PhD in Physics

The Department of Environmental Science is one of the biggest departments at the Faculty of Science. The department consists of four units with more than 170 researchers, teachers, doctoral students and technical/administrative staff from over 30 countries. Research and teaching focuses on chemical contaminants, atmospheric science, biogeochemistry and (eco)toxicology. As an employee at the Department of Environmental Science you will be part of a dynamic environment with research in leading research areas and with a strong international profile. More information about us can be found here: The Department of Environmental Science.

The Contaminant Chemistry Unit currently consists of 6 research groups (Benskin, Cousins, MacLeod, Rahu, Posselt, and Sobek). Our research programs examine the occurrence and behavior of pollutants in the environment and in the technosphere. Areas of particular interest include the discovery of new contaminants, understanding the physical, chemical, and biological pathways that contaminants follow, and the development of novel tools and techniques for sampling and analysis. We strive to synthesize our scientific understanding about the sources, transport, transformation and bioaccumulation of environmental contaminants into mathematical models that inspire new scientific hypotheses and support environmental decision-making.

Project description

Fluorinated chemicals are essential components of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), but some, particularly per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pose risks to humans and the environment. As European LIB manufacturing and recycling grow rapidly, understanding and mitigating the risks of these fluorinated substances is critical. In the Formas-funded project “Investigation and risk mitigation of PFAS and other hazardous fluorinated substances in lithium-ion battery recycling” (FreeLIB), we aim to enhance the safety and sustainability of LIBs by identifying and mitigating potential emissions of hazardous fluorinated chemicals during recycling. The role of the PhD student in this project is to utilize state-of-the-art analytical approaches to examine the occurrence and behaviour of fluorinated chemicals during LIB recycling.

The project will be overseen by Profs. Jonathan Benskin and Ian Cousins at SU, in collaboration with researchers from RISE and Swerim.