Job offer

Organisation/Company: IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN)

Research Field: Engineering » Chemical engineering

Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)

Positions: PhD Positions

Country: France

Application Deadline: 31 Jul 2025 - 10:00 (Europe/Paris)

Type of Contract: Temporary

Job Status: Full-time

Hours Per Week: 35

Offer Starting Date: 3 Nov 2025

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Chemical Engineering, Chemical sciences, Materials engineering

This thesis proposes to study the torrefaction and gasification of solid recovered fuels (SRF) in an entrained flow reactor. SRF are non-hazardous solid wastes prepared for energy recovery mainly by combustion. Their substantial quantity makes them a major source of energy and an alternative to landfill. This waste, whether from households or industry, is often highly heterogeneous, due to its multiple origins or the complex nature of the objects from which it is derived. Among the upgrading pathways, while incineration is widely used, gasification of SRF is currently under development.

Gasification is a thermochemical conversion, generally carried out between 800 and 1500°C in the presence of an oxidizing gas, which transforms solid carbonaceous materials into syngas that can be upgraded into liquid or gaseous fuels. Due to its great flexibility, entrained flow gasification technology enables a large variety of feedstocks to be converted at very high temperatures, producing a tar-free syngas that is ideal for producing liquid fuels. Upstream of the gasification process, the feedstock can be torrefied. Applied to biomass, this generates a torrefied solid whose properties are ideal for storage, grinding, and transportation. To date, however, little research has been carried out on the torrefaction of SRF.

The work will be carried out in two phases:

1. The first task will focus on the torrefaction of SRF. This experimental work, conducted at CEA (Grenoble center), will allow producing torrefied solids at various degrees of torrefaction and characterizing their physicochemical properties. An analysis of the produced gases and inorganic matters will also be conducted.
2. The second task will be to carry out gasification tests of raw and torrefied SRF in a reactor at IMT Mines d’Albi. The objective is to study the effect of pre-treatment and gasification conditions on syngas composition as well as the fate of impurities and contaminants.

Duration and start date: 3 years, starting in the fourth quarter 2025 (November 3)

Language requirements: Master in Chemical Engineering and process

Other requirements: To apply, please send your cover letter and CV to the IFPEN supervisor indicated here above.

IFP Energies nouvelles is a French public-sector research, innovation, and training center. Its mission is to develop efficient, economical, clean, and sustainable technologies in the fields of energy, transport, and the environment. For more information, see our WEB site.