Since I started my work as principle investigator at the University of Twente in 2011, I have acquired and led projects funded by NWO, RVO and ISPT, and I have been involved as supervisor in projects from NWO, RVO, ISPT and the EU.
CURRENT PROJECTS
TKI – PRIDES – PRocesses for Industrial application of natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (2019 – 2023)
TKI-PRIDES is one of the projects together with the ISPT Deep Eutectic Solvents cluster. In this cluster, several major European Paper industries are partner, as well as French CTP, Finnish VTT, Mid Sweden University and University of Aveiro. We investigate on the use of Deep Eutectic Solvents for delignification of biomass, where the lignin is not combusted such as in the Kraft process, but valorized as side product. See also https://ispt.eu/projects/deep-eutectic-solvents/
NWO – Wetsus – Flocculant recovery by mild fractionation techniques based on ionic liquids and aqueous two-phase systems (2019 – 2023)
In this project, we work on innovative fractionation techniques for recovery of flocculants from wastewater conversions. see also https://www.nwo.nl/onderzoek-en-resultaten/onderzoeksprojecten/i/52/32852.html
RVO – Bio-based production of crotonic acid from wastewater (2018 – 2022)
This collaboration with Paques B.V. in the RVO program Biobased Economy and Green Gas has recently been funded. With a PhD-student we aim to develop a new route towards crotonic acid. At Paques they will further develop anaerobic digestion to produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs), and aerobic digestion to go from VFAs to polyhydroxy alkanoates (PHAs). We will continue our work on VFA adsorption (see here our previous work, published open access: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b02095) and will develop a new process towards crotonic acid.
https://www.rvo.nl/subsidies-regelingen/projecten/bio-based-production-crotonic-acid-wastewater
PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN FINALIZED ALREADY
TKI – Regeneration of Deep Eutectic Solvents and valorisation of the fractionated components (2018 – 2020)
This project was one of the projects together with the ISPT Deep Eutectic Solvents cluster. In this cluster, several major European Paper industries are partner, as well as French CTP, Finnish VTT, Mid Sweden University and University of Aveiro. We investigate on the use of Deep Eutectic Solvents for delignification of biomass, where the lignin is not combusted such as in the Kraft process, but valorized as side product. See also https://ispt.eu/projects/deep-eutectic-solvents/
PROVIDES (2016 – 2018)
The PROVIDES project was the first project with the ISPT Deep Eutectic Solvents cluster and for me also the first project to work with Deep Eutectic Solvents. read more about this exciting project at https://ispt.eu/projects/provides/
Although the project formally finished in 2018, at UTwente we were still active due to the PhD-research of Dion Smink. He will graduate 16 December 2020 (with a delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic).
ISPT – Affinity Separations (2014 – 2018) / EAMS (2015-2019)
In the cluster Efficient Liquid Separations: http://www.ispt.eu/roadmap/efficient-liquid-separation/ I run a project aiming at understanding the relation between affinity strength and separation efficiency. One part of the project is funded through RVO in a consortium with ISPT and several industrial partners, the other part directly through ISPT, where mostly the same industrial partners are involved. When applying affinity separation a regeneration is needed after the primary separation. It appears that the better the primary separation, the more difficult the regeneration. Is there an optimum? At the moment two PhD-students are active and two post-docs have been active.
These (open access) papers have already been published in this project:
- Quick assessment of binary distillation efficiency using a heat engine perspective
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544216313676?via%3Dihub
2. Insights into the selection and design of fluid separation processes
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1383586617316817
STW (now NWO-TTW)/Paques – VFA recovery from fermented waste-water streams and integrated catalytic conversion to mixed ketone and vinyl ester platform chemicals (2013 – 2018)
This project was acquired together with associate prof. P.C.A. BRUIJNINCX from Utrecht University
STW (now NWO-TTW) – Chiral Separations by Kinetic Extractive Resolution in
Microfluidic Devices (2012 – 2018)
This multidisciplinary project was acquired in the Perspectief program Smart Separations, and this can be seen as the follow-up project of my own PhD-work. I have run this project together with my promotores prof. H.J. HEERES , prof. J.G. de VRIES, and prof. B.L. FERINGA, and in an early stage of the project the microfluidics expert J. YUE joined the team. Next to being co-project leader, I have contributed to the following research papers:
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/gc/c7gc01700f#!divAbstract
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.iecr.5b04917
STW (now NWO-TTW) – Soft Magnetic Matter for Smart Separations (2012 – 2016)
This multidisciplinary project was acquired in the Perspectief program Smart Separations, and carried out together with two groups from Wageningen University (profs. M.H.M. EPPINK and F.A.M. LEERMAKERS).
ISPT – enantioselective separations (2009 – 2012)
Within this project, we have been investigating enantioselective liquid-liquid extraction using both bulk liquid phases and supported liquid phases.
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