Internship: Anaerobic treatment of dairy wastewaters

Internship: Anaerobic treatment of dairy wastewaters

Unlocking the potential of anaerobic digestion: Innovative strategies for the treatment of industrial wastewater.

Anaerobic digestion is a bioprocess in which organic matter is converted into biogas, a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other gases. Currently, anaerobic digestion offers a great potential for the treatment of several types of wastewaters, including those coming from different industrial activities. The development of granular sludge anaerobic reactors such as the UASB, EGSB, or internal recirculation reactors, boosted the application of anaerobic technology in the industrial sector.

The dairy industry is one of the largest sources of food processing wastewaters in many countries. Wastewaters from the dairy processing industry generally contain high concentrations of organic material such as proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, as well as high concentrations of suspended solids. These high concentrations of suspended solids can be a challenge for anaerobic wastewater treatment. Dairy wastewaters are also characterized by fluctuations in flow rates, related to discontinuity in the production cycles of the different products adding to the complexity of wastewater treatment.

Your goal

The goal of this internship is to improve the anaerobic degradability of dairy wastewaters with a high content of total suspended solids.

What will you be doing? We have listed it for you:

• Conducting series of lab batch experiments with real dairy wastewaters
• Set up an experimental test plan and perform continuous anaerobic treatment at lab scale
• Make a technical and economical evaluation of the treatment

Internship available from January 2025 onwards. 

Who are you?

• Enrolled in a BSc or MSc Chemical, (Bio)Process, Civil or Environmental Engineering.
• Flexibility and indepence.
• Curious and analytical.
• Professional command of the English language in words and writing. Command of the Dutch language is desirable, but not required.
• Minimum 4 months internship.

Working for us means

• An internship allowance of €350,- per month based on full-time employment.
• Possibility of a contract after your graduation.
• A buddy who will show you around in our organization.
• Reimbursement of travel expenses of €0.23 cents per km up to a maximum of 75 km if you live further than 10 km from our office and do not have an Ov-card.
• Learn from knowledgeable and dedicated people.
• Create impact and contribute to critical water challenges.
• Become part of an inclusive and collaborative culture.
• Contribute to sustainability.

As an intern from the Technology & Innovation department, you will take on challenging and important projects along with Process Design Engineers and R&D engineers. You will run a project with your supervisor and a larger team located in Doetinchem and/or other locations (if applicable).