HBO Intership - Wastewater Treatment Process Optimization in Sustainable Aquaculture

Internship Assignment

Background

Sustainability and innovation are key values at The Kingfish Company. As production capacity at our Zeeland facility continues to expand, effective wastewater treatment becomes increasingly important to minimize environmental impact and ensure compliance with future discharge requirements.

To support sustainable growth, The Kingfish Company is currently implementing a full-scale wastewater treatment plant. Several treatment technologies have been selected in collaboration with specialized engineering partners. However, important questions remain regarding process configuration, operational settings, treatment efficiency, sludge production, and nutrient removal performance.

Research Objective

The objective of this internship is to investigate and optimize the performance of the wastewater treatment system by analyzing operational data and evaluating treatment efficiencies for nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter removal.

Main Research Question

How can the wastewater treatment process at The Kingfish Company be optimized to maximize nutrient removal efficiency while maintaining stable operation and minimizing operational costs?

Possible Sub-Questions

• What is the removal efficiency of each treatment step for nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended solids?
• Which operational parameters have the greatest impact on treatment performance?
• What are the bottlenecks limiting nutrient removal?
• How does sludge production relate to treatment efficiency?
• Which process modifications or operational strategies could improve overall system performance?

Internship Activities

The student will:

• Develop a monitoring and data collection plan.
• Collect and analyze water and sludge samples from different treatment stages.
• Perform laboratory analyses and interpret results.
• Process and statistically analyze operational and laboratory data.
• Evaluate the performance of individual treatment technologies.
• Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the treatment process.
• Compare observed performance with design specifications and literature values.
• Investigate opportunities for process optimization.
• Develop engineering recommendations for operational improvements.
• Present findings to the wastewater treatment and sustainability teams.

Expected Deliverables

At the end of the internship, the student will deliver:

1. A research report describing methodology, results, and analysis.
2. A performance assessment of the wastewater treatment system.
3. Identification of key process bottlenecks.
4. Data-driven recommendations for process optimization and future plant operation.
5. A final presentation to company stakeholders.

About The Kingfish Company

The Kingfish Company is a pioneer in sustainable land-based aquaculture. We produce premium Dutch Yellowtail Kingfish using advanced Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). Sustainability, fish welfare, and environmental responsibility are central to our operations. Through innovation and continuous improvement, we aim to set the benchmark for sustainable seafood production worldwide.