Microalgae-assisted remediation of cheese whey wastewaters - ON-1094

Project type: Research
Desired discipline(s): Engineering - chemical / biological, Engineering, Engineering - mechanical, Microbiology / Immunology, Life Sciences
Company: Neuston Biosystems Inc.
Project Length: 6 months to 1 year
Preferred start date: As soon as possible.
Language requirement: English
Location(s): Toronto, ON, Canada
No. of positions: 1
Desired education level: Master'sPhDPostdoctoral fellowRecent graduate
Open to applicants registered at an institution outside of Canada: No

About the company: 

Neuston Biosystems is developing a microalgae-based wastewater treatment system to remediate food processing waste streams (particularly cheese whey) and convert the remediated pollutants into high-value biomass byproducts (e.g. biofertilizers). This decentralized, scalable technology will help to reduce waste management costs for food producers while improving their operational sustainability and participation in circular bioeconomies in the agri-food sector.

Describe the project.: 

This project aims to develop an affordable, scalable, and effective wastewater treatment system tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized cheese producers. Cheese whey, a food-grade byproduct rich in organic matter and phosphorus, poses significant disposal costs and regulatory challenges within the dairy industry.

Neuston Biosystems is addressing this through the development of a microbial treatment approach designed to integrate with existing, mass-produced wastewater treatment platforms. The system is intended to enhance the removal of organic carbon and phosphorus pollutants, while preserving the food-grade value of the treated waste stream through the generation of agriculturally useful biomass byproducts.

The overarching objective is to reduce waste management costs and improve the operational sustainability of food producers, while enabling their participation in circular agri-food bioeconomies.

Required expertise/skills: 

This interdisciplinary project requires skills spanning microbiology, biochemistry, mechanical engineering, and data science.

Microbiology & Biochemistry:
- Experience with microbiological and biochemical assays (e.g. gram staining, dry biomass quantification, microscopy, qPCR/gene sequencing & bioinformatics analysis).
- Skills in incubator design and maintaining axenic algal cultures over long periods
- Evaluating and managing culture acclimation to different environments: transition from stock media to artificial and real wastewaters, transitions between suspended and biofilm growth formats, treatment performance under fluctuating loads, and effects of biomass harvesting on cyclic operation.
- Expertise in bacterial and microalgal consortia, their interactions with each other and with bioreactor materials.

Engineering & Design:
- Proficiency in CAD (e.g., SolidWorks, Fusion 360), and fabrication using 3D printing, machining, and prototyping tools.
- Mechanical/electronics skills for building bench-scale reactors with integrated sensors and fluidic/control systems.

Data Analysis & Bioinformatics:
- Analyze large optical imaging and genetic datasets (ImageJ, Python, R).
- Bioinformatics analysis of sequencing results to assess microbial communities and functional gene dynamics.
- Statistical evaluation of operation controls on treatment metrics, including creating a lumped-element model of the system.

Assets:
- Experience in wastewater treatment, attached microbial biofilms, or field-ready biotech prototyping.