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Project

Building robust flocs and granules on demand for wastewater treatment and resource recovery.

Flocs or granules are the cornerstones of process intensification in biotechnological processes. They enable (i) an easy biomass-liquid separation, (ii) a better retention of slow growing organisms and their key metabolic functions, and (iii) a stratification of the micro-organisms, allowing for synergistic processes or shielding from unfavorable environmental conditions. Evidently, the building blocks and strategies that lead to strong aggregates, need to be well known. Despite the many years of research in bioflocculation, the fundamental insights in the interaction between the different building blocks of the aggregates are still missing. Furthermore, the knowledge that has been obtained for flocs has not been transferred to granules. This project will, therefore, first focus on deepening that knowledge by zooming in on the separate building blocks: microcolonies and their polymers (such as adhesins), and filamentous organisms or fibers. Secondly, on the basis of the knowledge gained, we will propose generic guidelines to build new functionally and structurally robust flocs or granules. The aim is to bring together micro-organisms with complementary functionality but conflicting environmental needs, while retaining the strength of such an aggregate by enclosing structuring micro-organisms or elements. Novel strategies for cultivating or bioaugmenting slow growing organisms will be developed, exploiting a vast array of microscopic and molecular monitoring techniques.

Date:16 Aug 2021 →  Today
Keywords:Bioflocculation, Microcolonies, Filamentous organisms
Disciplines:Environmental monitoring, (Bio)chemical reactors, (Waste)water treatment processes, Recycling, Environmental microorganism biotechnology
Project type:PhD project