PhD position “Electrochemical desalination removal of salts and nutrients

PhD position on “Electrochemical desalination for the removal of salts and nutrients”

In this project, we aim to develop electrodialysis (ED) and bipolar membrane processes (EDBPM) as separation and on-site chemical production technologies for complex mixtures containing not only monovalent salts but also divalent ions, nutrients, and charged organic molecules. One‑side coated ion exchange membranes provide a promising platform in ED and EDBPM processes to tune ion transport, as strong diode behavior of these asymmetric membranes was recently demonstrated.

Our goal is to fractionate complex salt mixtures to produce valuable chemicals. Your goal is to develop a toolbox of chemically and mechanically stable membrane coatings suitable for water treatment applications in ED and EDBPM. You will evaluate the performance on complex water streams and identify process limitations by combining experimental results with advanced model development. The project is co‑supervised by Jouke Dykstra from Wageningen University and Research.

The project is part of the research consortium Blue Vantage. Blue Vantage is a large research program with scientific and societal partners that aims to tackle growing water challenges by finding new ways to reuse water safely and sustainably. To that end, Blue Vantage explores new treatment technologies to remove persistent organic micropollutants and recover valuable resources from water, thereby ensuring a clean water cycle for economy, ecology and society.

The research in Blue Vantage is divided over different thematic work packages in which a number of PhDs, their supervisors and societal partners together work on the ambitions of Blue Vantage.

• You are an enthusiastic and highly motivated researcher.
• You have, or will shortly, acquire a master degree in the field of Chemical Engineering, Applied Physics, Materials Science, Water Technology or an adjacent relevant study.
• You have a creative mindset and excellent analytical and communication skills.
• You have a good team spirit and like to work in an interdisciplinary and internationally oriented environment.
• You are proficient in English.

• A full‑time position for four years, with a qualifier in the first year.
• Your salary and associated conditions are in accordance with the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities (CAO‑NU).
• You will receive a gross monthly salary ranging from € 3 059,- (first year) to € 3 881,- (fourth year).
• There are excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end‑of‑year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme.
• A minimum of 232 leave hours in case of full‑time employment based on a formal workweek of 38 hours. A full‑time employment in practice means 40 hours a week, therefore resulting in 96 extra leave hours on an annual basis.
• Free access to sports facilities on campus.
• A family‑friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid).
• You will have a training programme as part of the Twente Graduate School where you and your supervisors will determine a plan for a suitable education and supervision.

Title

PhD position on “Electrochemical desalination for the removal of salts and nutrients”

Published