Open Positions
PhD topic of project B1: Thermodynamic modeling of the recovery of phosphorus from wastewater
Thermodynamic modeling is the foundation for developing processes to recover valuable substances from wastewater, and understanding the thermodynamic properties of the mixtures and their components is a prerequisite for designing new processes or optimizing existing ones. However, the thermodynamic modeling of complex multi-component mixtures, such as wastewater, is challenging.
This project aims to develop thermodynamic models to describe complex mixtures containing both molecular substances and electrolytes as they occur in wastewater treatment processes. A particular focus will be on simulating processes for phosphorus recovery from wastewater via adsorption and crystallization. For this purpose, novel predictive thermodynamic models for electrolyte solutions will be developed by combining classical physical models with data-driven algorithms from machine learning to yield powerful hybrid models. Furthermore, the question of how to deal with uncertainties, e.g., regarding incomplete knowledge of the composition of the mixtures, will be addressed.
The most important scientific questions of this PhD will be:
- What are the relevant phase equilibria of different phosphorus compounds in wastewater?
- How can the influence of the composition, pH value, and temperature be modeled?
- How can physical and machine-learning models be combined into hybrid models?
- How can analytical fingerprints from different measurement methods be used to model wastewater despite poor specification?
- How can separation processes be simulated based on hybrid models and incomplete information?
Requirements for applicants:
- Excellent Master's degree (M.Sc.) or equivalent in chemical engineering or related fields
- Strong background in engineering thermodynamics, in particular, in measuring and modeling thermodynamic properties of mixtures, desirable
- Proficient in the English language and willing to learn German (for non-German speaking persons)
Please send your application for this PhD topic to: fabian.jirasek[at]rptu.de