This fully funded MSc by Research, with a stipend of £18,000 per annum, offers an exciting opportunity to develop and test novel technologies for the removal of nitrate from municipal wastewater.
As water utilities are facing ever stricter consents for the discharge of treated effluents into the environment, there is a critical need for alternative technologies that can meet such strict consents more sustainably, especially for small rural sites where low maintenance/low tech options are generally preferred. This project will then focus on the testing and demonstration at lab and pilot scale of novel solid phase denitrification technologies in the University’s state of the art laboratories and testing facilities at our own sewage works.
Following on from the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, standards for the discharge of treated effluents into the environment are becoming stricter, even for small rural wastewater treatment works, which in the past were typically under more lenient rules or even exempted. Some of the water utilities in the UK, including Wessex Water, the project sponsor, are then facing a particular challenge in removing nitrate to low levels. Although nitrate can be efficiently removed by denitrification in conventional biological systems, not all sites can provide the right conditions to achieve such removal and additional carbon sources are often required. The transport and addition of an additional carbon source is costly and not adapted for small wastewater treatment works which are often unmanned and remote. There is then a need for simpler and more sustainable options for the removal of nitrate from municipal wastewater to low levels.
This project aims to establish the efficacy and economic feasibility of novel solid phase denitrification technologies for tertiary removal of nitrate from municipal wastewater to very low levels. The study will focus on the investigation of two technologies evaluated at pilot scale in real conditions at the University’s wastewater treatment works.
This MSc by Research project will allow the successful candidate to demonstrate their ability to conduct cutting edge applied research, whilst benefiting from the support of academic supervisors and industrial input from the sponsoring company.
Cranfield University is well known for its excellence in delivering research for the water industry and our students are a key part of this relationship, often finding careers within the industry after completing their studies at Cranfield. The Water Science Institute has an international reputation for its transformational research and teaching in the science, engineering and management of water in the municipal, industrial and natural environments. https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/centres/water-sciences-institute.
This project is an exciting opportunity to solve a real life problem through applied scientific research and the results obtained will directly influence the sponsoring company’s technology selection and strategy for nitrate removal to low levels.
This project will provide the successful candidate with exposure to both academic research in Cranfield and industrial application with regular contacts with the sponsoring company. There will also be an opportunity to attend a conference to present the findings from the work.
At the end of the project the successful candidate will be well positioned to have a very successful career in the water sector, and possibly with the project sponsor, or continue in academic research. We will help you develop into a dynamic, confident and highly competent researcher with wider transferable skills (communication, project management and leadership).
Entry requirements
Applicants should have a first or upper second class UK honours degree, or equivalent, in a related discipline, such as process or environmental engineering. The ideal candidate should have some understanding of wastewater treatment processes, be self-motivated, have good communication skills, and have interest in applied scientific research.
How to apply
Click here to apply
For general enquiries about this position including help applying, terms and conditions, etc, please contact [Email Address Removed], quoting reference number SWEE0151.
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