Place: Hiwi/Bachelor
Institute: IMVT
Starting date: a.s.a.p
Kontaktperson: Hernandez, Mery

Background:
Hydrogen peroxide is an important chemical compound for oxidizing, bleaching or disinfecting purposes for many industrial applications, i.e. the pulp and paper industry, or in recent years used in products against corona virus. Currently, the Antraquinone Auto-oxidation process domains the industrial hydrogen peroxide production; however, this is a non-environmentally friendly process and it is economically viable only for large-scale production implying transportation issues. Hence, for small-scale utilization, the direct hydrogen peroxide production via a green technology is more attractive from the ecological and economical perspective.
Microwave plasma technology is a promising platform for decentralized and direct hydrogen peroxide production. The main advantage is the green character of the process since it only needs microwaves, water and argon/air. Additionally, the microwave process works under instant on-off times, and it can activate inert molecules without further assistance. The plasma-water interaction plays a significant role in the process, and everything, including the contact area, input power, residence time, gas and electron temperature, among others, can affect the plasma behavior and the hydrogen peroxide production. Therefore, in-depth intensive study of the process parameters is essential for the development of this technology.

 
 Tasks of interest in this work:
•    Analysis of H2O2 concentration in liquid samples through UV- Vis Spectroscopy
•    Plasma experiments variating the water and gas flow rates
•    Plasma experiments to analyze mass and heat transfer limitations
•    Plasma-water interaction analysis through advanced spectroscopy (OES, Raman)
•    Measurement of energy yield, efficiency, power analysis, measuring gas rotational and/or vibrational temperature.
•    Dynamic simulation of the low temperature and atmospheric plasma flame in contact with water drops (COMSOL)
Candidates with basic laboratory experience are welcome.
Work start: immediately after agreement
Language: English
Assignment: Prof. Dr. Roland Dittmeyer
Supervisor: MSc. Mery Hernandez