Master Thesis / Bachelor Thesis / Internship in enzymatic polymer degradation (f / m / x)

The UFZ

The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) with its 1,100 employees has gained an excellent reputation as an international competence centre for environmental sciences. We are part of the largest scientific organisation in Germany, the Helmholtz association. Our mission : Our research seeks to find a balance between social development and the long-term protection of our natural resources.

The job

As part of the FINEST project, we deal with the microbial / enzymatic degradation of plastics and microplastics to yield valuable products and / or inert residues for safe deposition, hereby minimizing risks associated with such microplastic materials and supporting the development and implementation of related management options.

We are looking for a motivated student that will focus on the enzymatic degradation of polyurethane (PU) and its building blocks.

Your tasks

• Production and purification of urethane degrading enzymes.
• Screening of the degradation of polyurethane or polyurethane related compounds.
• Analysis of the degradation products with Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography.
• Data evaluation.
• Working on respective thesis (if applicable).

We offer

right from the start

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