Master thesis: Biological phosphorous removal at low temperatures using SB-MBBR
1 day ago
Nitrogen removal, reduced emissions, and climate neutrality are central goals for modern wastewater treatment plants. Stricter discharge requirements from the EU and Swedish authorities are placing increasing demands on efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment processes. The project Kall-PN (funded by FORMAS and several municipal water and wastewater organizations in northern Sweden) aims to develop a resource-efficient wastewater treatment process with the lowest possible climate impact, adapted to northern Swedish conditions, where low water temperatures and fluctuating flows during snow melting periods present particular challenges.
Historically, wastewater treatment plants in northern Sweden have been exempt from nitrogen removal requirements, partly because nitrogen removal has traditionally been considered difficult to achieve at low temperatures and high flow rates. However, with the new EU Urban Wastewater Directive, this is likely to change.
Kall-PN will test technical solutions for removing nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater, model these processes, and optimize them to reduce resource consumption and nitrous oxide emissions. The project builds on the experience from a previous project, where good nitrogen reduction was achieved at temperatures as low as 5 °C using MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) technology in a pilot at the Fillan wastewater treatment plant in Sundsvall. The process solutions studied in this project, focusing on biological removal of phosphorus and nitrogen, are based on the MBBR technology, combined with sludge hydrolysis to produce an internal carbon source.
About the master thesisThe master's thesis focuses on biological phosphorus removal in the innovative SB-MBBR (Sequencing Batch – Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) treatment process, with particular emphasis on treatment performance at low water temperatures and high flow rates. The study will be carried out in one of the two process lines in the pilot at the Fillan wastewater treatment plant in Sundsvall.
The work includes literature review, monitoring and operation of the pilot treatment line, water sampling, and chemical analyses. Laboratory-scale experiments and activity tests at the pilot will also be conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the process performance.
The purpose of the thesis is to evaluate the performance of the SB-MBBR process and to investigate how low water temperatures affect biological phosphorus removal, as well as how the use of internally produced carbon source from primary sludge impacts treatment performance.
The workplace will be at MittSverige Vatten & Avfall and the pilot at the Fillan wastewater treatment plant in Sundsvall.
The thesis is planned to start in January 2026.
For questions, please contact: Malin Tuvesson, or Linda Kanders,
Submit your interest by clicking on "Registration of interest".
-
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute Full time 40,000 - 80,000 per yearBackgroundNitrogen removal, reduced emissions, and climate neutrality are central goals for modern wastewater treatment plants. Stricter discharge requirements from the EU and Swedish authorities are placing increasing demands on efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment processes. The project Kall-PN (funded by FORMAS and several municipal water and...
-
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute Full time 40,000 - 60,000 per yearBackgroundNitrogen removal, emission reduction, and climate neutrality are key goals for modern wastewater treatment plants. Stricter discharge requirements from the EU and Swedish authorities are setting increasingly higher demands for efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment processes. The project Kall-PN (funded by FORMAS and several northern...
-
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet Full time 40,000 - 80,000 per yearBackgroundNitrogen removal, emission reduction, and climate neutrality are key goals for modern wastewater treatment plants. Stricter discharge requirements from the EU and Swedish authorities are setting increasingly higher demands for efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment processes. The project Kall-PN (funded by FORMAS and several northern...
-
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm Vatten och Avfall Full time 300,000 - 450,000 per yearOm arbetsplatsenRemoval of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from municipal wastewater has previously not been required, since the concentrations are low and treatment with existing methods are extremely costly. The regulatory limits on PFAS concentrations in drinking water, environmental quality standards in surface waters, and guideline values for...
-
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm Vatten och Avfall, HR Full time 40,000 - 60,000 per yearOm arbetsplatsenRemoval of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from municipal wastewater has previously not been required, since the concentrations are low and treatment with existing methods are extremely costly. The regulatory limits on PFAS concentrations in drinking water, environmental quality standards in surface waters, and guideline values for...
-
Master Thesis
2 weeks ago
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden Danaher Full time 350,000 - 550,000 per yearBring more to life.Are you ready to accelerate your potential and make a real difference within life sciences, diagnostics and biotechnology?At Cytiva, one of Danaher's 15+ operating companies, our work saves lives—and we're all united by a shared commitment to innovate for tangible impact. You'll thrive in a culture of belonging where you and your unique...
-
Master Thesis
1 day ago
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden ASSA ABLOY Group Full time 450,000 - 675,000 per yearAre you a master's student in Engineering or Economics looking for an innovative company to collaborate with on your master's thesis during the spring semester of 2026? Look no further.ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in access solutions and provides the latest technologies to give access to physical and virtual spaces for millions of people every day....
-
Master Thesis
24 hours ago
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden ASSA ABLOY Full timeAre you a master's student in Computer Science looking for an innovative company to collaborate with on your master's thesis during the spring semester of 2026? Look no further. ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in access solutions and provides the latest technologies to give access to physical and virtual spaces for millions of people every day. Joining ASSA...
-
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB Full time 34,200 - 139,970 per yearWe have an open position for a dedicated master student to join us at the Connected Intelligence research unit, within the Computer Science department at RISE.Background and purposeMachine learning (ML) has catalyzed the design and development of various intelligent systems over wide application domains. Many efforts have been made to deploy ML models on...
-
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden Cytiva Full time 45,000 - 55,000 per yearBring more to life.Are you ready to accelerate your potential and make a real difference within life sciences, diagnostics and biotechnology?At Cytiva, one of Danaher's 15+ operating companies, our work saves lives—and we're all united by a shared commitment to innovate for tangible impact.You'll thrive in a culture of belonging where you and your unique...
