PhD Project: Modelling and Risk Ranking the Chemical and Microbial Safety of Organic Waste Spread on Land in Ireland

Outline

Background of Collaborative Project

This PhD is part of a collaborative led by Teagasc and with UCD, NUIG and TU Dublin whose main aim is to identify, quantify and develop mitigation strategies to control chemical (cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, lead, antimony, selenium, tin and zinc) and biological (Salmonella, STEC/E. coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, 

Campylobacter spp., Clostridium spp., Cryptosporidium and norovirus) hazards in animal waste (Cattle, pig, sheep and poultry slurry and/or manure) and wastewater treatment sludge.

TU Dublin PhD objectives within the project

The role will be focused on Risk ranking, identifying the most relevant (in terms of food safety/public health) waste-hazard combinations. Risk pathways, the effects of land application method and food processing on each hazard, and differences in policy and practice for controlling chemical hazards in sludge will be investigated.

This research will inform farmers, AD operators, regulators and other relevant stakeholders about the hazards in wastes intended for land spreading in Ireland as well as best practice and policy for their control.

Objectives

• to undertake a comprehensive review of the scientific and grey literature to identify and provide data on; [1] the range of waste materials that are land spread in Ireland; [2] all potential chemical and biological hazards in these wastes, and [3] all potential mitigation actions to control these hazards
• to rank the animal waste, wastewater treatment sludge and other wastes-hazard combinations in terms of the potential impact on food safety/public health
• to identify the main risk pathways and the effect of food processing on each hazard
• to investigate the effectiveness of different strategies to mitigate against chemical hazards in the environment
• to develop a decision support tool to identify the optimal use for organic wastes

What is funded

Student Stipend € 18,000 p.a.

Materials/ Travel etc € 1000 p.a.

Fees € 6,000 p.a

Duration

4 Years

Eligibility

• Student requirements for this project

  A BSc (Science) or BEng (Engineering) Hons related to Environmental, Agriculture, Nutrition, Dietetics, Public Health, Food or Horticulture.

A demonstrated interest in any of the following areas: Risk Assessment, Chemical Hazards, Biological Hazards, Agriculture.

Submit an application with 1) your CV and 2) a letter addressing the two requirements before 17:00 of the 1^st December 2021.

If you are interested in submitting an application for this project, please complete an Expression of Interest and email it to phd@tudublin.ie.