Practical trainings, student assistants and theses

Emerging pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pose significant environmental and health risks due to their persistence and bioaccumulation. Conventional treatment methods often fail to effectively remove these contaminants from water systems. This master’s thesis focuses on an advanced hybrid approach combining bioflotation with hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) to enhance pollutant removal efficiency. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this method in degrading or separating pharmaceuticals and PFAS from contaminated water and optimizing process parameters.
Tasks:

• Selection of suitable bioflotation agents and hydrodynamic cavitation parameters for pollutant removal
• Characterization of treated water samples using analytical techniques such as HPLC and TOC analyser
• Optimization of bioflotation and cavitation conditions to enhance removal efficiency

• Field of study: Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or related field
• Experience in organic chemistry, knowledge of the techniques to synthesize compounds and to characterize them; experience in coordination chemistry, biochemistry and/or technical chemistry is advantageous
• Good oral and written communication skills in English or German
• Ability to work independently and systematically

• Working in a multi-disciplinary team
• Working place HZDR: Location Dresden and Freiberg (HIF)
• Start date: Either an immediate start or a start in Spring 2025 is possible
• Duration of the internship or thesis according to the study regulations, but at least 4 months
• Remuneration according to HZDR internal regulations, scholarship holders (e.g., ERASMUS+) are welcome

As an important element in batteries, lithium is a critical material for the future energy transition. Derivatives of the alkaloid punicine have been developed with various organic residues to specifically interact with elements such as lithium, or lithium-containing minerals, as surfactants for the upgrading of battery recycling products via flotation separation. Punicine, as a head group, represents a zwitterionic, switchable biomolecule (biosurfactant), in terms of charge via pH and in terms of radical state via UV irradiation potentially influencing its specific interaction with chemical groups or ions. This could be an important factor in ion flotation, which is used to separate ions from battery wastewater. The aim of the project is to investigate this aspect, with a focus on the specific interactions of punicine with lithium ions under the influence of irradiation. Along with ion flotation as the separation method, fundamental investigations such as calorimetry and FTIR will be employed.
We are looking for a motivated student who enjoys working with analytical methods and is eager to explore complex interrelationships.

• Student in, for example, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, etc.
• Interest in analytical methods
• First experience in the lab and working with analytical methods (FTIR, Calorimetry, etc.)

• Start date from April 2025 onwards
• Duration of the internship or thesis according to the study regulations, but at least 4 months
• Compensation possible, scholarship holders (e.g., ERASMUS+) are welcome

Currently, there is a broad discussion whether ventilation by frequent window opening is sufficient for providing a sufficient amount of fresh air or if technical air purification devices based on e.g. HEPA filters are better solutions for public spaces. Furthermore, there is another discussion ongoing, whether a well-guided laminar flow or a high degree of mixing within a room is more beneficial. The latter, on the one hand distributes the potentially virus-laden aerosols in the whole room, but on the other hand reduces the peak concentrations of these aerosols clouds by magnitudes.

The objective is to perform aerosol propagation experiments and to estimate the potential aerosol inhalation of people in dynamic situations. To achieve this, an aerosol generator will be used in a demonstrator room under different flow conditions. The data from different scenarios will be processed in order to obtain a transference function that can relate the aerosol source with the aerosol receivers.

Fine-grained solid particles from various industrial sources, which would otherwise be discarded, should ideally be processed to valuable products or inert residues. They contain valuable residuals, such as metals, that can be returned to the industrial cycle instead of being landfilled. This is one aim of the Helmholtz project FINEST in which this work is embedded.
The different finest powders need to be mixed and agglomerated for further processing. Our work in the project deals with the granular mixing. One aim is to describe the process using flow simulations in OpenFOAM.
The particle flow is described based on the rheology of the bulk material, while the mixing process between the particles is described using a transport equation. In addition, there are terms for the segregation that takes place in parallel.
We are looking for someone with experience in CFD or other modelling to refine the implementation of this model and then perform parameter studies and validation using experimental data.

• Student of e.g. Computational Engineering, Modelling and Simulation, Mechanical Engineering, Process Engineering, Chemical Engineering
• General interest in fluid mechanics and simulations
• Preliminary experience in CFD, ideally OpenFOAM
• Preliminary experience in code development (C++) optional

• Start from March 2025
• Duration of internship or thesis according to study regulations
• Remuneration available, scholarship holders (e.g. ERASMUS+) welcome

Understanding the behaviour of fibre-laden drops is critical due to their presence in various industrial applications, including microelectronics fabrication, portable medical devices, and biofuel production. Our work focuses on the numerical simulation of fibre-laden drops, specifically investigating a single long deformable fibre within a drop impacting a solid substrate. The study aims to elucidate the dynamic interactions between the fibre and the drop. Key objectives include determining the changes in drop dynamics due to the fibre and observing fibre deformation upon impact.

This work will involve computational fluid dynamics (CFD), particularly finite volume methods, with a focus on interface tracking using the Volume of Fluid approach. The simulation will incorporate surface wettability to enhance our understanding of elasto-capillary interactions, offering insights relevant to real-world applications.

We are seeking a motivated student with prior experience in CFD (preferably OpenFOAM) or similar modelling software.

• Enrolled in a degree program such as Process Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Computational Modelling and Simulation
• Strong interest in particle-fluid dynamics and numerical simulations
• Preliminary experience in CFD, ideally with OpenFOAM
• Basic coding skills, preferably in C++

• Immediate start possible
• Duration of internship or thesis as per university regulations
• Remuneration available, scholarship holders (e.g. ERASMUS+) are welcome

At Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), over 1,500 employees from more than 70 nations are conducting cutting-edge research in the fields of ENERGY, HEALTH, and MATERIALS to address the major challenges facing society today.
The Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS), founded in Görlitz in 2019, is a German-Polish interdisciplinary research center focusing on data-intensive digital systems.
CASUS offers student internships in a wide range of scientific fields. You are welcome to apply and join CASUS if you are interested in gaining knowledge in the following research areas:

• Theoretical Chemistry
• Earth System Science
• Systems Biology
• Digital Health
• Computational Radiation Physics
• Theory of complex systems
• Dynamics of Complex Living Systems
• Machine Learning for Infection and Disease

• Student in computer science, physics, chemistry, or related fields
• Student already enrolled at the university in Germany, Poland or Czech Republic (close exchange and attendance in the office preferable and combined with the moblie working from Germany combinable)
• Eager to learn new skills
• Strong motivation to work in a collaborative environment
• Preliminary experience in code development is an advantage
• Excellent communication skills in English and/or German or Polish

• A vibrant research community in an open, diverse and international work environment
• Scientific excellence and extensive professional networking opportunities
• A wide range of qualification opportunities
• We support a good work-life balance with the possibility of part-time employment, mobile working and flexible working hours
• Either an immediate start or a start in 2024 is possible

Background:

Currently, there is a broad discussion whether ventilation by frequent window opening is sufficient for providing a sufficient amount of fresh air or if technical air purification devices based on e.g. HEPA filters are better solutions for public spaces. Furthermore, there is another discussion ongoing, whether a well-guided laminar flow or a high degree of mixing within a room is more beneficial. The latter, on the one hand distributes the potentially virus-laden aerosols in the whole room, but on the other hand reduces the peak concentrations of these aerosols clouds by magnitudes.

Objectives:

The objective is to perform aerosol propagation experiments and to estimate the potential aerosol inhalation of people in dynamic situations. To achieve this, an aerosol generator will be used in a demonstrator room under different flow conditions. The data from different scenarios will be processed in order to obtain a transference function that can relate the aerosol source with the aerosol receivers.

Tasks:

• Literature survey
• Aerosol experiments in different scenarios.
• Post-processing of the results.

• Student of natural sciences or engineering
• Willingness to conduct experimental work

Duration:

4-6 months

Remuneration:

According to HDZR guidelines