Examensarbete - Under tillsättning eller tillsatt, ej sökbar

Characterization of Coliform Bacteria in Drinking Water Treatment Plant

Master thesis project, spring 202

Stockholm Vatten och Avfall (SVOA) is Sweden's largest water and waste management company. Our business affects 1.5 million residents and businesses in and around Stockholm. We provide drinking water and treat the wastewater in the city of Stockholm and in the municipality of Huddinge. We are also responsible for the waste disposal in the city of Stockholm.

Our raw water source is Lake Mälaren and every day we are producing 360,000 m³ of drinking water in the two water treatment works of Lovö and Norsborg. It is our responsibility to meet both current and future residents' needs, which we do by making long-term decisions that comply with environmental requirements and with a sustainable cycle in focus. We are therefore continuously working on improving our treatment processing to ensure we can continue to provide drinking water of the highest quality in the future.

The quality of the water is carefully monitored all the way from the raw water, through every step of the treatment process to the tap of our customers. The quality of the drinking water must conform to the requirements in the Drinking Water Ordinance, which regulates threshold levels of chemical and microbiological properties. The raw water quality is varying over the year. One of the most important factors is the temperature and global warming is changing the microbiota in the water body by prolonging mesophilic conditions summer time and decreasing the number of winter days with ice-covered surfaces.

There is a correlation between the number of coliform bacteria and increased water temperature. We want to increase our understanding of which type/species of bacteria that are dominating in our raw water over the year and if they can be established in our slow sand filters.

Project / The task

The project objective is to investigate and propose a functional method of taxonomical characterization of coliform bacteria in water. The project will be part theoretical and part practical. A literature study will be performed to extend knowledge about: Methodology of species identification of coliform bacteria in water. Known species of relevance of coliform bacteria related to drinking water, and their characteristics. The practical part will set the standard for future investigations, as it will exemplify a successful taxonomical identification of coliform bacteria in water. SVOA will provide water samples necessary for the project investigation. The results will be of high value for upcoming decision-makings to maintain and increase robustness in production of high quality drinking water.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, none of the work will be conducted at the water works and all meetings are likely to be online. The project should be performed in a scientific manner and with scientific methods, the results presented in a written report and oral presentation.

Application

If you are interested in this project, you should send an application no later than 13 December. Applications will be reviewed on a continuous basis. Do not forget to write why you are interested in this project and what makes you a good candidat. Questions to Benjamin Fridh (benjamin.fridh@svoa.se, 0707654099 )