|
|
||
|
|
Current PhD-research, projects
& expertise
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research topics of the current PhD students and Postdoc (to
download completed PhDs of former members, click here) Study of the leaching
behaviour and control of the leaching of Cu from bottom ash: Bottom ash –
originating in the grate furnace of a municipal solid waste incinerator – has
a high recycling potential. For the bottom ash to be recycled, it must
comply with strict regulations. In practice, leaching of copper exceeds
the limit value. As a consequence, bottom ash needs to be
treated. The aim of this research is to understand the leaching
behaviour of copper in bottom ash. Three topics will be investigated:
complexation of copper with organic components, carbonation of copper and
presence of metallic copper. An optimal treatment of bottom ash in view
of recycling, will be developed through a better insight into the leaching
mechanism. Study of the transport
mechanism of ceramic pervaporation membranes: For ceramic membranes, the
mechanism of pervaporation will be
studied, using vapor sorption, sorption from the liquid phase and
pervaporation, both for pure components and mixtures. Components with
different properties, and different membranes will be considered. A model for
ceramic pervaporation will be developed. This research is a part of the
running project “Study and modelling of hybrid processes based on
pervaporation using polymeric and ceramic membranes”. Influence of membrane
properties on fouling in nanofiltration: A common problem with
nanofiltration is fouling at the polymer membrane and consequently the flux
decline. In order to study thoroughly this flux decline, it is necessary to
investigate the influence of the properties of the membrane material.
Important properties are the composition of the polymer, the
hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the membrane surface, the surface roughness,
the surface charge and the free volume of the polymer. In this study, both
commercial and self-made membranes are used. Mechanism and control of
antimony and molybdenum leaching in municipal solid waste incinerator
residues: Due to new European legislation, the leaching of these toxic elements
in municipal solid waste incinerator residues will have to be controlled. As
little is known about their chemistry in solid waste, this study will lead to
more insight in the way different waste properties and macro-constituents
affect antimony and molybdenum leaching. Using this knowledge, treatment
strategies can be developed in order to reduce the environmental impact of
these elements in municipal solid waste incinerator residues. Removal of micropollutants
during drinking water production from surface water: Concerns about
the occurrence of organic micropollutants in surface water (and thus
potential drinking water sources) are increasing. The objective of this
research is to obtain more fundamental knowledge about the removal mechanisms
of micropollutants. The focus will be on currently used processes and newer
technologies, selected in terms of expected capability of removing
micropollutants: coagulation/flocculation, activated carbon, nanofiltration and
advanced oxidation processes (the combination of ozone and hydrogen
peroxide). Determination of transport mechanisms in ceramic
pervaporation and simulation of the process performance: Pervaporation is
becoming more and more an interesting membrane separation method (in hybrid
processes) for industry. However, the transport mechanisms of pervaporation
are not thoroughly known yet, resulting in a lack of a fast, precise and
quasi-automatic determination of the optimal configuration and performance of
the process. By investigating
and simulating the transport mechanisms in ceramic pervaporation, this
research focuses on development of a methodology for design and
optimalisation of hybrid pervaporation processes. Recycling of pre-treated solid waste materials in
cement mixtures: This research focuses on the holistic scientific
study of recycling of waste material in construction applications. Depending on the properties of the
waste, the waste will be in principle applicable for different purposes. When materials have pozzolanic
properties, the goal is to recycle them as substitute of cement. When materials are inert and granular,
the goal is to recycle them as aggregate in mortar or concrete. Thus a
methodology for selecting the best recycling option will be made available
for each waste material.
Recycling of waste materials will be investigated both from the
civil-technical point of view and from the environmental point of view. Leaching of heavy metals from carbonated
waste-containing construction material: Heavy metal leaching from
waste-containing construction materials is influenced by ageing reactions
that occur during the lifecycle of these materials. One of the most
important ageing reactions in cement-based materials is carbonation, the
reaction of alkaline components in the material with carbon dioxide from the
air. Carbonation lowers the pH in the pore water, converts metal
hydroxides to metal carbonates and decreases porosity of the monolith.
Research is performed to assess the importance of these effects, to
understand the carbonation mechanism and to evaluate its influence on heavy
metal leaching. (Download PhD in pdf) Projects The Laboratory for
Environmental Technology offers know-how to study environmental problems in
the field of membrane technology, physicochemical treatment of waste waters,
solid waste treatment and chemical analysis. Projects can be set up with
national and regional authorities, industrial companies, engineering and
consultancy firms. Successful projects that
have been realised at the Laboratory for Environmental Technology include:
Running projects include:
Expertise and services The Laboratory for
Environmental Technology provides expertise in the fields of: ·
physicochemical treatment of process waters, drinking water and waste water
(focussing on membrane technology);
·
general environmental expertise. For more information and advice about specific problems, look at our collaboration
with industry and contact us. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 1999 Katholieke
Universiteit Leuven |
|
