Student Assignment- Evides NEREUS Pilot - Algae Cultivation
Introduction
The final step of the NEREUS recovery process is Reverse Osmosis, which produces a high quality permeate product that can be used as irrigation water. Apart from the permeate, also a concentrate product is produced that contains a large share of the ammonium present in the raw wastewater. Since we would like to recover this ammonium, microalgae G. sulphuraria is grown on the RO concentrate as substrate. The recovered product is the blue pigment phycocyanin. Phycocyanin is used as fluorescent dye, food additive and colorant, and cosmetics. Once the product is extracted from the algae, the remaining biomass might be anaerobically digested.
Objective
The principle was shown on small scale with artificial RO concentrate. The next step is to use the actual RO concentrate as substrate for the algae culture, and to scale up the process. Other objectives are extraction of the phycocyanin and finding out whether it is possible to anaerobically digest the produced sludge for energy recovery. 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
- Can the microalgae G. sulphuraria grow on real RO concentrate of the NEREUS recovery process?
- How can the microalgae G. sulphuraria be cultured on RO concentrate with minimal additional nutrients, i.e. autotrophically?
- How should the culture be scaled up? Which operational parameters are important?
- Can the culture be optimized towards product formation (phycocyanin)?
- After product extraction, can the remaining biomass be anaerobically digested?
Tasks
- Growing microalgae G. sulphuraria on different scales (erlenmeyer flasks, 1 L bioreactor, larger scale reactor)
- Analysis of nutrient removal
- Product extraction and recovery
- Anaerobic digestions tests (BMP) with algae biomass
- Design of larger scale algae reactor
- Analyses on influent, effluent and other streams of the NEREUS process & assistance in daily operation of the pilot installation
- Literature study of algae culturing 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, Otto Schepers, 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