Research center for the recovery of energy and raw materials from waste

Project title: Research center for the recovery of energy and raw materials from waste

Agreement number: FELU.01.01-IZ.00-0004/24

Name of action and priority: Action 1.1 Regional R&D Infrastructure (project type 1, 2), Priority I Research and Innovation of the European Funds for Lubelskie 2021-2027 programme

Project implementation period: 01.04.2025 – 31.12.2027

Principal Investigator: prof. dr hab. Marzenna Dudzińska

Project value: 5 500 118,31 PLN

Funds granted for Lublin University of Technology: 3 828 164,68 PLN

Abstract: Creation of a modern research centre that will deal with the study of energy and raw material recovery from waste, thus supporting activities for the sustainable development of the Lublin region, is purpose of the project. Searching for advanced methods of converting waste into useful products and water recovery from wastewater are among the priority actions in the face of depletion of natural resources, shrinking water resources, soil depletion in organic matter, and when the need to reduce the pressure of human activity on the environment becomes a priority.

The planned infrastructure is to serve the development of R&D activities in the field of environmental engineering, mining and energy, with the potential to be extended to other disciplines of engineering and technical sciences and agriculture. Particular emphasis will be placed on the use of waste in R10 recovery and the energy use of organic waste.

The centre's activities will focus on intensifying the use of waste and biomass, reducing the energy intensity and carbon footprint of processing processes, as well as improving the efficiency of energy recovery and valuable raw materials from sewage, mineral and organic waste.

The research will also include an assessment of the possibilities of creating new materials based on waste and by-products, e.g. soil-like materials with high capacity of water retention. Particular attention will be paid to waste and by-products from bioenergy and agriculture, as well as improving the quality of soils, e.g. increasing content of organic matter, which is associated with the intensification of carbon sequestration in the soil. The implementation of the research goals will be supported by the purchase of specialist equipment enabling research on the calorific value of waste, efficiency of anaerobic degradation in liquid media, removal of pollutants from wastewater and water, water retention capacity, composition of gas mixtures and the surface structure of materials subjected to processing. In addition, one of the project's tasks is to conduct activities aimed at supporting the development of competences of people managing the equipment, leading to an increase in the level of its use in R&D activities.

The main target groups to which the project activities are addressed include employees, doctoral students and members of scientific associations of the Lublin University of Technology and other scientific units cooperating with the Lublin University of Technology, as well as entrepreneurs operating in the environmental engineering and energy sector.