University of Surrey, Materials Engineering – advanced technologies for resilient water treatment. Expertise in piezoelectric and ferroic materials, low-energy advanced oxidation, destruction of PFAS and persistent micropollutants, water disinfection and catalytic reactor development. Seeking partners in water utilities, monitoring, environmental engineering, contaminant fate and technology demonstration for Topic 3: Smart, Secure and Adaptive Water Infrastructures.
Topic 3. Smart, Secure and Adaptive Water Infrastructures for Sustainable Water Management
We are developing a low-energy, decentralised treatment of persistent contaminants in water, with particular emphasis on PFAS, pharmaceuticals and microbial contamination. The project will build on University of Surrey expertise in functional, piezoelectric and ferroic catalysis and advanced oxidation technologies developing a modular treatment system suitable for integration into resilient water infrastructure.
Our approach uses mechanically activated piezoelectric catalysts to generate reactive species to remove contaminants without chemical or electrical inputs. The project will address catalyst optimisation, reactor design, contaminant removal, transformation-product analysis, energy efficiency, durability and scale-up.
We are seeking European partners with complementary expertise in water and wastewater treatment, PFAS and emerging-contaminant analysis, environmental chemistry, water utilities and pilot-scale demonstration. Partners with advanced analytical capability, particularly LC-MS/MS or high-resolution mass spectrometry, would be especially valuable for confirming degradation pathways and transformation products. We are also interested in collaboration with utilities, technology developers and research organisations able to provide real water samples, pilot facilities and expertise in techno-economic and life-cycle assessment.
The overall aim is to develop a scalable, low-energy treatment platform for smart, secure and adaptive water infrastructure.
pfas, emerging contaminants, water treatment, piezocatalysis, advanced oxidation processes, resilient water infrastructure, decentralised treatment, water reuse, environmental catalysis, pilot-scale demonstration