EngD position: Design and evaluation of a membrane process for the recovery of ethanol from high pH media

In Europe alone, each year hundreds of million tons of valuable materials are lost in industrial processing. To increase the yield of these processes, it is important to reduce and/or valorise waste streams. Therefore, various processes that involve the use of alcohols as (anti)solvents and the application of pH switches to recover and purify valuable compounds from waste streams in the biotech and chemical industry have been developed. However, the recovery of (anti)solvents using conventional techniques like distillation requires large amounts of energy.

Membrane technology could be an alternative separation technology to make the biotech, chemical and other industries more circular, flexible and energy-efficient.

The Recircanol project was set up to study the recovery of ethanol from alkaline-ethanol media at high pH using membrane technology. In this project, Greencovery, Pervatech, SolSep, Nobian, ISPT and the University of Twente closely collaborate to generate new scientific and technological knowledge on pH-stable and solvent-resistant nanofiltration membranes for use at alkaline conditions, and on pervaporation membranes for the purification of valuable components and/or the recovery of (anti)solvents.

As EngD student in the Recircanol project, you will:

• Design membrane-based separation processes for the recovery of ethanol from alkaline-ethanol media at high pH, with a special focus on Greencovery’s process.
• Perform lab- and/or module-scale nanofiltration experiments to support or validate your process design with real measurement data.
• Assess the techno-economic feasibility of your designed processes for use in industrial applications characterized by extreme pH.

You will work closely together with the PhD student in the project, who scientifically evaluates nanofiltration membranes and membrane modules.

The Recircanol project is funded via the Top consortium for Knowledge and Innovation (TKI) Energy and Industry. You will closely collaborate with all partners in the project, but particularly with Greencovery.

This position will give you ample opportunities to collaborate with other EngD and PhD students within the Membrane Science & Technology department.

Requirements:

• You have a Master’s degree, preferably with distinction, in Chemical Engineering, (Bio)Process Technology, or a closely related discipline. You are motivated and enthusiastic about working on an industrially relevant design project.
• Preferably you have experience with or have a demonstrated interest in (pressure-driven) membrane processes, membrane science and technology, transport phenomena, and process design and/or simulation.
• You have the ability to work independently and as a member of a larger team, while demonstrating a collaborative attitude.
• You are able to review and engage with interdisciplinary studies and are driven by curiosity.
• You have an analytical mind-set, and possess excellent communication skills, written as well as spoken. English language proficiency is a must. A written test and/or an oral presentation will be part of the interview procedure.

Salary Benefits:

A very challenging position for two years.

You will be part of the EngD programme in Energy and Process Technology at the University of Twente. This is a tailor made post-master design programme that has an educational (40%) and process design part (60%).

A gross monthly salary of € 2.872,- per month.

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.

Up to 328 leave hours in case of full-time employment based on a workweek of 40 hours.

Free access to sports facilities on campus.

Your design project has to result in a EngD thesis at the end of the employment period.

38 - 40 hours per week

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