PHD POSITIONS
Molecular scale
Reactor scale
Process scale
DC1 – Resource recovery for hard-to-recycle biogenic waste: process assessment and value chain integration
Supervisors: Prof. Andrea Turolla and Prof. Elena Ficara
Academic partner: TU Darmstadt (Germany) | Prof. Arne Scholtissek
Industrial partner: Carborem (Lavis, Italy) | Dr. Michela Lucian
The key challenge of this PhD project is the development of a multi-criteria decision support system capable of integrating technical, economic, and sustainability aspects in the assessment of innovative technological solutions to be used for the identification of the most promising valorisation routes for recovered products. Such methodology will be applied for the identification of optimal value chains for converting waste streams into high-value bio-based compounds under different treated feedstocks and process operating conditions. In addition, a part of the PhD project will be devoted to the development of decontamination strategies and technologies for meeting quality requirements for recovered products.
DC2 – Resource recovery from hard-to-recycle biogenic waste: valorisation routes downstream of deep conversion processes
Supervisors: Prof. Andrea Turolla and Prof. Elena Ficara
Academic partner: KU Leuven (Belgium) | Prof. Jo Van Caneghem
Industrial partner: Gruppo CAP (Milano, Italy) | Dr. Davide Scaglione
The key challenge of this PhD project is the identification of opportunities and constraints for recovered product upgrade via downstream treatments into higher-value bio-based compounds and the assessment of promising alternatives for recovered product upgrade. The related activities will lead to the development of appropriate technological solutions for upgrading recovered products via downstream treatment into higher-value bio-based compounds whose feasibility and sustainability will be assessed.
DC3 – Development of detailed chemistry models for HTC/HTL of hard-to-recycle biogenic waste streams
Supervisors: Prof. Matteo Pelucchi and Prof. Alessio Frassoldati
Academic partner: University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) | Prof. Tine Seljak
Industrial partner: Carborem (Lavis, Italy) | Dr. Michela Lucian
The key challenge of this PhD project is to develop characterization models for the investigated feedstock and to develop mechanistic chemical kinetic models for the hydrothermal carbonization and liquefaction (HTC and HTL) processes guided by and validated through lab-scale information produced within UPCYCLE and from the literature. Such model will be used to assess the impact of feedstock composition and operating conditions on process operations and product quality by means of low order (e.g., ideal reactors) simulations. The same models will be transferred within the consortium for multidimensional reactor simulations.
DC4 – Development of detailed chemistry models for pyrolysis/gasification of hard-to-recycle biogenic waste streams
Supervisors: Prof. Matteo Pelucchi and Prof. Alberto Cuoci
Academic partner: TU Darmstadt (Germany) | Prof. Christian Hasse
Industrial partner
The key challenge of this PhD project is to develop characterisation models for pyrolysis and gasification guided by and validated through lab-scale information produced within UPCYCLE and from the literature. Such model will be used to assess the impact of feedstock composition and operating conditions, as well as catalytic effects arising from inorganic (e.g., metals) fractions in ashes on process operations and product quality by means of low order (e.g., ideal reactors) simulations. The same models will be transferred within the consortium for multidimensional reactor simulations addressing thermal and fluid-dynamics aspects.
DC5 – Circular economy oriented R-CFD for complex feedstocks by predicting fate of organics
Supervisors: Prof. Tine Seljak
Academic partner: KU Leuven (Belgium) | Prof. Johan De Greef
Industrial partner: Indaver (Belgium) | Dr. Karl Vrancken
The key challenge of this PhD project is to develop a reactive 3D CFD model capable of describing the transformations of inorganic compounds during high-temperature thermo-chemical treatment of solid biogenic waste. Predominantly focused on gasification, the PhD project will require description of heat and mass transfer in solid phase and accompanying interactions with gas phase as well as inclusion of chemical kinetic mechanisms for organic components. These will be extended with kinetic mechanisms for inorganics with the purpose to describe the fate of phosphorus and other secondary raw materials, ultimately yielding a model capable of supporting optimisation of process conditions in recovery of secondary raw materials. The models are related to the reference composition of the feedstock, obtained within UPCYCLE and within literature, including organic and inorganic compounds, in order to ensure inherent transfer of kinetic models from the molecular to the reactor scale. The results of the same model will be transferred within the UPCYCLE to support process simulations.
DC6 – Experimental characterization of reactive zone in pyrolysis/gasification with focus on engineering aspects
Supervisors: Prof. Tine Seljak
Industrial partner: Indaver (Belgium) | Dr. Karl Vrancken
The key challenge of this PhD project is to provide comprehensive experimental characterisation of pyrolysis/gasification process for complex biogenic waste, including temperatures, pressure drops, composition, and mass flows of products, with focus on secondary raw materials and precursors for further synthesis with the purpose to provide high-quality validation data (via in-line composition and temperature measurements) and process optimisation guidelines. For this, the PhD project aims to upgrade the existent experimental setup (5 kW range) with necessary sensing equipment and control features. Design of experiments will be guided by fundamental characterisation of the feedstock, obtained within UPCYCLE and within literature, including organic and inorganic compounds, in order to ensure seamless correlation with other molecular and reactor scale project within UPCYCLE. Experimental results will be used to support process simulations, performed by other DCs.
DC7 – Establishing industrial symbiosis in full-scale HTC and HTL through process flexibility
Supervisors: Prof. Mihael Sekavčnik and Prof. Tine Seljak
Industrial partner: IOS (Maribor, Slovenia) | Dr. Alexandra Lobnik
The key challenge of this PhD project is to map the requirements and research the flexibility capacity of full-scale HTL/HTC processes implemented in various environments in terms of variable energy/material inputs/outputs to adapt to inconsistent flows on interface of the process. The project will focus on establishing a dynamic process model, building from physically consistent reduced order models with emphasis on dynamic responses and accomodation of heat/energy sources with high temporal variability and variable feedstock composition/quality. Extension of the model for description of gray-zones (e.g., components for which limited knowledge about response is available) will be performed to adapt to specific use-cases. The model will be used to evaluate and optimise the capacity of HTL/HTC process to adapt external techno-economic factors in order to optimise the OPEX in terms of energy requirements and possible gate fees. The project is predominantly focused on system-level modelling, supported by real-world data from actual operational sites.
DC8 – Sustainability assessment of novel conversion routes of biological sludge and contaminated waste wood
Supervisors: Prof. Jo Van Caneghem and Prof. Giuseppe Granata
Academic partner: TU Darmstadt (Germany) | Prof. Arne Scholtissek
Industrial partner: Sulzer (Winterthur, Switzerland) | Dr. Irina Yarulina
The key challenge of this PhD project is to quantitatively assess the environmental impacts and economic feasibility of one hydrothermal and one pyrolysis/gasification biowaste conversion route developed within the network. To this extend, life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA) will be applied.
DC9 – Multiscale reduced-order modelling of reactors for thermal conversion of contaminated solid wastes
Supervisors: Prof. Johan De Greef and Prof. Maarten Vanierschot
Academic partner: Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain) | Dr. Maria Ventura
Industrial partner: Vyncke (Harelbeke, Belgium) | Dr. H. Fastenaekels
The aim of this PhD project is to establish an advanced numerical, compartilementalized, multi-scale model to be used for prediction and (offline) control of waste combustion processes (e.g., in the view of abating typical boiler corrosion and unsteady emissions in industrial waste combustion processes). This model shall comprise solid-gas kinetics of relevant thermochemical decomposition reactions (expressed as reaction/reactor engineering equations) and also contain intelligence towards the behavior of specific inorganic compounds that originate from waste contaminants. Experimental validation of the model will be done in a semi-industrial pilot-reactor, and the data obtained will be compared with results previously obtained from CFD models and from a full-scale thermal waste processing plant.
DC10 – Development of new catalytic routes to valorise contaminated wood through multifunctional materials
Supervisors: Dr. Maria Ventura and Dr. Juan Antonio Melero
Academic partner: Politecnico di Milano (Italy) | Prof. Matteo Pelucchi
Industrial partner: Ingelia (Valencia, Spain) | Dr. B. Oliver-Tomàs
The PhD project focuses on developing advanced catalytic pathways to valorize the three primary polymers in wood – cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The challenge lies in processing lignocellulosic materials contaminated with pollutants such as chromium and heavy metals. This approach involves targeting lignin transformation by designing multifunctional catalysts to convert this polymer, that is the most recalcitrant polymer within the three components into valuable carboxylic acids or aromatic compounds. Holocellulose valorization will be also pursued, utilising the residue (holocellulose) contained the retained contaminants to synthetise metal-incorporated materials. These materials will catalyse the conversion of lignin-derived intermediates into high-value products, including jet fuel and specialty chemicals. A comprehensive mechanistic kinetic model to understand the transformations of lignocellulosic materials will be developed focusing in the catalytic-residue interaction. The research will also involve detailed characterization of feedstocks, residues, and catalytic effluent to optimize the catalytic process. Thus, the research work will mainly focus on (1) developing and optimizing advanced catalysts, (2) investigate the intricate interactions between catalysts and lignocellulosic substrates and pioneering sustainable solutions for transforming waste into valuable resources.
DC11 – Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of non-recyclable aqueous streams
Supervisors: Prof. Fernando Martínez Castillejo and Prof. Isabel Pariente
Academic partner: Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza” (Italy) | Prof. Benedetta de Caprariis
Industrial partner: Ingelia (Valencia, Spain) | Dr. Martin Hitzl
The Doctoral Candidate will focus on advancing the Catalytic Wet Air Oxidation (CWAO) process to treat non-recyclable aqueous streams. The work will involve conducting detailed analyses of industrial effluents from project-related processes, identifying and quantifying contaminants to evaluate their applicability for CWAO treatment. The candidate will also develop innovative carbonaceous materials derived from contaminated feedstocks, such as biochar, which will serve as supports for active metal catalysts, optimising their performance for CWAO applications. A significant part of the research will be dedicated to evaluate the effectiveness of the CWAO process in oxidising recalcitrant compounds, optimising reaction conditions to enhance the biodegradability of effluents by up to 90%, and generating critical insights into process kinetics and efficiency. The Doctoral Candidate will also assess the biodegradability of the treated effluents through Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) tests and other similar methodologies. The PhD project will deliver advanced methods for characterising aqueous effluents and contaminants, cost-effective catalytic materials synthetised from waste-derived resources, and optimised CWAO processes that significantly improve effluent biodegradability while reducing environmental impact.
DC12 – Thermochemical conversion of contaminated biogenic waste at molecular/lab scale for kinetic modelling
Supervisors: Prof. Benedetta de Caprariis and Prof. Maria Paola Bracciale
Academic partner: Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain) | Prof. Fernando Martínez Castillejo
Industrial partner
The primary challenge of this PhD project is to conduct lab-scale kinetic experiments on hydrothermal carbonisation and liquefaction (HTC and HTL), as well as pyrolysis and gasification of contaminated biogenic waste. The research aim to investigate the molecular-level transformation of organic matter under varying process conditions, linking the data to specific feedstocks to populate a database necessary for the development of kinetic models for HTC/HTL and pyrolysis/gasification. The experiments will focus on characterising reaction products, with particular emphasis on reaction intermediates. Another key aspect of the study is the fate of contaminants present in the waste, whose transformation will be monitored through an in-depth characterisation of the products, including metals and inorganic compounds.
DC13 – Valorisation of contaminated biogenic waste in HTL/HTC lab-scale plants
PhD program: Processes for Industry and Environment
Supervisors: Prof. Benedetta de Caprariis and Prof. Martina Damizia
Academic partner: TU Darmstadt (Germany) | Prof. Arne Scholtissek
Industrial partner: IOS (Maribor, Slovenia) | Dr. Alexandra Lobnik
The PhD position focuses on the valorization of contaminated biogenic waste through hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC). The research aims to assess and optimise the design of a semi-continuous HTL plant, refine operating conditions to miximise bio-crude yield with low heteroatom content (O < 15%), and characterise biochar and aqueous phase properties in order to explore their potential application. A key aspect is understanding the fate of contaminants, ensuring sufficient recovery of inorganics (e.g., phosphorus) while minimising their presence in the bio-crude.
DC14 – High-fidelity CFD simulations for pyrolysis/gasification reactors of contaminated lignocellulosic biomasses
Supervisors: Prof. Christian Hasse and Prof. Arne Scholtissek
Academic partner: Politecnico di Milano (Italy) | Prof. Matteo Pelucchi
Industrial partner: VYNCHE (Harelbeke, Belgium) | Dr. H. Fastenaekels
The focal areas of this PhD project are high-fidelity CFD simulations for pyrolysis/gasification reactors of contaminated lignocellulosic biomasses. The CFD models shall integrate advanced kinetic models from molecular scale research, gas phase kinetics of complex fuel components, and also consider morphological characteristics of the feedstock. The research builds upon a validated OpenFOAM-based software framework with predictive multi-scale and multi-physics, which is to be extended for pyrolysis/gasification of contaminated lignocellulosic biomasses. With this, a hierarchical modelling approach and scientific understanding from single particle to turbulent reacting flow for contaminated biomass is achieved, explicitly considering also the evolution of the contaminants.
DC15 – TEA/LCA of thermodynamic process modelling for pyrolysis/gasification of contaminated wooden biomass
Supervisors: Prof. Arne Scholtissek and Prof. Christian Hasse
Academic partner: KU Leuven (Leuven, Belgium) | Prof. Jo Van Caneghem
Industrial partner: Sulzer (Winterthur, Switzerland) | Dr. Irina Yarulina
The focal areas of this PhD project are life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analyses (TEA) of pyrolysis/gasification processes of contaminated wooden biomasses, which are informed by lab-scale experiments produced within UPCYCLE and the scientific literature. The research will results in models at the interface between process assessment and thermodynamic modelling considering carbon utilisation routes (syngas/tars) as well as contaminant management. The models will be used to assess the energy and resource consumption, process economics, and relevant environmental indicators (e.g., GWP, impact on air/soil/water) of the overall deep conversion process.