows PhD candidates to think 'outside of the box' in a relatively risk-free way;

5 developing 'next generation' synthesis using chemo- and bio-catalytic methods to drive efficiency, selectivity and productivity, underpinned by predictive in-silico methods and valorisation of big data;

6 streamlining the discovery process by enabling technologies: such as energy resilient photo/electrochemical methods, cleaner solvents and renewable materials

7 developing sustainable processes that deliver efficiency and transition to scale-up from g to Kg, applying state-of-the-art manufacturing including 3-D printing, fermentation, multiphase flow, in-line diagnostics to underpin rapid translation into industry;

8 applying robust reaction/process evaluation metrics such that comparative advantages can be quantified, providing evidence for real process decision making.

F2F will train PhD graduates with the vision and skills to drive decarbonisation in the UK Chemicals using industries, securing innovation and future growth for this critical manufacturing sector.