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2024

ExpACT: Exposome ACTions perspectives for a healthy air quality environment

Date: 8/11/2024

We are proud to announce that TDLab is part of an interdisciplinary consortium that has received a € 6,7 million grant from NWO within the Research on Routes by Consortia (ORC) programme line of the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA-ORC).

Our project ExpACT: Exposome ACTion perspectives aims to focus on an actual societal problem impacting the public health: an increased exposure of citizens to potentially harmful air emissions of emerging chemical and biological substances.

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The quality of air we breathe when we walk, at home or at workplace is changing continuously together with the world around us. The current societal transitions (i.e., mobility, energy, circularity, food systems) have a large impact on the air components. We are witnessing daily political and societal debates about (emerging) industrial and agricultural emissions, urban pollution and exposure at workplace. In all these discussions, the uncertainty about the exposure to pollutants and their potential health effects plays a central role.

There is a clear need to improve our ability to dynamically measure air quality in situ and in real-time. Therefore, one of our ambitions in ExpACT is to develop methodologies to go beyond citizens science, and stakeholder engagement and including the ethical, legal and societal aspects of the technologies.

In this project, the TDLab team received € 840,000 to develop and apply two innovative techniques for in-situ detection and monitoring of the chemical exposome in air at different length scales.

(1) The field-deployable mid-IR coherent open-path spectroscopy (COPS) instrument to measure chemical exposome components in air. This will be combined with the satellite spectroscopy for mapping the air pollutants with unprecedented accuracy, high spatial and temporal resolution.

(2) Mobile Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (ToF-MS) for real-time chemical analysis of volatile organic compounds and (organic) aerosols. Here, we go beyond the state-of-the-art by including an innovative particle inlet system that will allow the extension of the range of detectable molecules to semi-volatile, intermediate-volatile and low-volatile organic compounds (e.g. polyaromatic hydrocarbons - PAHs).

“I am grateful to my team members Amir Khodabakhsh and Joris Meurs who help me with taking this important role in such a unique project and we are looking forward to it!” (Simona Cristescu).

Contact information Contact: Simona Cristescu

HyPRO: the largest R&D project in the Netherlands towards flexible, durable, and high-performance Hydrogen Production Technology

Date: 26/9/2024

Researchers from TDLab have teamed up with 58 international parties from research and industry to work together on more sustainable production of hydrogen by electrolysis & plasma technology.

The HyPRO project received a subsidy of €34.5 million and a total budget of €50 million within WP1 of the GroenvermogenNL, becoming the largest R&D project into green hydrogen in the Netherlands to date.

GroenvermogenNL

Like the rest of the world, the Netherlands is faced with an immense climate challenge. As part of the Nationaal Groeifonds, GroenvermogenNL is the Netherlands’ approach to transform a fossil-based society and industry towards a green future. Green hydrogen acts as a tractive force to support this transition. Large scale process industry, as well as decentralized applications need green hydrogen as a key element in the transition to carbon neutrality.

Plasma-based methane conversion to hydrogen through offers a promising route for sustainable hydrogen production, thanks to its high efficiency, flexibility, and product customization possibilities.

Industrial residual gas valorization

Centralized large-scale conversion of industrial waste methane to hydrogen and C2 molecules in the context of the tail gas from naphtha crackers is a national priority. Rather than burning the methane for energy, better use it to produce plastic precursors, like ethylene or acetylene, and effectively increase the carbon efficiency in the process. Together with plasma specialists from Univ. Maastricht, TDLab will be involved in performing research on the efficiency of industrial residual gas valorisation by methane pyrolysis in innovative plasma reactors. In particular, we will design a multispecies gas detection system to measure the products relevant for optimizing the plasma conversion and improve the current prediction models. “We are looking forward to this broad collaboration and connection with the industrial parties.” (Simona Cristescu).

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More information Contact: Simona Cristescu

Roderik Krebbers wins Best Student Presentation Award at LACSEA 2024

Date: 7/8/2024

During the LACSEA 2024 conference in Toulouse, Roderik Krebbers was awarded the Best Student Presentation Award. Roderik presented his work on In situ plasma diagnostics using Mid-IR supercontinuum sources based on nonlinear fibers which was received excellently by the judges. Congrats Roderik!

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NWO Open Technology Grant on green chemical industry

Date: 4/6/2024

The project "Accessing ultrafast timescales to achieve a climate neutral chemical industry", a collaboration between the Life Science Trace Detection Laboratory (TDLab) and Brightsite Plasmalab of Maastricht University (Group of Gerard van Rooij), has been awarded a NWO Technology Grant. The Open Technology Programme, funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), provides funding for application-oriented technical-scientific research that is free from disciplinary boundaries. The programme offers companies and other organizations an accessible way to participate in scientific research that is intended to lead to societal and/or scientific impact.

About the project

As the chemical industry shifts to electrified and circular chemical processes, methane will increasingly become a bottleneck in closing the carbon cycle. It is crucial that methane is valorised rather than burned for energy to avoid CO2 emissions. This project develops ultrafast plasma pyrolysis of methane to ethylene as an innovative and economically viable technology for methane valorisation. It requires fundamental understanding of the chemical kinetics taking place on time scales of microseconds, which is within reach by combining an advanced pulsed microwave plasma reactor and a unique infrared spectroscopy method so called time-resolved dual-comb spectroscopy.

This project is a collaboration with Brightsite Plasmalab of Maastricht University (Group of Gerard van Rooij) located at Brightlands Chemelot campus. Plasmalab builds a pulsed microwave discharge plasma reactor capable of incorporating laser-based spectroscopy instruments for time-resolved monitoring of the reaction dynamics. TDLab will develop a state-of-the-art ultra-broadband time-resolved dual-comb spectroscopy system with both high spectral and temporal resolution. The partners then combine the two instruments to study the plasma-chemistry in depth and enhance the efficiency of ethylene formation.

More information Official press release NWO: https://www.nwo.nl/en/news/funding-for-six-projects-within-open-technology-programme

Date: 31/3/2024

As part of the NWA-ORC BENIGN project, the Life Science Trace Detection Laboratory (TDLab) is working together with Naturalis Biodiversity Centre. The aim of this collaboration is to non-invasively monitor the response of hay fever patients throughout the year when different types of pollen are present. Exhaled breath will be collected and analysed with mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry at TDLab.

During the first field campaign, we were followed by the Dutch public radio programme Vroege Vogels. The item (in Dutch) featuring Joris Meurs can be found here Een hooikoorts vriendelijke stad | NPO Radio 1

New project GELSONDE for measuring NO2 in the atmosphere

Date: 14/2/2024

Nitrogen dioxide is a gas that has a high proportion of nitrogen precipitation and is hard to measure. But that could soon change: the Dutch Research Council (NWO) Open Technology Programme (OTP) has awarded €700,000 to the GELSONDE project, led by Paul Kouwer, from the Radboud University Institute for Molecules and Materials. Synthetic gel expert Kouwer and gas detection expert Simona Cristescu, also from Radboud University, are collaborating in this project with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) and SensorSense, among others.

More information

2023

HyTROS initiative into large-scale hydrogen transport and storage technologies

Date: 12/10/2023

Researchers from TDLab have teamed up with 32 parties from research and industry to work together on developing safe and cost-effective solutions for HyTROS - “Hydrogen Transport, Offshore and Storage” within the WP2 of the GroenvermogenNL.

Among other aspects, the safety of the operation and the quality of the delivered hydrogen is one of the focus points that is addressed in HyTROS, an 18 million euros subsidy from the Dutch government and 18 industrial partners. Researchers from TDLab in association with the Dutch national metrology institute (VSL) and University of Applied Sciences Nijmegen (HAN) will develop and test analytical solutions and instruments for reliable measurement of impurities in the hydrogen. TDLab will investigate the sources of hydrogen contaminations to find the most important species and their potential concentration levels expected in the real-life application. Based on the outcome of the study, TDLab will design a multispecies gas detection system for the detection of these contaminants.

This provides a tailored solution for the detection of hydrogen contaminations arising from different infrastructures previously used for natural gas and guarantees the utilization of the state-of-the-art trace detection technologies in our green hydrogen ecosystem, being developed in coming years.

Visit VOLT Centre, University of Copenhagen

Date: 30/9/2023

As part of the IRP Voucher VOCSENSE, our researcher Joris Meurs visited, together with Rosa Boone (Plant Ecology and Physiology) and Bjorn Robroek (Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology), the Centre for Volatile Interactions of the University of Copenhagen. This research centre, led by Riikka Rinnan, is specialised in investigating emissions of volatile (organic) compounds from Arctic landscapes. During the visit, Joris presented the work of the TDLab. Furthermore, there were lots of opportunities for scientific discussion around the VOCSENSE project as well as social gatherings.

Two IRP 2024 vouchers for Life Science Trace Detection Laboratory

The Faculty of Science has awarded two IRP vouchers to projects in which the Life Science Trace Detection Laboratory (TDLab) is involved. The Interdisciplinary Research Platform (IRP) vouchers are awarded to work on interdisciplinary research projects in the field of Green Information Technology, Machine Learning in the Natural Sciences or Experimental Laboratories in Life Sciences and consist of €50,000 per voucher. The IRP vouchers will allow researchers of the Faculty of Science to start a pilot project with researchers of other institutes within the faculty and optionally also with external collaborators. The vouchers were presented during a celebratory gathering on Monday 2nd of October 2023 in the Huygens building.

More information: https://www.ru.nl/en/about-us/news/twelve-interdisciplinary-research-groups-receive-an-irp-voucher

TDLab is involved in the following projects:
  • Towards accurate detection of greenhouse gas emission from wastewater treatment plants
  • AI for broadband spectroscopy: How machine learning can help to find biomarker fingerprints to determine kidney haemodialysis efficiency?

Joris Meurs wins MW Trofee 2023

Our group member, Joris Meurs, has won the MW Trofee 2023. The prize is awarded annually by the Molecular Sciences Education Institute to a person who made a significant contribution to the education given within the Molecular Sciences cluster, and the nominations can only be submitted by students from this education cluster.

Joris was awarded this prize for his outstanding performance in the supervision of bachelor and master interns: "Despite his busy schedule, and the numerous students he is supervising simultaneously, Joris always manages to find time to be there for them." the jury said in their report.

TDLab wins Team Science Award 2022!

During the New Year's reception of the Faculty of Science on January 9th, 2023, the team of the Life Science Trace Detection Laboratory was awarded the Radboud University Faculty of Science Team Science Award.

The faculty has awarded us with this prize in recognition of the great results of our team effort in which we performed our research during the 4 Days Marches.

During the 4 Days Marches, the team measured the effect of exercise on people with various health conditions via direct and real-time measurement of the metabolites in exhaled breath. Additionally, the researchers measured the air quality with a specially equipped cargo bike, driving next to the assigned walking routes.

Bringing research into the field can only be done as a real team effort, bringing together people with various expertises and backgrounds: from people involved in the 4 Days Marches, medical specialists, or the education centre, to our department's physicists, chemists, and data scientists.

Simona Cristescu, group leader TDLab: "I am happy and proud that my team received the award as a symbol of our accomplishments. I really enjoyed the spirit and energy of the team. A huge thanks to everyone making it a success and the most sincere thanks to the jury members."