Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, is an internationally networked aquatic research institute within the ETH Domain (Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology). Eawag conducts research, education and expert consulting to achieve the dual goals of meeting direct human needs for water and maintaining the function and integrity of aquatic ecosystems.
Sandec, the Department of Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development seeks a motivated and qualified person for an
Internship: bio-based conditioners for improved dewatering (4 months)
The sanitation needs of one-third of the world’s population are met by non-sewered sanitation. Non-sewered treatment technologies can only protect human and environmental health, if the fecal sludge accumulating inside is adequately managed and treated. However, many existing treatment technologies require a large footprint or a high energy input. Dewatering (solid-liquid separation) of fecal sludge using conditioners (coagulants or flocculants) can increase treatment efficiency and increase the potential for resource recovery. Efficient dewatering is therefore an important step towards sustainable non-sewered sanitation. After dewatering, both the solid and the liquid fractions require further treatment. For the solids treatment, established technologies for resource recovery exist in the development or field testing phase. However, commonly applied conditioners in wastewater treatment are petroleum-based products or inorganic salts, which both depend on non-renewable sources and could potentially harm the environment and public health if not safely disposed. To overcome these problems, extracting polymers from biological material (e.g. shrimps shells, avocado pits) to produce bio-based coagulants is gaining attention. Using biological materials that would otherwise be considered a waste product could additionally help close resource loops.
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However, it is yet unclear if bio-based coagulants can be produced sustainably on a larger scale, which biological material can be used and how well they perform with fecal sludge. Therefore, this 4-month internship project aims to assess the current knowledge and existing bio-based coagulants to evaluate its potential for dewatering of fecal sludge.Objectives & responsibilities:
Conduct a review of existing literature to extract knowledge on:
- Flocculation mechanisms of bio-based coagulants
- Production process of bio-based coagulants
- Possible biological waste streams, such as avocado pits or fish shells, and rate their potential to use them as a coagulant
Laboratory analysis
- Based on the literature review, select different waste streams to produce conditioners in the laboratory
- Test extraction and purification process in the Eawag laboratory
- Assess floc formation and floc strength with fecal sludge
Candidates for this position should have the following qualifications:
- Holds a BSc in chemical engineering, chemistry or similar. Candidate will need to have at least a basic understanding of extraction and synthesis processes
- Enrolled in a university as a student for the entire duration of the internship
- Experience with laboratory analysi
- Fluency in English (spoken and written)
Internship duration and reimbursement
Four months, starting date in September 2023, based on mutual agreement. Sandec will provide an intern salary.
Place of work
Eawag in Dübendorf, Switzerland
Supervision
Dr Linda Strande (Programme Manager), Ms. Nienke Andriessen (Project Officer)
Contact
We look forward to receiving your application. Please send it through this webpage, any other way of applying will not be considered.
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