Three PhD Positions in Environmental Engineering, Switzerland

Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, is a Swiss-based but internationally active research institute within the domain of the ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Science and Technology). It is committed to the ecologically, economically and socially responsible management of water.

The Department of Environmental Engineering seeks to recruit Three PhD Positions in Environmental Engineering

PhD project 1:
Reducing biological sludge production
The aim of the first PhD project is to evaluate mechanisms that can increase the degradability of particulate organic matter and reduce overall sludge production. Handling and disposal of waste activated sludge results in significant costs. Sludge management is a major concern for the operation of small and decentralized wastewater treatment systems. This project is focused on biological processes that enhance endogenous decay of active biomass and/or increase hydrolysis of particulate organic matter. A significant reduction in sludge production can, for example, be observed in response to cyclic exposure aerobic, anaerobic, and low oxidation reduction potential (ORP) conditions. In addition to influencing overall sludge production, cyclic exposure to different redox conditions will also influence the conversion of many micropollutants that are otherwise not degraded. But biological mechanisms leading to reduced sludge production are not well understood.
The goal is to evaluate sludge reduction processes within the broader context of overall system performance, costs, and the overall energy balance of wastewater treatment in centralized and decentralized systems. This PhD project should develop a mechanistic understanding of the underlying biological processes, develop a mathematical modeling approach to describe relevant processes, and provide guidance for design and operation of sludge reduction processes.

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