The technology that builds on a patented invention from two AAU professors is a method to pacify one type of unwanted bacteria (glycogen-accumulated GAO) to give another desired one (polyphosphate-accumulating PAO) the optimal conditions to remove phosphor from the wastewater in cleaning plants. Generally, the GAO?bacteria outperform PAO bacteria?at temperatures above 20?C, but the AAU researchers¡¯ invention?maximizes the cleaning plants¡¯ existing control systems in a new way to shift the power balance to benefit PAO bacteria, even at high temperatures.

This has led to a business research collaboration between Aalborg University, water treatment experts at Danish Kr¨¹ger A/S and its international parent company Veolia. Together, they have matured?the AAU-invention and created a more efficient treatment, even under difficult conditions in the Tropics.

Veolia designs cleaning plants for tropic countries in the Middle East and Asia and works with solutions for good and reliable phosphor removal. Biological purification?helps improve the CO2 score, reduces the expenses on chemicals and improves the phosphor extraction.

The Industrial?Ph.D. has researched the area and made the technology even readier for practical use, thus enabling its usage on a global company level. The researcher has since been employed in a shared position between Aalborg University and Kr¨¹ger A/S and gets the opportunity to follow the project through, among other things?in a full-scale project in India and with more sustainable and commercial products following.

Additional information

• Kr¨¹ger¡¯s website
• Veolia¡¯s website
• Article from Department of Chemistry and Bioscience:?Hj?lp til ¡±de gode¡± bakterier giver bedre vandrensning i troperne?(in Danish)