14 AquaFit4News-June 2012-young reserachers

AquaFit4news Issue 14 — June 2012

Kim Maren LOMPE graduated in water management and engi-neering at the University of Technology Dresden in 2010, where she focused on industrial and communal waste water treatment. Her research interests are new treatment technologies for ground-water remediation and to learn more about key processes in multi-

phase systems as those often found in contaminated sites. In 2008/09 she took part in the AquaFit4Use project at the Research Centre of Maisons-Laffitte from Veolia Environnement Recherche & Innovation as a student apprentice.

“In the frame of the AquaFit4Use project an innovative flexible fibre filter (3FM) was introduced as pre-treatment technology for nano-filtration. I worked on testing at lab scale this rapid deep bed filter (lab scale pilot) on different paper mill effluents. The objective of the study was to evaluate the filters efficiency regarding particle concentration, particle size distribution, fouling index and membrane filterability.

The AquaFit4Use project was a great opportunity to get an insight in different treatment technologies of paper mill effluents and to take part in introducing an innovative tech-nology for water treatment. My research internship at Veolia environment was an excel-lent chance to learn from experts in a challenging and fruitful research atmosphere. This experience turned out to be a very satisfying one, both on a professional and hu-man ground.”

Mathilde LEONARDON has been involved in the project AquaFti4Use in 2009, as she was a graduate student at ESPCI ParisTech completing her last year of study at Imperial College London in the MSc of Envi-ronmental Engineering and Business Management.

“My internship at Veolia on the project AquaFit4Use was an exciting and challenging opportunity to apply and develop my newly acquired skills in the environmental domain. I tested evapo-concentration and/or electrodialysis techniques on two different types of industrial waste-waters - Holmen paper mill and Tekstina textile effluent - in order to produce a water fit-for-use which could be directly recycled into the processes of the industrial partners. I achieved a qualitative feasibility study on a lab scale in order to plan future pilot scale trials.

It was a great experience: I felt part of a very useful project which aimed at contribut-

ing to the water resources preservation. I discovered the complexity of a 4 years Euro-pean project involving 36 partners. Finally the project AquaFit4Use gave me an excel-lent overview of the water recycling issue in the industrial sector.”

The additional value of research

Angeles Blanco

AquaFit4Use Dissemination, Exploitation and Training

Coordinator

Dear readers,

In previous newsletters, we have already highlighted the additional value of the re-search carried out in our pro-ject. I have pointed out the pillars of sustainable research:

collaboration, networking and attracting talented research-ers, in particular young re-searchers, since they are the ones who will ensure that our project results generate a last-

ing value, enabling the transfer and consolidation of existing and newly acquired know-how in the organizations hosting them. In addition, the integra-

tion of young researchers in the participating organisations

constitutes a channel through which AquaFit4Use contributes towards a knowledge-based society.

This second newsletter ad-dressing the contribution of young researchers to the AquaFit4Use project resumes

the presentation of this new

generation of water scientist and engineers.

Participating partners

AquaFit4News Issue 14— June 2012

AquaFit4Use Project: An opportunity for future talented water researchers 2/2

VEOLIA Environnement Recherche & Innovation


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Nina Novak finished her diploma in Eco-Textile Engineering at University of Maribor in 2005. After diploma she has enrolled in

a young researcher programme from industry with Tekstina d.d. Ajdovščina Company and University of Maribor. She is cur-

rently working in the Group for Chemistry Dyes and Polymers, at the Department for Textile Materials and Design. She special-

izes in optimization of UV/H2O2 process and participates in projects related to wastewater treatment from textile industry.

Ramona Irgolič finished her second diploma in Eco-Textile Engineering at University of Maribor in 2006. After achieving stan-

dard academic degree she was working as researcher in the Group for Chemistry Dyes and Polymers, at the Department for

Textile Materials and Design, in Maribor University, where she is finishing her Master’s degree in a field of Environmental Engi-

neering. She specializes in decoloration textile wastewaters containing reactive dyes using Advanced Oxidation Process UV/

H2O2.

Darja Kavšek graduated from Biology and Chemistry at Faculty of Science and Mathematics in Maribor in 2007. Next year she

will obtain the status of young researcher from industry at the Regional Technological Centre Zasavje, Chemical-Technological

Laboratory. From February to June 2010 she studied at TNO (NL) the kinetic of adsorption of textile dyes and other organics on

active carbon. Her field of interest is validation and measurement uncertainty of metals in waste waters by ICP-OES.

Tina Jerič graduated from biology and chemistry at the Faculty of Science and Mathematics in Maribor in 2008. In the same

year she obtained status of young researcher at the University of Maribor, Textile department, Laboratory of chemistry, Dyes

and Polymers and started postgraduate study of Technical Protection of Environment at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

From February to June 2010 she worked at TNO (NL) on in-situ electro generated H2O2. and its usage for decolourization of

reactive dyes with H2O2./UV process. Her field of interest is textile waste water and treatment with advanced oxidation proc-

esses.

Miša Biro finished her diploma in biology University of Maribor in 2008. After obtaining her diploma she participated in a young

researcher programme from industry with CIVIS d.o.o. Company and University of Maribor.

In 2011 she also spent 2 months at VOLTEA (NL) working on CapDI technology with the goal to lower the conductivity of pre-

treated textile water for reusable purposes. Her role within Aquafit4Use is to desalt the textile wastewater that has been pre-

treated with procedures: NF or NF+AOPs.

Nataša Zupin Nabergoj finished her B.Sc in Textile Engineering at University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Natural Sciences and

Engineering in 1996. After working in Tekstina d.d. Ajdovščina, Zvezda d.d. Kranj and Svilanit d.d. Kamni, nowa-

days she is finishing her master studies at the University of Nova Gorica. The research work (part of the

Aquafit4Use project) focuses on processes analysis and treatment of wastewater flows in Svilanit d.d Company

with AOPs with the intention of their reuse.

UNIVERSITY OF MARIBOR TEKSTINA COMPANY SVILANIT COMPANY

Tina Jeric within the lab installation at the University of Maribor


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3 AquaFit4news Issue 14 — June 2012

Jonas Napp studied Environmental Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen and the University of Mauri-

tius. Over the course of the AquaFit4Use trials, he investigated the effects of nutrient addition on a membrane bioreactor.

Upon finishing his degree (B.Sc.) he is planning to attend the Master course “Water Resources and Environmental Manage-

ment”.

Eva-Maria Mahlmeister studied process engineering for paper and packaging at the University of Applied Sciences Munich.

She achieved the first degree with her thesis about membrane scaling in line with the AquaFit4Use project. Her field of interest

is process and environmental engineering in the paper, packaging and polymer industry. She is currently preparing her exam

in teaching and would like to connect process engineering with giving professional trainings.

Manuela Ciesla studied Biotechnology at University Weihenstephan Germany. The context of her diploma thesis was the esti-

mation of scaling by calcium deposit in a MBR used in a paper mill. Therefore possibilities to reduce precipitation were de-

tected during a long-term test. Also suitable cleaning methods were tested and evaluated during a continuous trial period of

the AquaFit4Use-Project.

Sebastian Hien finished his Bachelor in Biology at the Technische Universität München in 2009. He is currently studying

“Engineering Ecology and Environment Planning” at the Technische Universität München. During his studies he was involved in

the AquaFit4Use-Project in Trostberg as part of the PTS-Team in 2011. Actually he is finishing his Master’s degree in the field

of water treatment.

Jens Gebhardt finished his Bachelor in Environmental-Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences of Höxter/Germany

in 2009. After his Bachelor he enrolled for a Master of Science in the field of Environmental Science and Modeling. During his

studies he has specialized in water and wastewater treatment. The Aquafit4Use project was part of his Master thesis. He

worked on-site on a pulp and paper plant. There, he was responsible for the ozonation tests carried out which

were aimed at treating the pulp and paper wastewater for direct re-use.

AquaFit4News

PTS staff on-site during the pilot trials at the paper

mill HRT: (from the left) Peter Hiermeier (PTS

technician), Jonas Napp (bachelor student), Dr.

Benjamin Simstich (WP 5.1 project manager), Eva

-Maria Mahlmeister (bachelor student)

Issue 14— June 2012

PTS

From lab to pilot scale: Sebastian Hien (internship

student) and Manuela Ciesla (diploma student) tak-

ing water samples from the PTS MBR pilot reactor

WEDECO


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Isabel Latour graduated in Chemical Engineering in 2009 at the University of Murcia. She obtained a Master’s degree in Indus-

trial Processes Engineering in 2010 at the Complutense University of Madrid. Nowadays she is working on her PhD within the

AquaFit4Use project. Her activities are focused on the regeneration and reuse of paper mill effluents. To reach the quality stan-

dards required to replace fresh water, advanced membrane technologies such as ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis systems are

recommended as a final step of any treatment scheme. However, membrane fouling caused by silica scaling is still a bottleneck

when using membrane technologies that comprises the economical and technical feasibility of the process. Her research is

mainly focused on different silica removal techniques e.g. coagulation, precipitative softening or the use of new antiscaling

products.

Esperanza Torres graduated in Bacteriology and Clinical Laboratory at Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca University, Colombia.

She obtained a Postgraduate Advanced Studies Diploma in 2005 at the Chemical Engineering Department, in the Complutense

University of Madrid. Her PhD thesis on “Microbial Control in the Paper Industry” has been partially carried out within the

AquaFit4Use project and it will be defended in June. She is an expert on different industrial microbiology issues: identification of

problematic micro-organisms, evaluation of new systems for microbiological control, biofilm formation, identification of micro-

bial polysaccharides, new techniques for a fast identification of problematic species and the evaluation of the effectiveness of

different microbiological control programs e.g. flow cytometry, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH probes) and particle video

microscopy.


UCM

Isabel Latour and silica flow injection analyzer

Esperanza Torres

“As PhD student, to work in AquaFit4use project is a great opportunity

to consolidate knowledge acquired during our training. The aspect that

I found the most interesting was to see how the experts from different

fields address the different issues related to water management and

how our results contribute to improve the industrial processes.”

“Nowadays there is an increasing interest in environmental matters, not only in politics but also in society. Among those, water related issues raise a greater concern because fresh water is a scarce and irreplaceable resource. I think that AquaFit4Use is a great opportunity to collaborate with people from different industrial sectors with a common commitment: the sustainable water management.”

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Laura Blanco graduated in Chemical Engineering in 2009 at University Complutense of Madrid and she has been working

within the frame of AquaFit4Use in the Laboratory UCM-HOLMEN since then.

She has been dealing with advanced treatments of pulp and paper effluents at lab and pilot scale. In June she will finish her

Master’s degree in Industrial Processes Engineering at the UCM and she will continue with her PhD work on the optimization of

AOPs for the treatment of industrial wastewaters.

Luis Cortijo finished his studies in Chemical Engineering in 2009 at Complutense

University of Madrid. He obtained, the Master’s degree In Engineering of Indus-

trial Processes in 2011. He is working on his PhD in the UCM-HOLMEN laboratory

focussed on the removal of priority and recalcitrant compounds from industrial

waters mainly by application of emerging technologies at lab scale.

Laura Blanco with the solar photo-treatment pilot plant and laboratory set-up

“Working within AquaFit4Use project has given me the opportunity to learn so many things and to work along

with such a great and important team, doing something which I love. Moreover, studying new ways to im-

prove water treatments and to minimize the waste of water, make us aware of the importance of carrying on

further investigations on this field.”

Project title AquaFit4use—Water in industry, Fit-for-use Sustainable Water Use in Chemical, Paper, Textile and Food

Industry

Acronym AquaFit4use Participants 34 Start date 1 June 2008 Duration 48 months

Total budget 14.800.000 euro

VISIT OUR WEBSITE! www.aquafit4use.eu Contact Willy van Tongeren (TNO)

Telephone +31 (0)88-8662181 E-mail

Colophon

The production of this

issue was coordinated by

UCM.

general AquaFit4Use information

http://www.aquafit4use.eu/

Documents

14 AquaFit4News-June 2012-young reserachers