ICONIC Consortium Meets in Delft
On March 26, 2025, the ICONIC consortium gathered at TU Delft for its General Assembly as the project enters its second year. After successfully passing its first-year review in December, the consortium is focusing on refining its strategies and accelerating the progress towards developing an integrated and scalable electrochemical prototype.
The meeting opened with a reflection on the progress made since the review meeting and the upcoming challenges. The group went through the reviewers’ recommendations, discussing and proposing amendments to align with the received feedback.
Technical presentations showcased significant advancements in materials, urea sensors, catalyst characterization, fabrication and modification, and new strategies to improve the carbon-nitrogen coupling process efficiency. Recent work also includes advancements in urea quantification, where the team has achieved promising results demonstrating the successful detection of urea using the anodic method.
In the afternoon, participants split into three working groups to discuss ongoing collaborations on reaction mechanisms, electrode development, and device integration. The day concluded with a guided lab tour at TU Delft, offering hands-on insights into their experimental setups and techniques.
The consortium also reviewed the growing list of scientific publications emerging from the project, covering among others computational modelling of metal alloys, electrochemical reaction mechanisms, spark ablation, Raman spectroscopy methods or electrocatalytic reduction of nitrates. These publications reflect the project’s expanding impact in the field.
As ICONIC moves forward into its second year, the consortium remains focused on further optimizing its processes and integrating the latest scientific findings, approaching the development of a scalable prototype for the integrated remediation of polluted seawater.