Alberto Vomiero and Sadia Ilyas.

EU fellowships awarded for research supporting the green transition

Two research projects at Luleå University of Technology have been awarded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. Selected in highly competitive calls, the projects will develop solutions that reduce environmental impact while strengthening Europe’s access to sustainable materials and chemicals.

One project, PulseUS, aims to develop a method for converting carbon dioxide and nitrate into sustainable urea. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously cleaning polluted water.

“We want to develop an innovative method to produce urea directly from carbon dioxide and nitrate. If successful, we can turn two serious environmental problems into a valuable resource for agriculture. It is about gaining control of the reaction at a level that has not previously been possible,” says Alberto Vomiero, Professor of Experimental Physics at Luleå University of Technology.

Different from conventional methods

The project is based on combining advanced catalysts with pulsed electrochemistry to achieve greater control over the chemical reactions and improve the efficiency of the process.

“By combining a novel catalyst design with pulsed electrochemistry, we can control the reaction microenvironment in a way distinct from conventional methods. This is essential to make the process both efficient and sustainable,” says Abebe Reda, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at Luleå University of Technology.

The second project, SURGE, focuses on transforming industrial residues into advanced materials for energy technologies. By recovering graphite from hydrometallurgical process streams and stabilising fluorine in mineral forms, the project creates a more circular resource flow.

“Global demand for critical raw materials is increasing rapidly. We need strategies that both secure resources and reduce environmental impact. This project shows how industrial residues can become a resource in a circular economy,” says Sadia Ilyas, Associate Professor of Process Metallurgy at Luleå University of Technology.

Confirmation of excellence

Both projects were funded in one of the EU’s most competitive calls. The SURGE proposal received a score of 98.6 percent in the evaluation, while PulseUS received 97.2 percent. According to Alberto Vomiero, the results reflect the strength and relevance of the research environment.

“It is a highly prestigious recognition and a confirmation of the excellent research and environment we have built. Together, the projects strengthen our expertise in sustainable chemical production and circular material flows for the green transition,” he says.

The projects are aligned with WISE, Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability, a national research initiative focused on sustainable materials and resource-efficient solutions for future energy systems.

• Experimental physics
• Process Metallurgy
• WISE
• WISE at Luleå University of Technology