Duration: 4 months or more, starting September 2026 (or later)
Location: Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology (Leeuwarden, Friesland, NL)
Allowance: The maximum Wetsus allowance for this internship is 425 € per month. Grant holding students (i.e. Erasmus or other) receiving financial support of less than 425 € per month can apply for a top-up supplement to the maximum allowance.
Project background
Nanofiltration (NF) is gaining increasing attention as a key technology in the production of high-quality water from treated wastewater. However, its long-term performance and selectivity can be significantly influenced by the quality of the feed water. Goal of this project is to investigate the effect of different pre-treatment methods on the performance of a hollow fiber nanofiltration membrane in the treatment of secondary effluent from a source-separated wastewater treatment plant (greywater) in The Netherlands.
Research Description
In this internship project, you will work with a laboratory-scale setup already installed at Wetsus. The NF units will be operated over an extended period to assess their long-term stability, selectivity, and overall performance.
The focus will be on:
- Operating and optimizing different pretreatment units
- Running nanofiltration experiments and monitoring membrane performance
- Assessing removal of key water quality parameters and membrane behaviour
- Evaluating system stability under different operational conditions
Candidate tasks:
- Assist with operation and optimisation of pretreatment and NF units
- Prepare samples for water quality analyses (conventional wastewater parameters, ion composition, organic micropollutants)
- Participate in pilot plant sampling and sample preparation
- Data analysis
Candidate profile:
BSc or MSc student with background in one of the following fields:
- (Bio)process/chemical engineering,
- Environmental sciences,
- Water technology,
- Or related fields
- Experience with laboratory work
- Knowledge of membrane processes and technologies is a plus
- Enrolment in an EU university, for non-EU residents, enrolment in a Dutch university is obligatory
Location
This project will be carried out at Wetsus, European centre of excellence for sustainable water technology, located in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.
Benefits:
- Experience with setting up and running experiments
- Hands-on experience in various analytical techniques (water analysis)
- Understanding of membrane processes
- Data analysis and reporting skills
- Experience working in an international research environment
Visit the Wetsus websit to apply:
- Your CV (max. 2 pages, A4 page), including a list of attended courses
- Motivation letter (max. 1 page, A4 page) (in English)
Feel free to contact Mario Ilić (< email deleted for security reasons >) if you have further questions or need more information.
