Project description DEENESFRITPL The future of nano-bubbles appears brighter than ever Nano-bubbles, with their remarkable properties, offer endless possibilities for industries ranging from wastewater treatment to agriculture. Yet, harnessing these tiny marvels has been a formidable challenge - until now. Enter the ERC-funded NIMBLE project. It aims to revolutionise nano-bubble technology and unlock the potential of these minuscule wonders. Specifically, it will address the primary hurdle that has been to create and control nano-bubble formation reproducibly. NIMBLE addresses this head-on, offering an energy-efficient solution with nanobubble stability lasting months. The project also tackles the intricate science behind nano-bubbles and their controlled release. NIMBLE aims to shed light on nano-phase formation and its applications in carbon capture, water treatment, and agriculture. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Nano-bubbles exhibit several unique physical and mechanical characteristics, such as dramatically reduced buoyancy, extremely high surface area/volume ratio, large zeta potentials, enhanced solubility of gas in water. These properties render them good candidates for several commercial applications, such as fine-particle flotation, wastewater treatment, and in food and agricultural industries. A most important challenge lies in establishing facile and easily-controlled methods to promote nano-bubble formation, and, indeed, liquid-phase nano-droplets, i.e. in realising reproducibly and consistently a nano-phase. NIMBLE revolutionises formation of the nano-phase, providing substantial enhancement in effective gas/liquid solubility in water and aqueous media. Further, energy demands are very low visà-vis other nanobubble-generating technologies, with nanobubble stability over months. A ‘Grand Challenge’ lies in understanding underlying mechanistic phenomena involved in nano-phase formation, and the metastability of pure nanobubbles. Indeed, developing experimental and theoretical insights into controlled, on-demand release for nanobubbles is also vital for efficient process-engineering applications. In this ERC ‘NIMBLE’ project, state-of-the-art computer-simulation methods in molecular and larger- (continuum-) scale will be employed in tandem with advanced experimental set-ups and techniques to investigate and manipulate mechanisms of nano-phase formation in the presence of electric fields (Work-Package 1), as well as its controlled, on-demand release (Work-Package 4), with applications to carbon capture and agriculture using nanobubbles’ “carrier” personality. NIMBLE will employ state-of-the-art experimental and simulation methods to investigate and manipulate nano-phase formation in electric fields and controlled release and study their mobility and carrier agency, with applications in carbon capture, water treatment and agriculture. Fields of science engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processeswastewater treatment processesagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagricultureengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringcarbon capture engineering Keywords Nano-bubbles Programme(s) HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2022-ADG - ERC ADVANCED GRANTS Call for proposal ERC-2022-ADG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants Host institution UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLIN Net EU contribution € 2 461 515,00 Address BELFIELD 4 Dublin Ireland See on map Region Ireland Eastern and Midland Dublin Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 461 515,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLIN Ireland Net EU contribution € 2 461 515,00 Address BELFIELD 4 Dublin See on map Region Ireland Eastern and Midland Dublin Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 461 515,00
