Rising environmental concerns and depletion of petro-chemical resources has resulted in an increased interest in biorenewable polymer-based environmentally friendly materials. Among biorenewable polymers, lignin is the second most abundant and fascinating natural polymer next to cellulose. Lignin is widely available as a major byproduct of a number of industries involved in retrieving the polysaccharide components of plants for industrial applications, such as in paper making, ethanol production from biomass, etc. The impressive properties of lignin, such as its high abundance, low weight, environmentally friendliness and its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and biodegradable nature, along with its CO2 neutrality and reinforcing capability, make it an ideal candidate for the development of thermoplastic blends with different (bio)polymers like polyamides, polyesters and polyolefins.

Proprietary technology has been developed within the ongoing LIBERATE and Lignin RICHES InSciTe projects to produce a crude lignin oil (CLO) from wood and residual lignin from the pulp & paper and biorefinery sectors, respectively. It has recently been demonstrated in the lab that said oil can be readily converted into a thermoplastic material, whilst retaining aforementioned high-value attributes of lignin.

The objective of this project is to evaluate the compatibility and added value of this biobased thermoplastic lignin material for use as a performance additive in various commercial polymers, including polyesters, polyolefins and polyamides. Where required, postmodification reactions on the lignin will be performed in order to meet the goals.

The candidate will collaborate with researchers at both universities and industrial partners, and based on their feedback, the research will be tuned. The candidate is open to upscale successful leads in the InSciTe pilot facilities for application testing by industrial partners.

The post-doc will be appointed at Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM) of Maastricht University (UM), which is part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE). You will work in the group of Associate Professor Katrien Bernaerts, which focusses on the synthesis and design of polymer materials with tunable properties and recyclability exploiting the functionality of biobased building blocks. You will operate from the Brightlands-Chemelot Campus in Geleen (Nl), where the labs are located.

The post-doc

• The post-doc holds a PhD degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or related fields;
• has skills in polymer synthesis, characterization and processing (e.g. extrusion). Experience with lignin is a pro;
• has a strong interest to investigate structure-property relationships of lignin containing polymers in different applications;
• aims at helping to create ready-to-market products from the insights gained during the post-doc study – in balance with profound scientific publishing in peer review journals;
• is open for upscaling of novel products or processes to support application tests by industrial partners;
• likes to interact with academic and industrial partners;
• is willing to teach for example lab skill sessions in polymer related courses;
• is result driven, inventive, creative, counts with potential impact, works ‘accountable’ and works with ownership; 
• masters scientific English for speaking, reading, and writing. Knowledge of Dutch is not required.

Fixed-term contract: 18 Months.

The full-time position is offered for 18 months. The salary will be set in Postdoc salary scale 10 of the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities (between €2.709,00 and €4.274,00 gross per month depending on level of experience). On top of this, there is an 8% holiday and an 8.3% year-end allowance. The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labor Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO), supplemented with local UM provisions. For more information look at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl  > Support > UM employees 

AMIBM

The AMIBM at UM has as a mission is to promote world-class multidisciplinary research and education in the field of biobased materials, by training students with the multiple skills needed to be future leaders in the field, and creating the research breakthroughs that will enable the utilization of sustainable and renewable materials for advanced materials applications.

The multidisciplinary team draws together scientists with expertise in organic chemistry, biocatalysis, lead finding of new biobased blocks, polymer chemistry, polymer physics, polymer engineering, biobased and biomedical materials, tissue engineering, and industrial and medical applications.

Maastricht University is one of the founding fathers of the Chemelot Institute for Science & Technology (InSciTe), together with Royal DSM, Eindhoven University of Technology and the Province of Limburg. InSciTe is a public-private institute for the development and valorization of biomedical materials and biobased materials, with the mission to make materials smarter. From its base in the south of the Netherlands, Chemelot InSciTe rises to the challenges facing our world today: it develops solutions for the sustainable health of an ageing population and for the sustainable production of chemicals and materials. This vacancy is situated in the biobased program which is aimed at optimizing the chain of sustainable raw materials.