General information
Offer title : PhD (M/F): Formation and toxicity of Disinfection By-Products in drinking water in a context of varying water quality due to climate change (H/F)
Reference : UMR8516-JUSCRI-007
Number of position : 1
Workplace : VILLENEUVE D ASCQ
Date of publication : 19 March 2024
Type of Contract : PhD Student contract / Thesis offer
Contract Period : 36 months
Start date of the thesis : 1 October 2024
Proportion of work : Full time
Remuneration : 2 135,00 € gross monthly
Section(s) CN : Physical chemistry, theoretical and analytic
Description of the thesis topic
The project aims to study the formation and toxicity of disinfection by-products in drinking water, considering the impact of water resource degradation due to scarcity, anthropogenic pressures and climate change.
Disinfection techniques based on oxidative treatments such as chlorination or ozonation generate a myriad of unwanted by-products that present health risks. Project objectives include characterizing precursors by innovative analytical methods, analyzing by-product formation in water treatment plants, anticipating the effects of climate change, assessing the formation of stable radicals and determining the impact on human intestinal cells. The aim is to get as close as possible to real-life exposure conditions, considering known and unknown by-products. Toxicity, inflammatory pathways and oxidative stress to low concentration will be considered. The different types of organic matter will need to be considered and characterized, along with their evolution in the environment and in treatment processes.
This research project integrating analytical sciences, bioanalytical tools and toxicological assessments can be carried out by a chemist and/or biologist willing to train in the various analytical techniques.
Activities:
– Assessment of the formation of disinfection by-products by bench scale experiments and industrial samplings.
– Treatment of samples by membrane filtration and extraction of by-products
– Study of radical species and assessment of their stabilities
– Assessment of acute toxicity, inflammatory response and oxidative stress
Competences :
– Water analysis and/or water treatment
– Bioanalytical tools
– Chromatography (liq and/or gas) and mass spectrometry
– Internal reporting, valorization in conferences and publication
Work Context
This thesis is a collaboration between the LASIRE (UMR CNRS 8516 – lasir.cnrs.fr) and INFINITE (UnitĂ© INSERM – CHU de Lille – lille-inflammation-research.org) laboratories. This project is supported by an international and industrial partnership and the Infranalytics and plasma torch analysis platforms at the Institut Chevreul (Lille University). The PhD will be involved in the Grael program
The position is located in a sector under the protection of scientific and technical potential (PPST), and therefore requires, in accordance with the regulations, that your arrival is authorized by the competent authority of the MESR.
