Internship on Feasibility of Aeration Step in Industrial Wastewater Treatment

Feasibility Study of an Aeration Step in Industrial Wastewater Treatment

The production facility of FrieslandCampina in Veghel generates wastewater during dairy processing and cleaning activities. The current wastewater treatment configuration primarily consists of an anoxic denitrification step followed by a Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) unit. Treated effluent is subsequently discharged to the municipal sewer system.Although the existing system effectively removes nitrate and part of the organic load, no dedicated aerobic treatment step is currently available. An aeration step may provide additional COD removal, nitrification capacity, odor reduction, improved process stability, and improved effluent quality. This internship focuses on evaluating whether an aeration step can be integrated into the existing wastewater treatment plant and identifying the most suitable solution from a technical, economic, operational, and environmental perspective. Your findings will directly support investment and technology decisions for one of FrieslandCampina's largest production locations.The main objective of the internship is to determine the technical and economic feasibility of implementing an aerobic treatment step in the existing wastewater treatment process. What you will do: Literature study on aerobic wastewater treatment technologies, biological COD removal, nitrification, sulfur oxidation and odor prevention• Comparison of aerobic treatment technologies including Activated Sludge, Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR), Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) and Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR). Design and execution of laboratory-scale experiments to evaluate treatment performance Determination of oxygen demand and aeration requirements Assessment of impacts on COD removal, nitrification performance, nitrogen removal efficiency, sulfide formation and odor emissions. Evaluation of operational risks and integration with current processing Preparation of a conceptual design including mass balance and sizing calculations Development of CAPEX and OPEX estimates Selection of the preferred technology and recommendations for implementationRequirements What we aks: Higher professional education (HBO) or University level Studies related to Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Biotechnology, Water Technology or Food Technology Interested in biological wastewater treatment Experience with data analysis is a plus Interest in laboratory and pilot-scale experimentation Reporting language: English Duration: 4-6 months Independent, analytical, proactive and structured personality

A challenging internship with real industrial impact. Guidance from experienced process and wastewater treatment specialists. Internship allowance in line with FrieslandCampina policy. Experience within an international dairy company focused on sustainability and circular resource management.

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