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Chemical and Process Engineering (double degree)
Doctoral Programme,
Faculty of Chemical Engineering
Joint study programme with foreign universities - two diplomas for one study.
The PhD study programme Chemical and Process Engineering aims on the education of experts with a wide range of knowledge and skills for both academic and industrial applications. The students learn in detail theoretical basis of chemical and process engineering, bio-engineering and material engineering as well as experimental and practical aspects of the field. This will create prerequisites for their further career in the basic or applied research in chemical and process engineering but also in the related areas, such as material engineering, bio engineering and informatics. CareersGraduates of this study programme gain the expertise in transport phenomena, thermodynamics, reaction engineering, continuum fluid mechanics, material engineering and chemical-engineering aspects of environmental protection. Specialized knowledge includes applied informatics, mathematical modeling, numerical methods, non-linear dynamics and programming for scientific and technical computations. The graduates find jobs in applied research and development in chemical, pharmaceutical, bio-engineering and advanced material industry, including management of the research and development. The graduates are also successful in academic work at technical universities, research institutes and academies of sciences. Programme Details
Ph.D. topics for study year 2022/23Solvent and pH stable membranes with ultra-sharp molecular weight cut-off values
AnnotationMembrane-based separations currently offer the best strategy to decrease energy requirements and environmental footprint through newly developed solvent resistant nanofiltration (SRNF) or solvent-tolerant nanofiltration (STNF). So-called solvent activation of polymeric membranes involves treatment of an existing membrane by contacting it with solvents or solvent mixtures, which is hypothesized to restructure the membrane polymer through solvatation, increase polymer chain flexibility and organization into suitable structures. This will be verified by systematically treating membranes with different solvents and testing them for the separation of synthetic liquid streams. A high-throughput set-up will be used. Fundamental physico-chemical characterisations of the membranes before and after the treatments will provide insight in the changes at molecular level. The characterization techniques include gas and liquid uptake experiments (diffusivity), PALS (positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, to determine free volume element distributions), ERD (elastic recoil scattering, providing elemental analysis in membrane depth profiles), solid state NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) and DSC (differential scanning calorimetry).
Contact supervisor
Study place:
Department of Chemical Engineering, FCE, VŠCHT Praha
Polymer-based membranes for highly selective removal of CO2 from biogas
AnnotationMembrane-based gas separation technology has contributed significantly to the development of energy-efficient systems for natural gas purification. Also CO2 removal from biogas, with CO2 contents exceeding 40% has more recently known rapid growth and development. Major challenge of polymer membranes for gas separation is related to their susceptibility to plasticization at high CO2 partial pressures. CO2 excessively swells the polymer and eases the permeation of CH4, thus reducing the selectivity. Membrane crosslinking is one of the best ways to prevent the plasticization. Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), consisting of fillers homogeneously dispersed in a polymeric matrix aim at combining the processibility of polymers and the superior separation properties of the porous fillers. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are such materials which have attracted considerable attention due to their tailorable functionality, well-defined pore size, pore tunability and breathing effects. MMMs for biogas upgrading will be prepared with increased permeabilities by choosing proper MOF/polymer combinations and modifying the thermal treatment, employing core-shell MOF materials with high bulk porosity and a selective shell layer.
Contact supervisor
Study place:
Department of Chemical Engineering, FCE, VŠCHT Praha
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Updated: 25.3.2022 18:16, Author: Jan Kříž