Industrial Water Research Group

The Industrial Water Research Group is part of the Chemical Process Engineering unit at the University of Oulu, Finland. Our activities focus on the development of new sustainable materials and processes for industrial water treatment and on the optimisation of existing technologies. Most importantly, we aim to identify and explain in depth the mechanisms of water purification. The research focus areas include:

• Development of biosorbents and biocoagulants: we have developed several biosorbents for the removal of anionic contaminants from water by chemically modifying sawdust, peat and bark materials. In addition, our primary interest is the development of new biocoagulants, especially using tannin raw materials.
• Recovery of valuable components from industrial effluents: our goal is to develop efficient sorption-based methods for the recovery of metals and nutrients from industrial waters, while solving the environmental problems associated with these components. In particular, we are specialised in the recovery of vanadium and nitrogen from mining waters. In addition, we are developing a simultaneous process for metal recovery and sulphate removal from low-temperature mining effluents using cold-tolerant sulphate-reducing bacteria.
• Removal and degradation of persistent organic pollutants: we are particularly interested in the combination of sorption-based concentration and reductive UV/sulphite degradation for the elimination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in contaminated waters. We are also currently developing catalysts for the degradation of pharmaceuticals present in wastewater.