Biodegradable Material Research Internship

Wood panel is a £multi-billion market industry which involves using adhesives to bind wood fibres, chips, and veneer to make wood composites such as MDF, Particle Boards and Plywood for construction.

Traditional adhesives we used in the past 60 years are derived from oil and require large amounts of energy, raising concerns about sustainability and pollution. They also contain formaldehyde, a known cause of cancer, and a chemical which is becoming increasingly regulated and difficult to recycle. Whilst there’s a desire in the industry to be greener, current substitutes for oil and formaldehyde-based adhesives have struggled with technical and cost issues.

Cambond has invented a formaldehyde-free bio-adhesive. As it’s made from plant-based resource and food waste, about 40-60% of CO₂ can be reduced comparing to the traditional oil-based resin. The bio-adhesive consists of algae and bioethanol by-products as its main ingredients. The benefits taken from this new product are as below:

• Abundant organic resource such as algae biomass: algae can be planted by humans with fast growing speed, which can re-split after 9 to 12 hours. And it can produce three times quantity biomass and be harvested within 24 hours. Due to its nature, humans can plant it in all over the year – 365 days without competing with agricultural land. It also can be a pollution problem in many lakes, ocean and rivers.
   
• Abundant food & drink waste: whisky distillers' waste contains protein and has been used as animal feed with low value.
   
• Sustainability with low carbon emission: biomass is sustainable with higher output, which is made from agricultural residuals of maize, wheat, soya, rapeseed, oil palm, sugar beet, etc. Biomass has unbelievable zero waste and all the root and stems can be used to make non-wood fibre based boards. There is also zero competition with agricultural crop-growing land.
   
• Zero harm to human body. As all the ingredients are from natural sources which provide 100% confidence on non-toxicity and this had already been tested and proven.
   
• Reduce and replace the use of plastics with by-products from agricultural and food supply chain to turn waste into valuable products.

We have a manufacturing facility in China to produce both bio-resin and bio-based home-ware products where our JV company hired 30 people to scale up biobased products. In UK, we have a facility set up in NIAB Eastern Agri-tech Innovation Hub in Soham, Ely to carry out research and development of innovative projects in UK/Europe.

We are looking for a mature, hands-on, outgoing chemistry background team member to carry out daily lab based duties including:

• Research and development of novel chemistry-related biodegradable materials such as textile and packaging materials.
• Carrying out experimental works under supervision.
• Carrying out routine daily lab duties to work on assigned projects.
• Writing project reports for assigned projects and experiments.
• Presenting experimental results on selected meetings.

The role of the appointment will be part of the technical team to develop a continuation process of biocomposite funded by Innovate UK to explore its other applications in textile and packaging.

Qualifications and skills required by applicant:

• Chemistry subject related graduate or equivalent with general material process experience.
• Familiar with chemistry lab equipment and basic skills to operate.
• Computer skill: know how to operate Microsoft programmes such as MS-Word, Excel and PowerPoint soft-ware and other engineering software will be plus.
• Safety awareness working in a chemistry related facility.
• Love eco-friendly, sustainability related business. Willing to work in the countryside environment. Have passion and awareness on waste management and circular economy.
• Skills on engineering and product design will be a plus.
• Full UK driving license for commuting.

Salary:

The successful applicant will be paid via company's PAYE system as a part- time employee during the employment with the company. The intern will be given relevant training for the job and tasks. The skills learned and developed during the employment will form the basis of this RSC funded internship. The salary is £10.50 per hour.

Hours of work: 25 hours per week
Time of Internship: 4 Months

Close date of application: 24th Nov
Expected job start date: 1st Dec

Contact within the organisation:

Xiaobin Zhao PhD CChem FRSC FIMMM, Managing Director , Cambond Limited , Future Business Cambridge Centre, Kings Hedges Road, Cambridge CB4 2HY, Mobile : 07507949517, Email: xzhao@cambond.co.uk

Website: www.cambond.co.uk