Ongoing projects

Deterministic models for the prediction of ion adsorption-desorption processes in capacitive desalination devices

VR, Swedish Research Council (start date 1 January 2019)

With depleting fresh water sources across the world, there is a growing interest in desalination. capacitive deionization (CDI) is considered to be a promising option for the desalination of brackish water. In this project we will improved-modified Donnan (i-mD) model to describe electro-migration, electroadsorption and desorption processes occurring within a flow-through CDI unit. This will be extended by building functions with commonly expressed parameter-sets for CDI electrode materials, to widen its scope to integrate processes where the fluid flow takes place perpendicular to the electrode plane. These will then be extended to incorporate the effects of nanostructured coatings on the electrode surface and externally controllable parameters like flow rate, temperature and potential, to predict electrosorption dynamics. Additionally, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models will be developed to explore the relationship between pressure drop, fluid flow rate, surface fluid distribution and electrode material properties. The equations will be compiled into a Finite Element Model that will be validated using activated carbon cloth (ACC) as electrode material in a CDI operation in a strictly flow-through process. The research, development and measurements will be carried out at Functional Materials unit at KTH within a period of four years. In brief, the project outlines a method to build deterministic models for statistically available data on electrosorption processes.

Modellutveckling för att pilotanläggningar för kapacitiv avjonisering ska avsalta vatten mer effektivt

J. Gust. Richert stiftelse (start date 1 July 2020)

The project aims to develop modeling methods to solve challenges of CDI facilities in pilot scale. Methods will be developed to describe complex systems where it is difficult to measure individual components in detail to predict and improve ion selectivity in CDI systems. Finally, an app will be developed to automate the implementation of the model. The project is expected to assist Swedish companies to bring CDI technology to applications for mitigating Swedish and global water shortages.

Sustainable Wastewater Treatment for Hospitals / SWaTH, 2020 - EAC/A02/2019

Erasmus+ CBHE action (start date 8 February 2021)

The main objectives of this project are to ensure modernization and development in the field of hospital wastewater treatment in Lebanon, to strengthen relations between Lebanese HEIs and with European HEIs as well as to promote voluntary convergence with European developments in higher education.

Hydrogen energy by solar activation of cellulose (HESAC)

ERA-NET Bioenergy, Energimyndigheten projektnr 45504-1 (start date 08 June 2018)

Forests store vast amounts of carbon and energy and wood has classically been our major source of energy until it was usurped by coal in 1850. Over 2 billion people across the world still use wood for heat and cooking. With the onset of digital age, there has been a drop in demand for newsprint, resulting in rethinking of economics of paper making and energy policy towards the use of the renewable bioenergy. Combined to this, the urge for lowering greenhouse gas emissions and protection of our environment needs renewed thinking for the production of bio-energy. This consortium of higher education institution (KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden) an SME’s from Poland (Ekologsp. z o.o.) and another SME from Germany (Zoz GmbH working as an associate partner) propose to utilise sunlight to transform cellulosic materials to useful hydrogen energy which can be used in remote and transportation applications as well as in cogeneration of energy. The proposed breakthrough technology has a potential to revolutionise the utilisation of non-food forest resources for energy production.

Cleaning Litter by developing and Applying Innovative Methods in european seas (CLAIM)

774586-CLAIM-H2020-BG-2016-2017/H2020-BG-2017-1 (start date 14^th November 2017)

CLAIM focuses on the development of innovative cleaning technologies and approaches, targeting the prevention and in situ management of visible and invisible marine litter in the Mediterranean and Baltic Sea. Two innovative technological methods will be developed, a photocatalytic nanocoating device for cleaning microplastics in wastewater treatment plants and a small-scale thermal treatment device for energy recovery from collected litter on board ships and ports. The proposed cleaning technologies and approaches prevent litter from entering the sea at two main source points, i.e. wastewater treatment plants and river mouths.

www.claim-h2020project.eu/

Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (Mistra) TerraClean programme (start date: June 2018)

With a vision to address global sustainability challenges, the Mistra TerraClean program will use naturally occurring and commercially important raw materials indigenous to Sweden, such as (nano)cellulose and mesoporous inorganic materials invented and developed in Sweden, to develop smart materials for removal of chemical wastes and pollutants from ambient water and air in the environment and industrial effluents. The program will integrate strong research and innovation environments in the Stockholm-Uppsala region to a national hub capable to provide expertise required to set necessary momentum and advance smart materials science beyond the current state-of-the-art. Urgent and timely problems in Sweden are addressed but at the same time the program will drive solutions to filtering problems on a global scale.

mistraterraclean.com/

Joint China-Sweden Mobility programme (2019-2021), STINT

Research on the charge transport in perovskite solar cells with broad spectrum response.

Centre of Electron Microscopy for Materials Sciences (CEM4MAT)