Munster Technological University | Biorefinery Demonstration Plant Engineer

Biorefinery Demonstratin Plant Engineer TheCircularBioeconomyis athematicareaofresearchatMunsterTechnologicalUniversityinIreland,ledbythe Circular Bioeconomy Research Group (CircBio) based at the Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre. This multi- disciplinary team leads and participates on a range of exciting, high impact, national and international research projects including Rural BioReFarmeries, Farm Zero C, Biorefinery Glas, INFORMBIO, BIOSWITCH, BBioNets, BIO4AFRICA,COOPID,MainstreramBIOROBIN.BioAssessandmanymore.ResearchactivitiesofCircBiofocus uponimprovingthevalueandcircularityofrawmaterialsandwaste,sustainableproductdevelopment,analyzing, monitoring the impact of sustainable technologies and practices, and engaging with primary producers, industry, government and relevant stakeholders to ensure research impact is maximized with real-world impact. The group plays a leading role in the development of bio-based technologies for processing feedstocks from grassestoseaweeds,forthedevelopmentofsustainablebio-basedmaterials.Thesuccessfulcandidatewillwork onsomeofthegroupsexcitinginternationalprojectsinthisdomain.Thispositionwillsuitcandidateswithprevious experience of bioeconomy-related domains such as biorefining, bioenergy and nutrient recycling. Munster Technological University, through CircBio will lead a new first-of-its-kind decentralised green biorefinery demonstration initiative funded under the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU). "Rural BioReFarmeries" project will advance the development of farmcentred bioeconomy approaches through the deployment of green biorefineries across grassland regions of Europe. Two primary green biorefinery and anaerobic digestion demonstration sites in Ireland and Denmark will optimise theconversionofgrasses,cloverandgreenbiomassresiduessourcedfromlocalfarmsintovalue-addedproducts suchashumanandanimalgradeprotein,bio-basedfoodpackaging,flavours,anti-microbials,fertiliserandenergy, in collaboration with upstream research and industrial sites in Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark and Poland. Description of Work This position of Biorefinery Pilot Plant Engineer and Project Manager is an exciting opportunity to help oversee the implementation and management of a grass biorefinery demo facility at Farm Zero C, Cork Ireland. The engineer will work closely with the MTU project team, based at Kerry (Tralee) and Cork, along with the broader Farm Zero C Team at Shinagh Farm. In the addition the engineer will collaborate closely with Irish and EU downstream partners (who will further analyse projects), industry (product end-users) and the green biorefinery demonstration plant of Aarhus University, Viborg, home to the Danish demo site. The position would suit a candidate in backgrounds such as process engineering, marine engineer (Maskin Mester), agricultural engineering, mechanical engineering, energy engineering, with experience of large scale process integration, management and maintenance. TasksandResponsibilitiesinclude: Operate,implementtheRuralBioReFarmeriesfarm-scalegreenbiorefinerydemonstration facility at Farm Zero C, Ireland, with support from supervisor and colleagues Collaborate with project and farm colleagues to schedule the timely provision of green biomass feedstock in a suitable manner for processing within the green biorefinery Manage biorefinery equipment and parameters for the conversion of biomass into different co- products (e.g., press cake, protein concentrate and brown juice) Test different green biorefinery feedstocks under different processing conditions (e.g., different biorefinery pre-treatment systems) Liaise with fellow Rural BioReFarmeries researchers to allow for sample taking from different process streams which will be investigated by fellow researchers and industry partners downstream Record data related to process parameters to enable process optimization (e.g., temperature, pressures,throughput,yieldsetc)anddevelopmentofmassandenergybalancesforsubsequent by research colleagues in studies such as LCA and technoeconomics Develop with supervisor and colleagues a standardized method for collection, comparison and analysis of green biorefinery feedstock and process data Liaise closely with the biorefinery team from our sister green biorefinery demo site at Aarhus University,Viborgtocollectandcomparedata,alongwiththewiderRuralBioReFarmeriesprojectteam Ensurethatriskswithinthebiorefineryareidentifiedandmitigated incollaboration with supervisor Ensurethatthebiorefineryismaintainedand/orrepairatregularintervalsandasnecessaryover time Liaise with colleagues on secure management and supply of sample co-products to colleagues and partners SupportCircBioteamcolleaugesonbenchandpilotscaleprocessingpriortoscaleup SupporttheRuralBioReFarmeriesteamineffortstoscaleactivitiesfrombenchtopilot Collaboratewithandsupportcoordinatoronday-to-dayRuralBioReFarmeriesmanagementand reporting activities Mentoring of PhD students involved in tasks related to the green biorefinery and Rural BioReFarmeries projects Management and mitigation of project risks related to green biorefinery implementation Liaise withpartners(CircBio,UniversityofGalway,BiOrbic,UCD,TCDandothers)workingtooptimize and scale anaerobic digestion process from biorefinery residues Participate in, contribute to and co-organize project related external events such as demonstration days, workshops, training and promotional events, as well as internal project meetings Contributetofuturegreenbiorefinerydesignanddevelopmentwork Writingtechnicalreportsandcontributingtopeer-reviewedpublications ContributingtothebroaderactivitiesofCircBioandRuralBioReFarmeries Candidatesmustdemonstratethefollowing: BSc/BEng, MSc/MEng or PhD in a related engineering area (e.g., process engineering, marine engineer (Maskin Mester), agricultural engineering, mechanical engineering etc.) Relevant technical background with experience in operations engineering and process management, ideally within a biomass-related position, or other relevant areas such as marine, food and agriculture industry and energy industry etc. Experience of participation in industrially-relevant commercial or pilot projects, maintaining and optimizing process parameters like heat, steam and pressure Experienceinthemaintenanceand/orrepairofengineeringequipment/facilities Experienceincapturing,comparingandanalysingprocessandsampledata Strongleadershipcapability Experienceofteamworkinginamultidisciplinaryoperationalenvironments Self-motivatedandstrongabilitytoworkonowninitiativewillbeessentialtotherole AbilitytofollowinstructionofprojectPIsandcollaboratewithotherteammembersisalsoa requirement Excellentinterpersonal,communication,presentationandorganizationalskills Afulldriverslicenseisrequiredinordertoaccessthefarmandotherrelevantsites Thefollowingisdesirable: Knowledgeandexperienceofbiorefineryprocesssystemsandextractionofproducts(e.g., proteins/sugars) from biomass Any experience of grasses or other biomass feedstocks suitable for biorefinery processing as well as logistics Previousengineering experience focused on operations for large scale projects Strongtechnicalbackground,includingtrackrecordoftechnicalreportpreparationisdesirable Experience of project management, and demonstrable ability to plan and implement tasks in a timely manner Excellenttrackrecordofdeliveringtechnicalreportsand/orpublications Salary:Fullpositionat€43,768perannum.Thepostisof24monthsdurationandmaybeextended. ApplicationProcedure: Allapplicationstobemade/vacancies Location: This post is based within the Circular Bioeconomy Research Group (CircBio) at Munster Technological University in Tralee however, the normal working place will be located at Farm Zero C at ShinaghEstatesFarminBandon,Co.Cork.Travelbetweentheselocationsforsupervisionandmeetings will be expected from time to time, while occasional national and international visits will be essential for training and to collaborate with project partners and funders CitizenshipRequirement:Candidatesshouldnotethateligibilitytocompeteforpostsisopentocitizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) or to non-EEA nationals with a valid work permit. The EEA consistsoftheMemberStatesoftheEuropeanUnion,UnitedKingdomalongwithIceland,Liechtenstein and Norway. Swiss citizens under EU agreements may also apply. ItisanoffenceundertheEmploymentPermitsActs2003and2006forbothanemployerandanemployee ifa non-EEA Nationalisinemploymentwithoutanappropriateemployment permit.Employmentpermit holders can only work for the employer named on the permit. InformalEnquiries:InformalenquiriesONLYtoJamesGaffey Funding: This project has received funding from the European Unions Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking under Grant agreement No. . Closing date for applications is 1.00pm Friday, 20th December 2024 Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted. Skills: strong leadership capability relevant technical background knowledge and exp of biorefinery process systems