Bath Chemical Engineering PhD Project (Competitive Studentship): Perovskite Oxygen Carriers for Biomass-Enhanced Hydrogen and CO₂ Utilisation via Chemical Looping

Bath Chemical Engineering PhD Project (Competitive Studentship): Perovskite Oxygen Carriers for Biomass-Enhanced Hydrogen and CO₂ Utilisation via Chemical Looping

This assessment uses the 17 October 2026 project announcement and policy/staff information available on 18 October 2026. Confirm current project availability and personal terms before applying.

Quick Decision

This Bath project connects oxygen-carrier materials with reactor and process evaluation. Its attraction is the combination of laboratory work, simulation and a named team spanning chemical engineering and atomistic materials expertise. The research must distinguish oxygen capacity, conversion and cycling performance from whole-system efficiency or negative emissions. The Engineering URSA terms described in October 2026 provide a competitive Home/Overseas tuition-and-maintenance route, with a general funding ceiling of 3.5 years against a normally four-year PhD. The project notice lists 29 November 2026 but gives no time; the October URSA terms specify 23:59 GMT for that competition. The expected start is 4 October 2027. Priority checks are English by the funding deadline, individual qualification equivalence, formal supervision and offer-specific funding beyond the award. Strong but verify fit.

Research Problem and Doctoral Work

The project seeks to improve oxygen storage in La–Sr–Fe–Mn perovskites and related materials for biomass-derived hydrogen production. It combines materials synthesis and analysis, laboratory testing, and reactor/plant simulation. The advertised application is a packed-bed chemical-looping water-gas-shift process using syngas from biogenic waste. This is thermochemical conversion of biomass-derived feedstocks. The role of CO2 utilisation in the title needs a more specific research definition.

An oxygen carrier moves oxygen between separate reaction stages. The research question is whether a material can provide useful reversible capacity while retaining its structure, reaction performance and practical process compatibility. More stored oxygen does not automatically mean better water conversion, lower energy demand or longer lifetime. The original announcement cites greater than 99% water conversion in a 2019 study; that is not whole-plant energy efficiency, and the detailed conditions of that historical result remain unverified. Historical background

The recent papers below support analysing capacity, cycling and reactor behaviour together. They do not establish performance of the exact proposed Fe/Mn composition with variable real biomass syngas. Useful research questions concern how material characterisation and reactor evidence agree, which conclusions depend on the test context, and whether process-level benefits survive an explicit energy and emissions assessment. These are analytical directions, not promised results or additional admission requirements.

Biogenic carbon is not automatically a negative lifecycle footprint. Feedstock sourcing, upstream energy, material manufacture, gas treatment and permanent storage affect the result; using captured CO2 and later releasing it is different from durable removal. IEA's hydrogen review also identifies costs and infrastructure as deployment barriers. Process analysis, materials evaluation and systems reasoning are transferable to energy and chemical industries, but neither a hydrogen-sector boom nor an individual job is guaranteed. IEA context · Professional career context

School, Programme and Field Context

The advertised degree is the University of Bath's Chemical Engineering PhD, in the Faculty of Engineering & Design. The programme description lists code RECE-AFM02 and normally four years full time, with a minimum of two and a normal maximum of four. It includes probationary registration, written and oral confirmation, and a final thesis and viva. The degree is awarded by Bath; a Chemistry-based supervisor or coauthors at Manchester and Southampton do not create another university's registration or a joint award. Programme

The faculty's subject summary places Chemical Engineering fourth in the UK Complete University Guide 2027 and in the global top 150 in QS subject rankings 2026. Its REF 2021 figure of 96% world-leading or internationally excellent covers submitted engineering research, not just this laboratory. Subject league tables and the broad research assessment are useful context, but neither predicts a doctoral student's supervision or employment outcome. Subject and research context

The programme offers doctoral skills workshops and professional development. Research-centre membership is agreed on acceptance; de Leeuwe's profile lists IMPS, while Parker contributes atomistic materials-modelling expertise from Chemistry. Specific instruments, reactor availability, software licences, computing allocation and time spent with each supervisor are not confirmed by those general affiliations. Papers acknowledging access to Manchester laboratories do not guarantee the same access for a new Bath student.

This project could train a researcher to connect material properties with process performance rather than treating either in isolation. That interdisciplinary benefit is an inference from the advertised work and team expertise. It should be weighed against the need to clarify the student's main contribution and supervision arrangements, particularly if the applicant wants a predominantly computational or predominantly experimental doctorate.

Supervisor and Lab Assessment

Chris de Leeuwe is the first-listed project contact, with enquiries directed to cdl49@bath.ac.uk. His institutional profile identifies him as a Chemical Engineering Lecturer. Steve Parker is a Professor in Chemistry researching atom-level structure, stability and surface reactivity. Antonio Jose Exposito's research profile says Senior Lecturer and describes catalyst design, reactor engineering and techno-economic viability, while the department's staff directory still says Lecturer. The two official title descriptions differ; a promotion date has not been established. Formal lead/co-supervisor responsibilities remain to be confirmed. de Leeuwe · Parker · Exposito · Staff directory

Three recent original papers

Zaidi and colleagues, 2025: iron–nickel perovskites for hydrogen production. De Leeuwe coauthored this study, published online in December 2024 and in the February 2025 issue. Its original abstract reports oxygen capacity 4.5 times the reference material, alongside 55% water conversion at 900 °C. The distinction matters: higher capacity and near-complete conversion are different outcomes. Twenty-cycle comparisons and a separate 100-cycle thermogravimetric test also have different experimental contexts. The work illustrates a capacity/stability trade-off, not proven industrial lifetime or the exact Fe/Mn target's performance. The available assessment is limited to the complete institutional abstract and metadata; it does not establish full-paper findings. Original record

Akhtar and colleagues, 2025: multifunctional Ca/Mn-doped perovskite for reverse water-gas shift. With de Leeuwe as coauthor, this study combines redox and carbonation functions and reports thermogravimetric and packed-bed evaluation. Less than 1% performance loss over 17 studied cycles is not evidence of a commercial service life. Its LaNiO3-based material is also different from the project's proposed Fe/Mn composition. It provides relevant CO2-utilisation context without defining the new student's exact route. The available assessment covers the complete institutional abstract, publication information and acknowledgements, rather than the full paper. Original record

Akhtar and colleagues, 2026: thermo-kinetics with neural-network validation. This distinct original examines reduction behaviour of a related Ca/Mn material and predicts measured conversion using neural networks. Agreement within the reported experiments is not proof of generalisation to unseen feedstocks, longer operation or a scaled reactor. Evidence is limited to the complete institutional abstract and metadata; the data split and full validation protocol remain unassessed. All three selected originals include de Leeuwe; they are not claimed as joint publications of all three advertised supervisors. Original record

Funding, Application, and Living Cost

The project competes with other Engineering & Design projects for a studentship. The October 2026 URSA rules explicitly support Home or Overseas tuition and an annual maintenance stipend, with a training fund of up to £1,000 yearly. This is a positive international full-fee competition, not a personal award already allocated. Overseas places are capped in the project notice without a stated percentage. Engineering URSA funding is generally up to 3.5 years, whereas the PhD normally takes four; the student's funded term and any remaining fees or living support must be confirmed. The advertised £21,805 is the 2026/27 stipend reference, not the 2027/28 rate. Training money is not personal income. URSA

The dated project gives 29 November 2026 and an expected 4 October 2027 start, with an alternative start by agreement. The October 2026 Engineering URSA terms add 23:59 GMT on 29 November and describe the October 2027 competition. Confirm any subsequent change with the project contact.

Bath's 2027/28 Engineering Overseas PhD fee is £31,350 for a full-time year, with continuing annual increases possible up to 8%. It should be paid through an awarded tuition-covering studentship during its covered term, not added again to the student's living budget. Coverage beyond that term and any project-specific bench costs need written clarification. Fee table

The official 2026/27 sample postgraduate budget totals £24,206 including a £650 laptop, excluding tuition, flights and visa charges. Compared with the old £21,805 stipend, the arithmetic difference is £2,401; this is a dated planning comparison, not a forecast of a 2027 shortfall. Housing choice and 51-week contracts matter, and the sample is not an individual invoice. Visa and IHS are expressly self-funded: £558 in the October 2026 reference for the overseas Student application and £776 per visa year for IHS, with visa duration affecting the total. Budget · Visa · IHS

Applicant Fit and Preparation

The specific project requires an obtained or expected first-class or good upper-second honours degree, or equivalent, in Chemical Engineering or a closely associated discipline. A Master's is advantageous, not an additional universal hard requirement. The general course alternatively accepts a relevant Master's at merit, but applicants should not assume that this automatically overrides the project's stated undergraduate criterion. Ask admissions to assess the individual qualification and research preparation.

The course explicitly welcomes applicants worldwide and accepts equivalent qualifications; URSA explicitly includes Overseas students. These are positive routes for Chinese applicants, subject to individual equivalence, language and immigration decisions. No universal Chinese PhD percentage threshold is established by the available guidance. The country page's 62–75% is for taught postgraduate entry. Research-degree wording differs between available versions of that page; the available body directs doctoral applicants to individual programme requirements. Do not convert either into an automatic PhD admission threshold. Country guidance

Engineering English is IELTS 6.5 overall with every component at least 6.0, including accepted One Skill Retake. TOEFL tests before 21 January 2026 use 90 overall and 21 each; tests on or after that date use 4.5 overall and 4.0 each. Results must be within 24 months of the start. A solely English-taught degree may support exemption depending on timing and admissions approval, including some non-majority-English countries; it is not an automatic Chinese degree waiver. The project's rule for non-UK applicants not studying in the UK is stricter than general post-offer submission: English must be satisfied before the funding deadline, with no deadline exceptions. English rules

Apply to Chemical Engineering, selecting University of Bath URSA. Maximum two projects: put the full first title and lead supervisor in their fields, and any second choice in Project 2 Title and Name of intended supervisor for 2nd choice project at University of Bath. Provide certificates, transcripts, authorised translations where needed, CV, personal statement and two references, at least one recent academic and none from intended supervisors. A 1,000-word proposal rule concerns an applicant's own idea, not automatically this advertised project. Bath allows AI for research/planning/proofreading but requires applicants to write application content themselves. The course is ATAS-covered; Chinese nationality alone is not an exemption, and any final clearance condition is individual. Application guide · ATAS

The university encourages applications from under-represented groups. Applicants may describe circumstances that affected their educational attainment in a short paragraph at the end of the personal statement. If an applicant reports a disability in the form, the Disability Service will contact them to discuss support needs.

Next Actions and Questions to Verify

The central decision is whether the balance of materials, reactor evaluation and process simulation fits the applicant, and whether the personal award covers the interval between the general 3.5-year funding ceiling and a normally four-year doctorate.

Before applying, check qualification equivalence, English evidence or an approved exemption, and the exact first/second-choice form entries. Use the November funding deadline rather than the general course's later admissions deadline. Enquiries go to cdl49@bath.ac.uk. Confirm the correct lead-supervisor field entry with de Leeuwe. The current project text should be reconfirmed when preparing a submission, because the available complete individual announcement is dated 17 October.

At interview, ask which material family and CO2-utilisation question will receive priority, what balance of synthesis/testing and simulation is expected, and how the project will evaluate conversion, reversible capacity and cycle degradation separately. Clarify access to equipment, computing and real-feedstock data, the division of supervision, and how laboratory results will be translated into process and lifecycle conclusions. None of those personal resources is guaranteed by the team's earlier collaborations.

Before accepting, obtain written tuition coverage, stipend, start/end dates and arrangements for writing-up or remaining study beyond the award. Confirm consumables or bench-fee responsibility, the 2027 living budget and immigration conditions. The 2019 background and three recent abstract-level analyses support research orientation, but do not replace full-paper evaluation or a concrete doctoral plan. They establish neither a commercial negative-emissions process nor guaranteed high conversion for the new material.

Evidence and Sources

Research, supervisors and papers

• Chris de Leeuwe institutional profile
• Steve Parker institutional profile
• Antonio Jose Exposito institutional profile
• Chemical Engineering academic staff directory
• Development of iron-nickel containing perovskites with increased oxygen carrier capacity for chemical looping H2 production
• Performance evaluation of novel Ca/Mn-doped perovskite as a multifunctional material in chemical looping reverse water gas shift process for low-carbon fuels
• Investigating the reduction thermo-kinetics of Ca/Mn-doped perovskite in chemical looping reverse water gas shift with artificial neural network validation
• 2019 seed-cited reversible chemical reactor background
• IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2025 market and lifecycle terminology
• IChemE chemical engineering career and skills context

School and programme

• Chemical Engineering PhD programme
• Faculty subject rankings and REF 2021 context

Funding, eligibility, application and costs

• URSA 2027 Engineering competition
• Doctoral English rules
• International qualifications country page and scope
• Engineering research fees 2027/28
• Official 2026/27 postgraduate sample budget
• UK Student visa route and fee
• Student immigration healthcare surcharge
• ATAS official exemption and course conditions
• Doctoral application guide and applicant authorship rule

Paper evidence is limited to the institutional abstracts and publication information described above, not three complete main papers. The 2019 citation remains historical background with unverified detailed conditions. These limits apply to the October 2026 assessment and do not imply fresh paper or vacancy verification.