Environmental Organic Chemistry & Technology

The courses provided by the Research group EnVOC are mainly intended for students in Chemistry and Environmental Technology (Bachelor and Master of Bioscience Engineering). The courses deal with  environmental organic chemistry and analysis, environmental technology and clean technology, and process engineering. Specialized courses focus on environmental and sustainable issues (air pollution and waste gas treatment and clean technology). The Research Group EnVOC has been a focus on environmental issues: environmental organic chemistry and analysis, environmental technology and clean technology.

1. ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY AND ANALYSIS: Within environmental organic chemistry, emphasis has been put on two research lines: environmental behavior and analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), especially in the air and water compartments. It is in this latter context that the research group has been in the front of developing new sampling and analysis techniques. Chromatography (GC and LC) and also the use of mass spectrometry (MS) as powerful identification technique has been in focus. The most important field of this technique is the determination of VOCs, present in air or water, related to odour nuisance caused by different industrial activities (food, chemistry, agriculture, ...). Research projects deal with the determination of biogenic volatile organic compounds from forests, analysis of VOCs in indoor air related to health effects and safety regulations.

2. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY: This research field is mainly focused on the application of ‘end-of-pipe' techniques for the treatment of waste gas and waste water. Mechanisms and field application of different physical-chemical, biological, oxidation and membrane technologies are studied. Biotechnological treatment technologies (biofilter, biotrickling filter, membrane biofiltration), ultrasonic irradiation, the peroxone process, heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation and plasmacatalysis are some of the studied abatement technologies.

3. CLEAN TECHNOLOGY: If one looks for the environmental sustainability assessment, it is obvious that one should not limit the assessment to emissions abatement, but resource intake (renewables, non-renewables, ...) and the processes themselves (efficiency) should be taken into account. Assessing how clean technology is, benefits from a generic approach. Our assessment tools start from thermodynamics: exergy analysis. This scientifically sound and generic approach offers unique potential in environmental sustainability assessment of technology.