PhD student position in Aerobic granular sludge membrane bioreactor

Information about the division
http://www.chalmers.se/en/departments/cee  

Project description
Many wastewater treatment plants need upgrade to increase their capacity and to meet more stringent effluent standards. As space is often limited, compact and efficient treatment systems are needed. The membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a compact process which combines activated sludge with membrane filtration. This gives excellent effluent quality due to efficient sludge retention. A major obstacle is fouling of the membranes due to cake formation and pore blocking, which decrease the water flux through the membranes. Aerobic granular sludge membrane bioreactor (AGMBR) is a new technique where aerobic granular sludge is combined with membrane filtration. Aerobic granules are large, dense and round aggregates of cells formed under certain environmental conditions with excellent settling properties, and high metabolic activity which makes them suitable for MBR systems. 

The overall aim of this project is to achieve compact, efficient and less energy consuming wastewater treatment systems using a combination of aerobic granular sludge and membrane filtration. Mechanisms of granule formation and membrane fouling in such systems will be investigated to find suitable operational regimes for an efficient process. The research project proposed here could potentially result in an MBR process with significantly less fouling due to the combination of granular sludge and membranes.

Specific job responsibilities
The project is divided into three main parts: (1) Investigations of the membrane filtration processes including detailed studies of the fouling mechanisms; (2) Studies of development and growth of granules under different environmental conditions, including microbial and biochemical aspects; and (3) Investigation of the possibility to obtain stable organics and nitrogen removal in an aerobic granular membrane bioreactor (AGMBR) when fed with synthetic or real wastewater with different C/N ratios. Granules will be cultivated in laboratory scale sequencing batch airlift reactors. The work includes running the reactors with different types of membrane filtration. Microbial communities and activities will be assessed by modern molecular techniques. Membrane fouling will be analysed by both chemical analysis and advanced microscopy. The experimental work will mainly be carried out at the environmental laboratory at WET. Molecular analysis will be carried out at CMB.

The PhD student will work closely with senior researchers and one PhD student on the specific topic. The employment is expected to begin in the spring of 2014 and is limited to a maximum of five years.

The majority of your working time is devoted to your own research studies. As a PhD student you are expected to develop your own ideas and communicate scientific results orally as well as in written form. In addition, the position will include 20% departmental work, mostly teaching duties in the Master programme ”Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering” and the undergraduate program in Civil Engineering.

Expected skills and qualifications
The applicant should have a Master of Science degree in environmental engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, biotechnology, bioengineering, microbiology, or related fields. It is also desirable that the applicant has knowledge or experience in at least one of the following areas: running biological reactors, using analytical instruments, working with wastewater, or microbial community analysis. As a PhD student in our group you are expected to work independently, plan and organize your own work, work well with team members, efficiently communicate scientific results in written and spoken English, be motivated and interested in problem-solving as well as being interested in practical laboratory work.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20130410 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically via Chalmers webpage.

Application deadline: January 2, 2014

For questions, please contact:

Professor Britt-Marie Wilén, Division of Water Environment Technology, britt-marie.wilen@chalmers.se, +46 (0)31-772 2153 or +46 72 387 64 19

Associate Professor Oskar Modin, Division of Water Environment Technology, oskar.modin@chalmers.se

Assistant Professor Frank Persson, Division of Water Environment Technology, frank.persson@chalmers.se





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