Current Research Interest

1. Sustainable biofilm processes for removing emerging contaminants

1,4-dioxane (shown in the figure below) is one of the emerging contaminants that we remove.

2. Metals and metalloids recovery from biofilm wastewater treatment processes

Selenium (shown in the figure below) is one of the metalloids that we recover from wastewater.

3. Biofilm processes based on anaerobic oxidation of methane

Methane is a common byproduct of wastewater treatment and is used as “food” for microorganisms to remove oxidized contaminants such as nitrite (shown in the figure below), nitrate, perchlorate, selenate and chromate.

4. Landfilling

Landfill odors are a problem for some landfill managers and can be controlled by environmentally friendly methods based on microbial ecology principles. The figure below shows some landfills that we tested in the lab

5. Mathematical modelling of biofilm processes

The figure below shows biofilm morphology in a microfluidic flow cell experiment, while the video below shows mathematically simulated biofilm development in the microfluidic flow cell: