Research internship: Aquacycl Test Centre

Are you passionate about making a global impact through innovative technology? Join Aquacycl as we advance our mission for universally accessible wastewater treatment and sanitation, reducing energy consumption and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

As a project intern, you will help enhance our cutting-edge wastewater treatment technology by evaluating new wastewater streams and optimizing operational conditions to boost treatment efficiency.

You will be crucial in conducting experiments and collecting essential data. We seek a fast learner with a keen interest in climate tech solutions, creativity, and a drive to excel in a dynamic, fastpaced environment.

Be a part of our journey to pioneer technological innovation for a sustainable and accessible future for all!

Your profile

• You study Chemical Technology, Process Technology, Environmental Engineering, Biotechnology or a comparable education
• You are interested in water technology
• You have good communication skills in English
• You work in a structured way
• You work independently
• You can plan your work well
• You are familiar with basic laboratory techniques

Your responsibilities

• Daily maintenance of bioelectrochemical reactors
• Starting up new reactors/tests
• Decommissioning of reactors after a test
• Sampling, analyses, measurements
• Managing data (spreadsheets, photos, SharePoint)
• Communication of the collected data to the project partner company (daily via email + weekly meetings)

About the project

The BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT®) developed by Aquacycl is a sustainable alternative or complimentary technology to traditional industrial wastewater treatment solutions. It is designed to
address high-strength side-streams (COD concentrations up to 300 000 mg/L) from industries such as
food & beverage or cosmetics and can be used e.g. as a pre-treatment prior to anaerobic and/or aerobic
technologies

BETT® uses electroactive bacteria to break down carbon-based organic matter (COD). As the
electroactive bacteria “eat” the organic material, they use conductive surfaces to breathe, releasing
electrons during the process of respiration. By increasing the rate that the electrons are taken away,
treatment rate can be signifi cantly increased, taking hours instead of days or weeks. The added benefit of effectively “starving” the microbes so they don’t overgrow results in minimal sludge production.

A single BETT® reactor is the size of a standard car battery. On a large scale the reactors are placed
in a parallel of hydraulic treatment trains housed in shipping containers, creating modular and fl exible
approach to wastewater management. Multiple reactors are placed in hydraulic series to remove carbon,
and multiple reactor treatment trains can be used to accommodate wastewater volume.

Enthusiastic? Send an email to studenten@cew.nl with the subject ‘Internship placement’ or ‘Graduation placement’ and tell us why you want to do an internship or graduate at the CEW. For more information, please contact Maarten Trilsbeek on telephone number +31 58 210 09 19.