PhD topic of project D1: Adsorption and ion-exchange for combined phosphorus elimination and recovery
The effort for phosphorus (P) recovery in WWTP with targeted phosphorus removal is high as phosphorus from the wastewater is first transferred into the sewage sludge via precipitation and needs to be recovered from there (side stream), using several chemical processes. Another, so far unimplemented, integrative approach involves modifying the existing phosphorus removal process in wastewater treatment through removing and recovering phosphorus directly from the wastewater (mainstream) by means of adsorption and desorption using new and modified adsorbent materials.
Within this PhD-work laboratory experiments should be planned and conducted, progressing from a simplified system with targeted variations of individual influencing factors to an increasingly complex system. By integrating a semi-technical experimental wastewater treatment plant, process conditions for wastewater treatment can be adjusted and desired boundary conditions can be generated to investigate the processes in a varying real-world system. Parameters like selectivity and material stability need to be considered as well as their suitability for fully mixed reactors or filters. Requirements for the adsorbent materials should be defined based on the experimental results. Concepts and strategies for implementing these new process technologies for phosphorus recovery are developed, and requirements for implementation on a technical scale are defined.
Experimental and conceptual investigations should contribute to answering the following questions:
- Which boundary conditions present in the real system influence the efficiency of phosphorus elimination and recovery as well as product quality?
- What dependencies exist between phosphorus elimination and phosphorus recovery? Which effluent values are achievable?
- How can suitable conditions be set in the operation of a wastewater treatment plant to achieve high phosphorus recovery with high product quality while minimizing the use of chemicals?
- What differences exist between real and highly simplified systems?
- How to design the systems?
- What properties must ion exchangers possess to be operationally stable and economical in a real-world system?
Requirements for applicants:
- Excellent master’s degree (M.Sc.) in civil or environmental engineering or related subjects
- Profound knowledge of wastewater treatment
- A goal-oriented way of scientific thinking and working
- A high degree of creativity, initiative and proactivity
- Interest in complex and interdisciplinary issues and work
- In-depth academic English and willingness to learn German (for non-German speaking persons)
You can send applications for this topic to: heidrun.steinmetz[at]rptu.de
Application:
Please send by 31.01.2026 complete application documents:
- Letter of motivation that prioritizes one of the PhD topics of WERA
- Curriculum Vitae
- Copy of your degree certificate (Bachelor, Master or equivalent) with full academic transcripts
directly to the supervisors of PhD topics (contact see rptu.de/wera/team). You can contact the spokesperson Prof. Sergiy Antonyuk (sergiy.antonyuk[at]mv.rptu.de) for general questions about PhD Graduate School.
Prerequisite for the PhD position is an Master’s degree (or equivalent) in engineering, chemistry or physics.
About RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau:
The RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau is the technical university of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate with over 20,000 students, more than 300 professors and around 160 degree programmes. As a place of top-level international research, it offers excellent working conditions and career opportunities. Those who study, research or work at RPTU experience a welcoming and globally-oriented environment and shape the future.
The PhD Graduate School GRK 2908 is supported financially by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with funds from the German states and the federal government of Germany.
