PDEng Position Pre-treatment of Tile Drainage Water for Subsurface Water Storage and Re-Use in the Dutch Coastal Delta

Delft University of Technology offers a 2-year PDEng position, financed by the Dutch Science Foundation (NWO) to research and design a full-scale water pre-treatment system for tile drainage water from agricultural fields that meets quality standards for subsequent aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) in underlying brackish aquifers. The fresh water can be subsequently used as irrigation water in dry summers. The position is embedded in our recently awarded research project AGRICOAST Climate-resilient agriculture in the Dutch salinizing coastal delta: innovative water management, adaptive agriculture, and promising transition pathways. You will be part of a team including researchers in varying scientific and engineering disciplines. A total of 4 PhD positions & 1 PDEng position are available now including the PDEng position advertised here.

Tile drainage water (TDW) is a promising new water source for ASR but challenges existing treatment options due to its high variability with respect to quantity and quality. To enable ASR, TDW should have a low clogging potential and has to meet stringent water quality regulations in the Netherlands for infiltration into the subsurface. Pre-treatment solutions need to address high nutrient concentrations, the presence of plant pathogens, and potentially pesticides that are now regulated at extremely low concentrations (0,05-0.1 μg/L for individual pesticides and 0.5 μg/L for total pesticides). A combination of biodegradation and adsorption for the removal of nutrients and pesticides seems promising but currently no tailored TDW pre-treatment solution is available on the market.