PhD Position: PhD Scholarship in Wastewater Heat Recovery

The School of Engineering at RMIT University invites applications for a PhD 
Research position in the field of waste heat recovery from wastewater for 
energy, cost and emissions savings in water-intensive industries 

Significant amounts of energy are expended on heating water for various 
applications including the processing and production of food. This occurs in 
cafes, restaurants, hotels, and food processing plants. When this hot water is 
used it is discharged as hot wastewater, still containing a large portion of the 
energy embedded within it. Sending hot water to the sewer system is a 
significant waste of energy and unnecessarily contributed to the emissions of 
the food sector.

This project will develop solutions for the recycling of waste heat in 
wastewater from the Australian food sector. The project will include assessment 
of the available heat energy resources available in the Australian context and 
co-develop solutions with industry to recycle this heat, reducing the cost and 
environmental impact of water heating for food production. This project will 
employ CFD modelling to develop wastewater heat recovery solutions for 
identified opportunities in the food sector. The project will also involve field 
measurements, modelling and desk-based review and assessments.

RMIT University is ranked 123rd worldwide in the 2024 QS rankings and the School 
of Engineering is ranked in the Top 100 Engineering Schools in the world with 
many subject areas being highly ranked. The School of Engineering generates a 
significant annual research income and is the second largest Engineering School 
in Australia. The School of Engineering has a focus on research addressing 
infrastructure resilience and sustainability and this PhD topic aligns with this 
priority area in providing sustainable solutions to the challenge of energy use 
and emissions in the built environment. 

This PhD project work will comprise:
•	Review of the literature on wastewater heat recovery
•	Assessment of the available wastewater heat resources in the Australian 
context 
•	Modelling of wastewater heat resources on a regional scale
•	Development of solution to extra heat resources using heat exchangers 
and heat pumps (with CFD modelling) 

This project is a follow-on study to previous work described in detail in: 
•	Nagpal et al. Heat recovery from wastewater—A review of available 
resource. Water 13 (9), 1274
•	Spriet & McNabola. Decentralized drain water heat recovery: A 
probabilistic method for prediction of wastewater and heating system 
interaction. Energy and Buildings 183, 684-696
•	Spriet & McNabola. Decentralized drain water heat recovery from 
commercial kitchens in the hospitality sector. Energy and Buildings 194, 247-
259.
•	Singh et al. Experimental and numerical investigation of drain water 
heat recovery in a grease interceptor. Journal of Cleaner Production 403, 136799
•	Spriet et al. Design and Long-Term Performance of a Pilot Wastewater 
Heat Recovery System in a Commercial Kitchen in the Tourism Sector. Water 15 
(20), 3646

Applicants with a masters or bachelors degree in areas of Engineering or Science 
relating to one or more of the core areas of the project will be considered: 

•	Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modelling 
•	Wastewater system
•	Heat exchange
•	Renewable heating

Applicants with a 1st class honours degree or equivalent are strongly 
encouraged. Funding for the research project, commencing in 2025, will be 
$35,888 AUD per annum for a period of 36 months. 
Candidates are asked to send a cover letter, full CV, academic transcripts and 
the names of two referees to the address below. Deadline for applications is the 
28th of February 2025