DINOCReW: a step towards net zero in the water industry
In January 2024, Dr Stefan Warrington, a Chemistry Research Fellow at Loughborough University, took part in the C-DICE sandpit Towards Net Zero in the Water Industry. This postdoctoral-focused event brought together early-career researchers to co-develop innovative, interdisciplinary solutions for the water and sewage industry.
£30,000 seed funding was on offer to support an interdisciplinary project addressing the sector’s complex pressures, including the need to reduce emissions, adapt to climate change, and manage rising costs and regulatory demands.
In this blog, Stefan reflects on how the experience was instrumental in his career as an independent researcher.
When I saw the opportunity for the sandpit, I was a year into my Vice-Chancellor Independent Research Fellowship at Loughborough University – a 24-month programme of tailored research and career development. This work allows me to explore nature’s intricate designs and use bio-inspired materials to develop sustainable organic electronics, such as batteries. As our reliance on consumer electronics grows, so does the environmental impact of devices made with toxic or non-recyclable materials. A nature-driven approach to battery design could play a key role in achieving a circular economy and a net-zero future.
The sandpit format was the perfect opportunity to make new connections and gave me the confidence to pitch my research vision and approach to interdisciplinary groups of peers.
It included two in-person sessions bringing participants together, then a group review session. We also had access to a series of preparatory and follow-up online workshops, including sessions on writing letters of support, budgeting, and equality, diversity and inclusion. Six weeks later, it was time to finalise and submit our funding proposals.
During the sandpit, I worked alongside Dr Robyn Worsley, an Engineering Postdoctoral Researcher from the University of Nottingham, and Dr Lucrecia Alvarez-Barrantes, a Physical Geography Research Associate from Loughborough University, to co-develop and pitch the concept for DINOCReW, or more specifically Dye-sensitized Inorganic Nanomaterials for Organic Contaminant Removal from Wastewater.
This project proposed an innovative photocatalytic process that uses low-powered LEDs to degrade persistent organic pollutants efficiently and sustainably in wastewater. My initial idea was to incorporate organic dyes which can absorb low energy photons of light, for example, solar irradiation from the sun onto a support matrix which would suspend these dyes in water allowing them to facilitate pollutant degradation while being easily removable. Being a synthetic organic materials chemist designing new organic molecules which interact with light is my area of expertise. However, for this ambitious project I required an interdisciplinary team. After pitching my project on the first day of the sandpit, Robyn could envision at once how she could play a key role in the project. Robyn is a chemical engineer with expertise in the synthesis and processing of inorganic nanomaterials, including the 3D printing of materials provided invaluable in the success of the project.
With the material solutions well in hand we recruited another member, Lucrecia, an expert in hydrology and physical geography who would complement our chemical and engineering know-how to provide a deeper understanding of how our solution fits within the wider water research community. Overall, together we have been able to deliver on our goal to identify pollutants of critical interest, develop a novel materials solution to the challenge and demonstrate our hypothesis with a proof-of-concept study which we will outline in a forthcoming manuscript.
The sandpit format challenged us to communicate our research ideas to non-specialists, forge new interdisciplinary partnerships, and contribute to every stage of project development – from concept to proposal. So, this was a great chance to sharpen my project planning and funding acquisition skills.
The experience helped me to develop essential skills in team management, collaboration, proposal preparation, and research budgeting – all of which are crucial skills for an early-career researcher aiming to establish academic independence.
In July, I attended the Royal Society of Chemistry’s flagship event for the RSC Materials Chemistry Community, the 17th International Conference on Materials Chemistry, where my poster was selected as one of eight winners from a field of 400. Without the support from C-DICE I would have been unable to attend this meeting and share my innovative materials solutions with the wider community.
The C-DICE sandpit has been instrumental in helping me build my profile as a researcher, giving me an opportunity to secure competitive funding and explore innovative solutions to modern challenges.
The success of the DINOCReW proposal has elevated all our research profiles and opened the door to new collaborations. Two more researchers have joined the team, and plans are underway for follow-up funding.
By Dr Stefan Warrington, Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University
Find out more about the C-DICE Sandpit programme using the link below: