Project

Controlling microbial populations for sustainable wastewater treatment

Code
3F006211
Duration
01 October 2011 → 30 September 2015
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund, Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Research disciplines
  • Engineering and technology
    • Catalysis and reacting systems engineering
    • Chemical product design and formulation
    • General chemical and biochemical engineering
    • Process engineering
    • Separation and membrane technologies
    • Sustainable and environmental engineering
    • Transport phenomena
    • Other (bio)chemical engineering
Keywords
process control biofilm reactors modelling system analysis anaerobic digestion nitrogen removal wastewater treatment
 
Project description

This doctoral project deals with the interaction between microbial communities and the applied control strategies in reactors for

(1) innovative nitrogen removal based on ammonium oxidation to nitrite

(2) anaerobic digestion for hydrogen production



The main research objectives are

- mathematical modelling of microbial interactions

- to analyze the influence of process conditions on the steady state and dynamic reactor behaviour

- the development of control strategies for microbial population optimization