Student Assignment- Evides NEREUS Pilot - Nanofiltration
Introduction
Polymeric nanofiltration is installed in the NEREUS recovery process to treat wastewater because of their wide choice in molecular weight cut off (MWCO) values and therefore separating capabilities. The ultimate goal of the NEREUS process is to recover water, energy and resources from wastewater. A (combination of) nanofiltration membrane(s) are currently being selected to separate the phosphate and ammonium in such a way that these nutrients either end up in the permeate or in the concentrate. Operational strategies will be tested to increase the net flux of the membranes while maintaining the robustness of the process. Fouling will undoubtedly be an issue and therefore quantification of fouling might be part of the project as well.
Objective
To optimise the operational performance of the nanofiltration pilot scale system, based on the selected membranes. Monitoring of the energy usage and CO2 footprint of the system is another important part of the project. Note: the exact objectives will be determined at the start of the project and depend on the progress of the project and interest/background of the student.
Research questions
- Does the nanofiltration pilot system reach the expected performance?
- Which operational strategy is most successful in improving the net flux of the membranes while keeping the process stable?
- Is it possible to quantify fouling of the nanofiltration membranes?
- What is the energy usage and CO2 footprint of the system?
Tasks
- Testing optimisation measures in the nanofiltration unit
- Studying the relation between feed water composition (also in relation to pre-treatment) and membrane fouling
- Monitoring of the energy usage and CO2 footprint of the system
- Analyses on influent, effluent and other streams of the NEREUS process & assistance in daily operation of the pilot installation
- Literature study of nanofiltration on raw sewage and comparison with the obtained results
- Recommendations for implementation at NEREUS and possible other locations
Location
Pilot NEREUS at Delft Blue Innovations facilities, Harnaschpolder WWTP, Peuldreef 4, Den Hoorn
Nature of assignment: Internship or MSc-thesis, minimal 5 months because of practical nature of the assignment
Supervision
Paula van den Brink, Tessa Steenbakker, Han van de Griek, Evides Industriewater
More information
www.evidesindustriewater.nl/nereus (on our democase), https://www.nereus-project.eu/ (on overall NEREUS project)
Please contact Paula van den Brink in case you would like to have more information (p.vandenBrink@evides.nl)
Other
For BSc and MSc students, we offer a financial compensation of 350 euros/month.
How to apply
Please apply for and internship or thesis project at www.werkenbijevides.nl and indicate your interest for the NEREUS project