European training network on control prediction and learning in mixing processes

The CoPeRMix network brings together a collection of experts at the European scale from academia and industry, who have all adopted new angles of attack to the problem of mixing according to their needs and fields of application, in order to foster the emergence of a unified viewpoint, through intensive collaboration between different schools of thought and methods. This effort builds up on existing collaborations between several participants, and lectures or courses delivered by some of us in various university curricula in their own institution, and abroad. More precisely, this training network is the emanation of the “Mixing Days” organized by the consortium on a yearly basis (Marseille in 2016, Rennes in 2017, Barcelona in 2018 and Brussels in 2019), which have been the opportunity to conceive and share a new methodology: the lamellar description of mixing.
It consists in viewing a mixture as a set of elongated lamellae and sheets and understanding how they are stretched and dispersed by the stirring flow. This first step provides the necessary information to address the stirring/molecular diffusion coupling, leading to the complete statistical description of the mixing process i.e. the full concentration distribution. This disruptive vision has prompted new numerical (Diffusive Strip Method) and experimental methods. They offer an unprecedented opportunity of accurately describe Stirring protocols which is the ground to understanding and model- ling Mixing and its Impact in a diversity of fields. This lamellar description of mixing provides a consistent and invertible theoretical framework giving us also the opportunity to Learn from mixed scalar fields.

Very promising outcomes are expected as the CoPerMix programme unites leading academic and industrial partners with a broad expertise in the fundamentals and applications of mixing in a very wide range of fields.

Start Date: 01/01/2021 – End Date: 31/12/2025

Project Leader: Marco Dentz , Juan José Hidalgo González

Funding: European Project

https://www.copermix-itn.eu/

Quantification of mixing and dynamic uncertainty for transport in heterogeneous porous media

Natural and engineered porous systems exhibit heterogeneity across several spatial scales leading to complex flow fields with strong fluctuations. We here propose to predict mixing within a unified framework which leverage on the lamellar description of transport and capture the early and late time impact of fluctuations.

Start Date: 16/09/2020 – End Date: 15/09/2021

Project Leader: Marco Dentz

Funding: European Project

A new upscaling approach for multiphase flow, mechanical deformation, and hydrodynamic transport in permeable media

The main objective of the project is to uncover and quantify the mechanisms and laws that govern multiphase flow, mechanical deformation and hydrodynamic transport in permeable media, from the pore to the regional scales. To achieve this goal, HydroPore proposes a multidisciplinary and integrated research strategy that combines a new theoretical upscaling framework with novel experimental protocols and cutting-edge numerical simulation techniques

Start Date: 01/06/2020 – End Date: 31/05/2023

Project Leader: Marco Dentz , Juan José Hidalgo González

Funding: National Project

http://hydropore.es/

Managed aquifer recharge: addressing the risks of recharging regenerated water

Severe shortage in good quality water reserves is a global problem that will increase with a growing world population. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) will contribute to replenish depleted aquifers. However, there are risks associated to the occurrence of pathogens and emerging pollutants in groundwater. MARadentro aims to assess and minimize these risks, and to increase the benefits of MAR guaranteeing human health and environment protection through the development of affordable and effective permeable reactive layers. The transfer of the knowledge to policy makers will also help in EU regulation on MAR.

Funding: Water JPI (Horizon2020-JPI) + MINECO

Start Date: 17/05/2019 – End Date: 16/05/2022

Project Leader: Silvia Díaz Cruz , Jesús Carrera Ramírez

Researchers: Sara Ortiz Montealegre , Adrià Sunyer Caldú

Funding: National Project

GEoREST aims at developing a novel methodology to predict and mitigate induced seismicity.

GEoREST aims at developing a novel methodology to predict and mitigate induced seismicity. Fluid injection related to underground resources has become widespread, causing numerous cases of induced seismicity. If felt, induced seismicity has a negative effect on public perception and may jeopardise wellbore stability and infrastructure, which has led to the cancellation of several projects. Therefore, forecasting injection-induced earthquakes is a big challenge that must be overcome to deploy geo-energies to significantly reduce CO2 emissions and thus mitigate climate change and reduce related health issues.

Start Date: 01/02/2019 – End Date: 31/01/2024

Project Leader: Víctor Vilarrasa Riaño

Researchers: Dario Sciandra , Iman Vaezi Anzeha , Iman Rahimzadeh Kivi , Francesco Parisio

Funding: European Project

European network for chemical elemental analysis by total reflection X-Ray fluorescence

This project aims to coordinate research and building capacity in the field of elemental analysis by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to develop and assess new tools, protocols, methodologies, and instrumentation for screening and accurate determination of potentially toxic elements, for health and safety reasons, as well as nutrients and beneficial ones for quality control.

Start Date: 01/02/2019 – End Date: 12/03/2023

Researchers: Ignasi Queralt Mitjans

Funding: European Project

Equipment for high performance scientific computing in the simulation of coupled processes in heterogeneous porous and fractured media, and complex hydrological systems

Start Date: 01/01/2019 – End Date: 31/12/2021

Project Leader: Marco Dentz

Funding: National Project

Modular recovery process services for hydrometallurgy and water treatment

The need for raw materials, especially REE’s, is increasing rapidly in EU and globally. At the same time, the amount of mine waste is increasing drastically together with concerns related to the environmental effects of mining. Mining industry can achieve more ecoefficient and selective raw material production by enhancing the utilization of side streams and mine waste. This development highlights the need to develop more efficient recovery methods and to efficiently remove dissolved metals from mine water streams, while securing the surrounding environment and ecosystem.
The main objective of the project is to enhance the ecoefficient and sustainable use of natural resources through creating a modular recovery process service package for hydrometallurgy and water treatment. The project aims to demonstrate that the well tested GTK’s modular pilot plant with selective metal recovery processes and tested organic adsorbents, including CHCollector (patented method) and biochars, will work on larger scale in a hydrometallurgical plant. Also, the organic adsorbents will be tested for efficient applications in semipassive
drainage water treatment and REE and base metal recovery.
After this project, the water treatment pilot plant will be upscaled and proved to work in larger scale process and adsorbent testing at hydrometallurgical process sites, widening significantly the business opportunities. Organic adsorbents, e.g. CHCollector and biochars will be proved to be efficient in large scale hydrometallurgical processes and mine waste drainage treatment, becoming useful part of the side stream utilization and circular economy. The metal recovery processes at target sites will be enhanced in critical raw materials recovery. The modular recovery process service package including a mobile pilot plant combined with innovative SME technologies and ecoefficient organic adsorbents will be a powerful tool in developing utilization and cleaning of mining side streams.

Start Date: 01/01/2019 – End Date: 31/12/2021

Researchers: Carlos Ayora Ibáñez , Jordi Cama i Robert , Joaquim Soler Sagarra , Jordi Bellés Felip , Rafael Bartrolí Solé , Mercè Cabañas Albero , Alba Lozano Letellier , Paloma Pérez Hueros

Procesos de atenuación de contaminantes convencionales y emergentes procedentes de fuentes agrícolas e industriales en aguas

Procesos de atenuación de contaminantes convencionales y emergentes procedentes de fuentes agrícolas e industriales en aguas
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad
CGL2017-87216-C4-1-R
Research leaders: Albert Soler Gil; Maria Nieves Otero Pérez

Start Date: 01/01/2018 – End Date: 31/12/2021

Researchers: Jordi Palau Capdevila