Graduation project: Sugar4Fermentation
Hello, my name is Sebastiaan van Veen and I am a student of biotechnology at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden. I have chosen to specialise in process engineering.
Currently I am doing my graduation internship, working on the Sugar4Fermentation project. The aim of this project is to make the sugars from sugar beet available to the chemical industry in the form of a liquid and long-life raw material that can be easily fermented. My assignment is to optimise this process to reduce costs and make it economically attractive. For example, I am researching which enzymes are best suited to break down sugar beet and how to keep the enzyme concentration as low as possible.
This internship ties in very well with my studies and is definitely a fun challenge. I really like that Bioclear earth gives me the space to set up and carry out my own research. In addition, it is always very pleasant to work with so many different interns.
Internship project: bio-concrete
I am a student of Biology and medical laboratory research at Hanze University of Applied Sciences. After completing my internship at Bioclear earth, I am going to dot the "I" on my minor in Biotechnology. This is my first graduate course and first full-time internship, but I have always had a passion and interest for nature and want to use this in the future to do something for the climate and the environment. I currently work on the bio-concrete project which involves finding an alternative to cement. This involves an attempt to reduce CO2 emissions, which contribute to 5-7% of global emissions. So far, I am having a great time at Bioclear earth. The work atmosphere is incredibly nice and I am surrounded by great colleagues.
Graduation project: Microbiome analysis of bio-digestion
I am Rik van de Pol and I am following a master's degree in Data Science for Life Sciences at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen. During my graduation internship at Bioclear earth, I will investigate how different factors contribute to the fermentation process within different types of bio-digesters. For this, I will be applying machine learning techniques to microbiome data based on digestate samples from various digesters, in order to discover underlying patterns in the data. The composition of microorganisms present in the digestate and the production of biogas depends on several factors, for example the raw materials used and the process conditions in the digester such as pH and temperature. Through better understanding the effect of these factors, it is possible to optimise the fermentation process, leading to improved Green Gas production.
This project is part of the Micro4Biogas project, a European collaborative project involving several Universities and companies.
Internship project: The resilient soil
Hi! My name is Famke de Graaf and I am in the final year of the Biotechnology programme at van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden. I chose the Biological Data Science major specialising in botany.
During my internship at Bioclear earth, I will be working on the project "The Resilient Soil". This involves using qPCR to identify plant-stimulating genes and pathogens in potato plots, and subsequently using data analysis to find links between the health of the soil, and the (pathogenic) micro-organisms present. I am very interested in the results of the "Resilient Soil" project and what these can mean for agriculture. There is a good atmosphere within the company which makes it easier for me to ask questions when I need help.
Internship project: optimising degradation of medicine residues from wastewater
Hello, my name is Bas de Groot, 22 years old and I am working towards my Bachelor degree in Biology & Medical Laboratory Research at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, where I did the minor 'Biotechnology'.
During my internship here at Bioclear earth, I will be working on optimising the degradation of medicine residues from wastewater. To achieve this, a Biologically Active Carbon (BAK) filter will be used that binds the targeted micropollutants and in which biological removal takes place. This removal consists of several micro-organisms that specifically feed on the drug residues. The aim of this project is to create the best possible design of the BAK system to allow the micro-organisms to remove drug residues most efficiently without saturating the BAK.
So far, I am really enjoying my internship here. It matches my interest in contributing to a better and healthier environment.
Graduation project: Life Cycle Assessment of bio-concrete
Hello, my name is Sander Bronts and I am currently in the final year of the Energy and Environmental Sciences master's programme at the University of Groningen. Prior to this, I completed the bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences.
My graduation project at Bioclear earth concerns bio-concrete. The production of regular concrete releases a lot of CO2, mainly because making cement requires a lot of energy. In bio-concrete, the cement is replaced by an alternative binding agent made by bacteria. To investigate whether bio-concrete is more sustainable than regular concrete, I will make a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This will show whether bio-concrete is actually more sustainable than regular concrete.
I am really enjoying my time at Bioclear earth so far. The internship matches my master's programme and my interests, and I really like the atmosphere at the company.
Internship project: The relationship between disease resistance and the soil microbiome of potato crops
I am Ymke van Duren, a Biology and Medical Laboratory Research student at NHL Stenden in Emmen. During my graduation internship at Bioclear earth, I am researching the relationship between disease resistance and the soil microbiome of potato crops. I will be doing this using NGS data, which I will analyse and interpret with different bioinformatics tools. I find it very interesting and a fun challenge to look for connections within this data. I really like being an intern at Bioclear earth so far, we have a nice group of students who are all working on very interesting topics that all focus on sustainability.
Internship project: degradation of pesticides with Biologically Activated Carbon Filtration
My name is Jarine Schep and I am a 4th year Biology and Medical Laboratory Research student at Hanze University Groningen. During my internship at Bioclear earth, I will be working on a project on degradation of pesticides. In this project, a purification concept is developed that can filter plant protection agents from farmyard water. Activated carbon is used for this purpose. When the activated carbon is saturated, it is regenerated using micro-organisms to reactivate it for reuse. My job is to help run the pilot and optimise the regeneration process.
So far I am really enjoying it, there is a nice atmosphere and you can reach out to anyone if you need help. In addition, I find it very motivating to work on our projects together with other interns.
Internship project: Power to Methane
Hello, my name is Joshua van den Berg, I am 23 years old and a student of Biology and Medical laboratory research at Hanze University of Applied Sciences. During my graduation research at Bioclear earth, I will be working on the Power to Methane project. The aim of this project is to realise stable and high methane yields by converting hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane in a trickle bed reactor with Archaea. During my internship, I will work on stability and try to achieve long-term high methane production.
This internship is a fun challenge where the aim of the research is to solve a major societal problem by contributing to one of the alternative methods to fossil gas extraction.
Are you interested in an internship at Bioclear earth? Send a personal motivation letter and your curriculum vitae to info@bioclearearth.nl.
