STW - Hyflux CEPAration Inorganic and Hybrid Membranes

Call for full proposals is geopend maandag 8 juni 2009.

Deadline voor het indienen van full proposals is dinsdag 21 juli 2009, 23:59 uur.

Aanvragen kunt u uitsluitend indienen via STW-Iris. Voor meer informatie over deadlines en de links naar STW-Iris voor alle open calls, kunt u terecht op http://www.stw.nl/open+calls.htm.

About STW Partnership
The Dutch Technology Foundation (STW) initiated the STW Partnership program for stimulating more effective cooperation between industry and academia. STW found a partner in the company Hyflux. The Program -in which industry is to propose the program theme- invites Dutch universities to submit PhD and Postdoc proposals in a tender.

About Hyflux
Hyflux Int., a Singapore stock market company, is a leading company in liquid treatment, energy and special products and constantly develops and acquires new technologies to strengthen its leading position and broaden its market span. The subsidiary Hyflux CEPAration Technologies (Europe) BV in Helmond carries out the corporate R&D on inorganic and hybrid inorganic/organic membrane technology.

The focus
The focus of the Partnership Program is on membranes which will enable a further breakthrough in enabling applications which need separations on the molecular level at elevated to high temperatures.

A high need and huge market potential for membrane separation technologies exists in replacing costly and energy consuming (cryogenic) distillation processes in petrochemical industries by membrane systems and in alternative membranes for desalination processes by dense reverse osmosis membrane. These membranes can also operate at elevated to high temperature and enable combination of unit operations like reaction and separation in membrane reactors. The membrane concept will be based on the cost effective and compact proprietary inorganic hollow fibre membrane concept of Hyflux.

The challenge
This program addresses some scientific challenges in the area of ceramic and hybrid membranes for various applications, and covers:

• Micro-porous membranes and modules for applications including pervaporation, vapor permeation, gas separation at moderate (below 250ºC) and high temperature (above 250ºC), low energy & high flux desalination and alike
• Development of molecular separation membranes out of zeolite, silica, titania, amorphous carbon and hybrid materials and alike, including materials with catalytic and self cleaning ability
• Scale-up of membrane and module preparation and process, fouling, lifespan
• Development of membrane reactor concepts, scaling up, fouling, lifespan
• Analysis of initial stage of precursor and pore structure formation for micro-porous membrane synthesis in combination with membrane development

Proposals can be submitted on all application areas as further defined in the Hyflux program description, which can be downloaded below.

Unique aspects of Partnership

• Operate as one large team of universities, Hyflux Inorganic membrane R&D, and Hyflux Technology Commercialisation on the realisation of the program ambitions
• The team is steered by Hyflux
• Management and administration of project (proposals) is according to usual STW procedures
• Scientific quality is safeguarded and guided by university project applicants
• The program is driven by a short time-to-market ambition and an entrepreneurial approach by all research staff involved
• All are keen on new IPR and new products
• Excellent students will be offered job opportunities