Academy Project: ESA Water Recovery Unit: Removal of urea / ammonium via a sorption process

Introduction
Aquaporin, in collaboration with Danish Aerospace Company, is pioneering a Water Recovery Unit (WRU) designed for manned space missions. This cutting-edge system aims to use Aquaporin Inside® technology to recycle cabin air condensate and urine into potable water and thus drastically reducing the need for water resupply. By participating in this project, the student will contribute to the development of a technology that provides astronauts with a sustainable source of clean water, gain invaluable experience in advanced water treatment technologies and play a crucial role in the future of space exploration.

Objective
The primary objective of this project is to develop and optimize a sorption process for the effective removal of urea, ammonium, and other potential contaminants from various liquid streams in the WRU. This will contribute to the overall functionality, efficiency and lifetime of the system and ensure a continuous supply of clean water for astronauts during space missions.

The secondary objective is to investigate if the chosen material can also be used as re-mineralization component. The currently envisioned WRU has a final treatment step that produces DI water and thus re-mineralization is needed to achieve drinking water quality.

Tasks

• Literature Review: Conduct a comprehensive review of existing research on sorption processes for the removal of urea, ammonium, and other contaminants from liquid sources.
• Material Selection: Identify and select suitable sorbent materials that are effective in removal of urea and ammonium from water or NaCl solution.
• Experimental Design: Develop and design experiments to test the efficiency of the selected sorbent materials.
• Testing and Validation: Test selected sorbent materials in realistic conditions.
• Optimization: Optimize the sorption process parameters, such as contact time, temperature, and pH, to maximize the removal efficiency.
• Data Analysis: Analyze the experimental data to evaluate the performance of the sorbent materials and the effectiveness of the sorption process.
• Documentation and Reporting: Document the findings, methodologies, and results of the project, and prepare a detailed report.
• Presentation: Present the project outcomes to stakeholders, highlighting the contributions to the development of the WRU and its impact on space missions.

Student Opportunities
The selected candidate will gain hands-on experience in advanced water treatment technologies and sorption processes. The student will collaborate with experts from Aquaporin and Danish Aerospace Company, expanding his/her professional network and enhance career prospects. This project offers the chance to innovate and address critical challenges in sustaining human life in space.

Who are you?
The ideal candidate is pursuing degrees in Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering or related fields. You should possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills, proficiency in laboratory techniques, and familiarity with sorption processes. A passion for water treatment technoloties, sustainability, and space exploration is a plus. You should be able to work independently with consideration to others users of lab space, be highly motivated and eager to learn. This is your chance to contribute to an innovative, out of this world project.

Project type

• Internship
• Thesis

Project timing
September - December 2025 (We are open for a longer period)

Project location
Aquaporin A/S, Nymøllevej 78, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby

Conditions of internship/thesis
Applicant shall get familiar with the conditions of internship listed in FAQ section https://aquaporin.com/about/academy/. Non-EU students must be aware of conditions defined by SIRI (The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI)) listed https://www.nyidanmark.dk/de-DE/You-want-to-apply/Interns.

Application deadline:
Ongoing