1. Purification of gaseous streams
1.1. Currently, there are many technologies for the purification of gaseous streams including biogas, natural gas, waste gas, and air. However, many of them are expensive, insufficiently effective, and require the use of toxic and corrosive solvents. Therefore, new solutions that meet the standards of green engineering are searched for. The research focuses on the development of new “green” solvents based on deep eutectic solvents (DESs) composed of natural components for the selective removal of impurities from gas streams in absorption processes.
1.2. Nature of the research: theoretical, experimental
1.3.Keywords:purification of gas stream, deep eutectic solvents, green solvents, absorption
2. Mineral carbonation using waste materials
2.1. Mineral carbonation is one of the various methods proposed as ways to utilize CO2 and reducing its concentration in the atmosphere. This method allows for the safe and permanent capture and sequestration of CO2. The use of waste for this purpose allows the integration of two activities: (i) CO2 removal, and (ii) waste management. This research will be focused to investigate the parameters influencing CO2 sequestration during indirect mineral carbonation using selected waste materials from demolition of buildings. The influence of parameters such as waste composition, leaching agent concentration and CO2 absorption promoters, pH, temperature, mixing intensity and gas flow velocity on the CO2 conversion rate will be investigated.
2.2. Nature of the research: theoretical, experimental
2.3.Keywords:carbon dioxide, mineral carbonation, CO2 sequestration, waste disposal, CCS technologies
3. Application ionic liquids for development of new nano- and microstructures for photocatalytic pollutants degradation and H2 generation
3.1. One of the challenges in nano- and microscale science is designing methods to synthesize materials with uniformity in size and distribution, controlled morphology and as a consequence desired and valuable properties. Development of new protocols to prepare innovative structures with tailored morphology, thus properties may solve problems of low effectiveness of e.g. photocatalytic pollutants degradation and H2 generation. In this regard, ionic liquids may play versatile roles during materials preparation such a solvent, soft template, reagent, agent promoting reduction of the precursor or particles stabilizer. As a consequence, enable formation of new photocatalysts with enhanced activity under solar irradiation in comparison to reference photocatalysts prepared without ILs.
3.2. Nature of the research: theoretical, experimental
3.3.Keywords:ionic liquids, semiconductors, photocatalytic degradation, hydrogen generation, nanostructures
4. Biofiltration of hydrophobic volatile organic compounds
4.1. Removal of hydrophilic chemicals by means of the biofiltration process has been known for many years. On the other hand, the removal of hydrophobic chemicals is currently a scientific challenge. Research work is focused on two main strands: the addition of hydrolyl compounds to hydrophobic compounds and elucidation of the synergistic enhancement mechanism, and the use of fungal biocatalysts and a fungal consortium. In both cases, an improvement in the removal of volatile organic compounds of a hydrophobic nature by biofiltration is observed. Explaining the causes and mechanisms is currently the main area of research in this topic.
4.2. Nature of the research: theoretical, experimental
4.3.Keywords:biofiltration, fungi, biocatalyst, VOCs removal
5. Application of sensor matrices to control the technological process
5.1. The development of chemical sensors resulted in the emergence of sensors on the market with good and very good metrological parameters such as: low detection limit, sensitivity, selectivity, response time, and measuring range. This makes these devices attractive as control and measurement tools. Increasing the detection capabilities of chemical sensors is possible by building sensor matrices. There is more and more information that sensor arrays are successfully used for many technological processes such as control of the degree of purification of process streams. The scientific challenge is such a structure and configuration of the sensor matrix that is attractive in terms of measurement in relation to the reference methods currently used in technological processes.
5.2. Nature of the research: theoretical, experimental, technical
5.3.Keywords:control process, sensors, sensor matrices, metrological parameters
