Mechanisms of uptake anof uptake and storage of [trace metals] by Miscanthus - implications for growing a commercial fuel crop on contaminated land.

This project would examine the fundamental mechanisms of the uptake of trace metals by Miscanthus grown on contaminated land as a commercial biomass crop.
It will seek to establish a quantitative and qualitative 'Substance Flow Analysis' of trace metals from soils into the plants, their distribution/storage within plant structures, and the chemical/bio-chemical species underpinning this process.
Objectives:
The outline objectives of the research would be:

Identify specific trace metal(s) for study of relevance to an identified contaminated site;

Select hybrids suitable for study (resistance, active uptake, commercially relevant);

Establish an 'in vitro' growth trial of plants in the laboratory using an engineered growing medium;

Conduct detailed analysis of mechanisms/chemistry responsible for trace metals uptake and storage within the plants; and

Understand the implications for use of the biomass as a fuel, its technical suitability for different end users and where pre-treatment may be necessary.

Project Delivery:
The research would be delivered with industry support from Terravesta Ltd - a commercial supplier of Miscanthus plants, biomass processor and biomass fuel supplier with interests in the UK and Poland. Terravesta would provide seeds/rhizomes (tbc) of hybrid species considered of interest.
The trace metals in question will be selected based on characterisation of Terravesta's case study sites in Poland and the contamination therein. The shortlist of species is likely to include Cd, Zn, Pb and As.
The project will have two principal work streams working in parallel as follows:
1) Laboratory grown plants: would be grown in a laboratory (Civ. Eng.) in a controlled 'engineered' growing substrate designed to allow observation of the selected trace metals. These plants would be subject to detailed study and analysis (below).
2) Field study plants: would be periodically sampled from Miscanthus grown on Terravesta's sites in Poland. A simplified analytical suite will be developed to 'cross-check and calibrate' the laboratory results with a 'real world' application.
The above 'twin track' approach will ensure the project delivers practical results with demonstrable impacts beyond the laboratory.
Analytical Techniques:
The analyses to be adopted will depend on the finalised list of trace metals and the finalised analytical plan (to be developed). In principle, some examples of techniques that may be applicable include:

General fuel characterisation (e.g. TGA, IC/major inorganics);
Quantitative elemental analysis of trace metals (e.g. AAS, ICP-MS, XRF);
Quantitative analysis of metal species (e.g. synchrotron XAS)

Pre-Requisites

Following initial meetings with supervisors and Terravesta the following pre-requisites have been identified for this research:
Non-Disclosure Agreement (nb. Terravesta have signed the university's standard terms and this needs to be counter signed and returned to them)
Clarification/confirmation of contribution 'in kind' expected from Terravesta
Material Transfer Agreement (to be developed)
Data Management Plan (to be developed)
Site visit to Poland (to be arranged for autumn '18).

Impacts and benefits to the Non-Academic Users of the Centre include:
- Access to high quality, interdisciplinary R&D support to increase competitiveness
- Cutting edge research with high value for money;
- Access to knowledge and expertise;
- Recruitment from a pool of talented early-career students for future employment, and input into shaping the skill development of those students (engineers and scientists with training in the wider context of sustainability, economics, policy and commercial awareness).
- Technology transfer research;
- Access to a breadth or research facilities and expertise and interdisciplinary teams;
- Consultancy,
- Networking and participating in focussed forums with other technolgogy users and policy makers - sharing experiences;
- Training or secondments of their staff for enhanced knowledge transfer;
- Partnerships in innovation in the sector;
- Access to assessments of technolgoies and innovation with the best chance of a positive impact to society;

Impacts and benefits to Academic users in the fields of [1] Feedstocks, pre-processing and safety; [2] Conversion; [3] Utilisation, emissions and impact; [4] Sustainability and Whole systems, include:
- Access to and collaboration in world-leading, transformative research, which advances knowledge concerning innovative bioenergy technologies, sustainability and social acceptability, and policy mechanisms for acheiving these;
- Development of new collaborations and leaverage of further funding to support their activities;
- Access to knowledge and expertise and networking and dissemination events;
- Research exchange opportunities for mutual benefit and cross-fertilisation of ideas and innovation