Advanced Water Management Centre Annual Report 2007
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Advanced Water Management Centre
Annual Report 2007 VISION
‘To be an international centre of excellence in innovative water technologies and management through expertise in education, research and consulting’
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Partners
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Director’s Report
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AWMC Advisory Board
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Scientific and Technical Expert Committee
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Research Snapshot
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International Collaborations
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The AWMC Team
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AWMC Achievements
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AWMC Student Program
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AWMC Courses
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Conference Participation
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Financial Information
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Current and New Research Grants
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Publications List
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Partners
We wish to acknowledge all of our research, association and collaboration partners.
Research and Collaboration Partners
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Association Partners
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Director’s Report We are proudly looking back at 2007 as our most successful year since the inception of the Advanced Water Management Centre in 1996. The progress and success achieved over the last 12 months has simply been outstanding. Some of the key highlights include: • Over $12m in new project funding, doubling our annual budget for 2008; •
Successful completion of major projects leading to large follow-up projects;
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Water recycling established as a major new research initiative;
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Strong publication outcomes and PhD completions; and
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Highly successful 11th IWA World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion (AD11) hosted by AWMC and IWA Australia.
Another outstanding achievement in 2007 was the initiation of a new research direction focussing on Water Recycling. This has been made possible through the generous support from Veolia Water and the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project, as well as the University of Queensland. Through this close collaboration a new Chair in Water Recycling will be established, together with a research team of four postdoctoral and academic researchers as well as additional PhD students. A further
As outlined in the previous report, the AWMC is focused on the development of the resource recovery concept from wastewater, including water reclamation, energy recovery and nutrient recycling. Beside the new water recycling initiative, the success of the 11th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion with over 340 delegates from 40 countries is further evidence of the increasing strength of this new paradigm in water management. This is also supported by the ongoing expansion of our bio-energy research both into biogas production and microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In this context, the establishment of the world’s first pilot-scale MFC plant by the AWMC team is another key milestone in the development of the novel and highly exciting area of bio-electrochemical processes. While still at the research stage, the expanding range of options for such processes will certainly impact on various areas of environmental biotechnology, including wastewater treatment, in the future. While we continue to expand and strengthen our research team in many areas, we also have to acknowledge the contributions made by our core academic staff members. The microbial ecology expertise of Prof Linda Blackall, one of the “founding” members of the AWMC, has helped us to gain a strong reputation as a leading collaborative research team at the interface of biological science and engineering. After 16 years at the University of Queensland, Linda has decided to move her research focus to her other passion, marine microbiology, and has taken up a research leadership position at the Australian Institute for Marine Science in Townsville. We wish her all the best in the new position and thank her for the great contributions made to the AWMC over many years. As you can see from these new developments and initiatives, 2008 will be a highly exciting year, but also a very challenging one. We will manage a massive expansion of our research activities with our overall budget reaching over $8m, more than double the amount in 2007. This offers tremendous opportunities and we will work hard to ensure we can successfully capture these to strengthen our long-term future as a world-leading research centre for the water industry. Stay tuned for more to come!
Jurg Keller
2007 AWMC Annual Report
While many of these aspects are further detailed in this annual report, I would like to pick out a few major achievements that demonstrate the quality and diversity of our research and development work in the water industry. An outstanding success was the largest ARC Linkage project awarded in 2007, which was initiated and led by our team at the AWMC and includes four universities and eight industry partners. This project will focus on optimal odour and corrosion management of urban sewer systems and has a total budget of $20m. Two leading industry partners in the new project (Sydney Water Corporation and Gold Coast Water) were also involved in a similar ARC Linkage project completed in 2007 clearly demonstrating the substantial value that the industry partners have gained from the close collaboration with our research team. While such an achievement is only possible through the strong input from many partners, I would like to highlight the outstanding contribution made by Prof Zhiguo Yuan as the project leader on the previous project and the leading chief investigator in the new project. He has put in a tremendous effort in completing the previous project while at the same time also developing the successful new research proposal (including presentation to the ARC). This clearly requires not only an excellent technical understanding but also a high level of diplomatic skills!
three postdoctoral researchers will be funded through the South East Queensland Water Security Research Alliance (funded by Queensland Government). Overall, this initiative will build up a major research capacity in this highly relevant and rapidly growing research area of water recycling. Given that one of the largest water recycling schemes worldwide will be commissioned locally in 2008 (operated by Veolia Water), which also includes the introduction of purified recycled water into our water supply dam, this exceptional research capacity will be of major benefit to the local and national water industry to help establish and further advance this new industry field in Australia and beyond.
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AWMC Advisory Board
PROF STEPHEN WALKER (CHAIR) Executive Dean for Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture, The University of Queensland
PROF PAUL F. GREENFIELD Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, The University of Queensland
Prof Walker has extensive experience in collaborative research in conjunction with Government agencies, utilities and private industry.
Prof Greenfield has over 30 years experience in biotechnology and environmental management and senior research management expertise. Paul resigned from the AWMC board in December 2007, due to his new position as Vice Chancellor of The University of Queensland.
ADJUNCT PROF SHAUN COX Managing Director, Gold Coast Water. Adj/Prof Cox leads an organisation which has developed a range of novel and highly successful initiatives in integrated water management, wastewater treatment and biosolids handling. In 2008 Shaun will take up the position of Managing Director of South East Water, in Melbourne, but will continue his involvement on our Advisory Board. DR DAVID GARMAN Executive Director of the Environmental Biotechnology CRC Dr Garman has expertise in environmental R & D, commercial application and extensive experience in environmental and resource management. PROF PETER GRAY Director, Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland.
MR ROBIN LEWIS Manager Production Brisbane Water, Brisbane City Council. Robin Lewis has worked extensively in the United Kingdom and New Zealand prior to taking up his current role. He has extensive experience in the management, operation and maintenance of water and wastewater treatment plants. Robin resigned from the AWMC board in November 2007. DR HUNG V. NGUYEN Corporate Technology Development Manager and Research & Technology Manager, Orica (Till August 07) . Managing Director, MQC Management Pty Ltd Dr Nguyen has a chemical engineering background, commercial technology development and management expertise.
Prof Gray has held academic positions in the United Kingdom, United States of America and New South Wales, as well as with commercial companies in the USA. He was a founder of the Australian Biotechnology Association (Ausbiotech). His areas of expertise include biotechnology, bioengineering of cell cultures, and technical and economic assessment of projects.
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Scientific and Technical Expert Committee
ADJUNCT PROF KEN HARTLEY Principal, Ken Hartley Pty Ltd Adj/Prof Hartley has worked for major organisations, authored technical publications, and is now an independent consultant working in the wastewater treatment field. He is one of Australia’s most experienced engineers in the field of biological nutrient removal process design and operations.
ADJUNCT PROF IAN LAW CEO, Ian B.Law – trading as IBL Solutions Adj/Prof Law’s expertise is in water and wastewater treatment and management. He specialises in the areas of industrial and municipal water and wastewater treatment, particularly advanced forms of reuse and biological nutrient removal.
PROF GUSTAF OLSSON Professor of Industrial Automation, Lund University, Sweden. Prof Olsson is Editor-in-Chief of Water Science and Technology (IWA Publishing). His interests include automation and control applied to environmental systems, power systems and industrial systems.
Prof van Loosdrecht is editor of Water Research, the leading international journal in water related R&D. He has a strong interest in wastewater treatment and resource recovery technologies.
Prof Vanrolleghem is a process simulation and control expert. He is Chair of the IWA specialist group on System Analysis and Integrated Assessment.
PROF WILLY VERSTRAETE Department of Microbial Ecology and Technology, Ghent University, Belgium. Honorary Professor at AWMC, The University of Queensland. Prof Verstraete is an expert in anaerobic processes, nitrogen removal and environmental biotechnology. He has extended his Honorary Professorship at AWMC until December 2008. PROF PETER A. WILDERER Emeritus Professor on Water Quality and Waste Management, Technical University of Munich, Germany. Director, Institute of Advanced Studies on Sustainability (European Academy of Science and Arts). Honorary Professor at AWMC, The University of Queensland Prof Wilderer is the 2003 Winner Stockholm Water Prize and highly regarded as one of the visionaries in the global water industry.
2007 AWMC Annual Report
PROF MARK VAN LOOSDRECHT Professor in Environmental Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands.
PROF PETER VANROLLEGHEM Canada Research Chair in Water Quality Modelling, modelEAU, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
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Research Snapshot MODELS PROVIDING SOLUTIONS TO SMELLY PROBLEMS Model-Based Investigation of Options for Sulfide Control in Sewer
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) generated by bacteria, growing in biofilms on the internal walls of sewers, causes corrosion and odour problems. A number of strategies are available for the control of sulfide generation in sewers, the most common strategy being the dosing of chemicals. This is expensive, typically in the order of $30 to $100 or even higher per ML of flow, about one-sixth to one-third of the operating cost of sewage treatment plants. In addition to the higher costs, the effectiveness of these chemicals is questionable. Since the dynamics of H2S generation in sewer systems (which is greatly influenced by sewer hydraulics and geometry) is ignored in conventional approaches, the implemented strategies in most of the cases fail to achieve the targeted control levels. The major considerations for effective sulfide control are: (1) what chemical should be added; (2) where it should be added; and (3) how much should be added. An option for determining this would be long-term monitoring of the sewer system to collect sufficient data to represent the effectiveness of chemical addition under different scenarios. Tremendous effort and investment would be needed to conduct such field studies, and consequently it is almost impossible to perform such a study on all sewer systems of concern. At the AWMC our sewer systems research group have provided guidelines on implementing appropriate and cost-effective chemical dosing strategies for industry. We have done this by developing dynamic models to characterise the effects of chemical additions and by performing a financial analysis of options for the rising main system. The impact of chemical additions to the sulfate reducing activities of sewer biofilms was intensively studied using the laboratory sewer system, as well as field data collection. A sewer network model based upon these findings was developed and implemented for the Tugun Elanora network on the Gold Coast (rising main system consisting of 13 major pump stations, and having 14 km pipe length and dry weather flow of 14 ML/day). This model was then used to predict the chemical doses required to minimize sulfide discharge at the Elanora wastewater treatment plant. The appropriate chemical dosing and optimal dosing locations were determined through the results of several model simulations. A financial analysis was done for the cost comparison of the different options, see table below. The results show that oxygen is the most cost effective chemical for this particular sewer network, while calcium nitrate is most expensive. The analysis also showed that the actual chemical consumption will be critical in choosing the most cost-effective chemical.
2007 AWMC Annual Report
These findings have demonstrated that modelling can serve as a valuable tool for formulating appropriate and cost effective sulfide control strategies, thereby facilitating optimal management of sewer networks.
Results of financial analysis Chemical Dosed
Associated Capital Cost
Operating Costs (per year)
Net Present value over 30 years (at 7% discount rate)
Oxygen injection
$293,000
$161,700
$2,440,000
Magnesium hydroxide dosing
$196,000
$418,800
$5,841,000
Ferrous chloride dosing
$357,000
$247,900
$3,634,000
Calcium nitrate
$196,000
$492,300
$6,859,000
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Research Snapshot REDUCING THE FOOTPRINT OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITIES Are granules the future for BNR processes?
The area of biological nutrient removal has been extensively studied over the last 50 years, and the most common practice is the use of floccular activated sludge systems. The suspended activated sludge flocs are a complex mix of Bacteria, Archaea, algae and fungi. One of the drawbacks of using these flocs is the requirement for long settling times to produce treated wastewater. This can be overcome by the use of another type of biomass, granules. At the AWMC we have been focusing on the treatment of wastewater using granules. Aerobic granules are densely packed microbial aggregates of different bacterial species with an approximately spherical outer shape. Compared with conventional floccular systems, aerobic granular sludge presents a better sludge settleability, allowing more biomass to be maintained in a relatively small reactor volume and higher loadings of wastewater to be treated. However, there is a distinct lack of fundamental knowledge and information on aerobic granule formation, structure and stability, and the reasons behind its formation are still unclear. At the AWMC, research is being conducted to improve our fundamental understanding of the microbiology significant for granular sludge and to obtain information essential for optimising aerobic granular formation and stability. Highlight for 2007 include: At the AWMC researchers have been developing methods to use microsensors (probes only micrometre’s in size) to measure ion profiles through the granules.
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We have learnt that aerobic wastewater granules stay morphologically intact over a month long period at storage conditions (without wastewater supply).
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Aerobic granules decrease their nitrifying and phosphate accumulating activity during a month long period of starvation conditions and recover to pre-experimental nitrification and phosphate accumulation rates within 2 weeks.
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We have observed that there is no community change detectable for phosphate accumulating organisms and ammonia oxidising bacteria after 1 month long period of starvation.
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The AWMC has established laboratory reactors for activated sludge Enhanced Biological Phosphorous Removal (EBPR). These are being used to transition the sludge between the flocculant and the granular states, while maintaining EBPR performance, and to compare the microbial activities.
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We have established techniques for extraction of various components from the floccular and granular sludges. This includes extraction of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), DNA, and mRNA. The sludges will be interrogated by the novel approaches of mixed community proteomics and transcriptomics to discover activities that are specific for aerobic granules.
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In conjunction with colleagues from University of NSW, strains of the Bacterium Xanthomonas are being examined for differential aggregation capabilities. The AWMC has observed that stalked ciliates (Protozoa) may play an important role in granule formation.
Through the combination of molecular methods and process engineering this research will reduce the footprints of wastewater treatment plants by increasing the efficiency of the process and ultimately provide a higher quality products to consumers. Funding for this project is provided by the Environmental Biotechnology CRC, and the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Technology’s International Science Linkages Program.
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Research Snapshot MICROBIAL FUEL CELLS: ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION AND BEYOND Over the last 3 years the AWMC has developed an extensive research program in the field of microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology. MFCs are capable of producing energy from wastewater, while simultaneously also treating it. MFCs achieve this by employing electrochemically active bacteria. While oxidizing the contaminants in wastewater, these bacteria transfer electrons to an electrode. Such an electrode is referred to as a biological anode. By electrically coupling this biological anode to an oxygen reducing cathode, electricity can be produced in a single step from almost any kind of wastewater. The AWMC research program covers the complete range of MFC development: from fundamental research into extracellular electron transfer to pilot scale testing. Whereas the initial MFC research program of the AWMC was predominantly aimed at electricity production from wastewaters, the MFC research program is now rapidly broadening towards wider range of (bio)electrochemical applications. Therefore, the AWMC has started to refer to these systems as bio-electrochemical systems (BESs). Future applications of BESs include the production of value added chemicals and the electrochemical oxidation/reduction of persistent organic pollutants. Currently the AMWC is redesigning MFC systems to become suitable for these novel applications. 2007 HIGHLIGHTS: •
AWMC researchers for the first time traced the fluxes of carbon and electrons in MFC systems, which provided valuable information on the fate of the organic substrates in MFC systems (that is, growth, electricity production, storage). This information will be of great use for further optimisation of performance.
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Nitrogen removal was demonstrated using a biological cathode and a loop based system. Thus, MFC systems can now be used for the simultaneous removal of organics and nitrogen. Furthermore, this can be achieved at much lower COD/N ratios than is common for activated sludge plants.
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AWMC researchers developed an electrochemical technique for sulfur removal from wastewaters, which has applications in the prevention of odour, SOx emissions, and corrosion.
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A microbial biocathode for oxygen reduction was developed as a replacement for expensive and fragile platinum cathodes. This significantly improves the economy of wastewater treatment with MFCs.
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The AWMC successfully commissioned the world’s first MFC pilot plant at a brewery near Brisbane. This pilot plant (>1 m3) has already resulted in many new insights that would not easily have come out of laboratory experiments.
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The AWMC launched the now common term “Bio-Electrochemical Systems” in the Winogradsky review of the first issue of The ISME Journal (Nature Publishing Group).
Funding totalling over $3 million: Australian Research Council Discovery Grants (2), Environmental Protection Agency-QSEIF, Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Technology’s International Science Linkages Program, Australian Research Council Linkage Grant, UQ internal schemes, Queensland Government Smart State Initiatives, and COMET
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Research Snapshot SAFE WATER REUSE TO AVOID AN UNCERTAIN DRY FUTURE In recent times the coalescence of many different pressures - population growth, increasing urbanization, drought, reduced run-off - has put a major strain on water storage infrastructure in Australia. The level of infrastructure is reaching its natural limits and this calls for a dramatic shift in our water utilization concepts. The traditional “linear society” is not a sustainable solution and the “circular society” has to become the new standard. Recycled water is already applied for non-potable reuse in industry and agriculture. However, supplying residential users has proven to be difficult and dangerous due to the expense of implementing dual reticulation systems and potential cross-contamination of potable supply. Therefore, households have to be supplied with purified recycled water of a quality as good as, or better, than the existing supply.
Recently, the Queensland government has initiated a 9 billion dollar project to ensure sustainable supply of drinking water in Southeast Queensland. This includes the construction of three advanced water treatment plants to produce purified recycled water that will be pumped back to the Wivenhoe dam. The technology used in these water recycling plants relies on membrane filtration combining microfiltration and reverse osmosis (MF/ RO) followed by advanced oxidation processes. This has proven to be effective and reliable in producing purified recycled water. Nevertheless, there are still issues of concern: •
fouling is a major drawback of membrane technology and has to be controlled to maximize process performances;
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reverse osmosis produces 10 to 15% of waste stream that has to be treated and discarded;
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membrane filtration is a complex and “high tech” process that might not be suitable for small to medium plants;
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the fate and effects of micropollutants such as endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals are still largely unknown.
The AWMC’s involvement in water reuse research contributes to a major field in the future of water supply and will provide cutting-edge research to the growing network of professionals tackling the challenge of a dry future.
2007 AWMC Annual Report
The Queensland government has initiated a cooperative funding and research alliance between the State Government, CSIRO, University of Queensland and Griffith University: the Southeast Queensland Urban Water Security Research Alliance. The alliance has a budget of 50 million dollars over 5 years and deals with a wide variety of recycled water related issues ranging from technology to social acceptance. As a member of the alliance, the AWMC will deal with source control, alternative technologies to membrane treatment and NDMA (a harmful chemical) formation potential. The AWMC is also undertaking a research project with Veolia that will operate the advanced water treatment plants in Southeast Queensland. The research will aim to maximise the plant’s performances by limiting membrane fouling; assessing the micropollutants fate during the treatment processes and treating/managing the reverse osmosis (RO) concentrates.
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Research Snapshot REGIONAL AND RURAL COMMUNITIES TO BENEFIT FROM NEW GREEN ELECTRICITY FROM BIOSOLIDS New technology to produce green electricity from sewage and food processing residuals, that currently go to waste, will benefit small and medium scale biosolids producers, including food processing industries and communities of less than 100,000 persons. The new technology is based on the latest advances in environmental biotechnology. It will offer significant cost savings in comparison to existing technology options for smaller or medium scale treatment systems. Current systems are relatively expensive in terms of capital and operating costs and they are energy intensive, especially at smaller scales. This technology will produce energy rather than consume it. Biosolids are an abundant and valuable resource, and offer the potential to generate renewable electricity, with a sanitized final fertiliser product which is superior to chemical fertilisers in terms of environmental impact, cost, and plant nutrition. Researchers at the AWMC are developing a treatment plant that can be used to sanitise, reduce and utilise organic solids. It will have an input of biosolids and an output of renewable electricity and Class A solid organic fertiliser that meets regulatory requirements. It will reduce the amount of organic material ending up in landfill, and leverage existing resources. It will allow local council and industries an approach to reduce energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions, while reducing and fixing biosolids handling costs. The technology significantly reduces the environmental footprint of small to medium scale wastewater treatment. Current treatment methods emit greenhouse gases at 40 kg of carbon dioxide per tonne of biosolids treated. The new technology will produce renewable energy, worth 40 kg of carbon dioxide emissions offsets. It will therefore result in a net reduction of 80 kg of carbon dioxide per tonne treated. When biosolids are disposed of in landfill, they can produce upwards of 290kg of carbon dioxide equivalents per tonne in methane emissions. Energy is from methane produced in the second anaerobic stage. This will produce electricity and heat that can supply up to half of the electricity needed to run the parent plant. The renewable energy certificates can either be used directly by the council, or sold externally. The technology will also make agricultural industries more affordable as it decreases the cost burden associated with small-scale food processing and replaces substantial amounts of mineral fertilisers, especially in regional Australia. The initial phase of the project involves research into the mechanism of enhanced biosolids stabilisation. The demonstration phase will involve design, construction and operation of a pilot-scale demonstration facility (30-50 kW).
2007 AWMC Annual Report
This research at the AWMC is supported by the Environmental Biotechnology Cooperative Research Centre (EBCRC), who are also commercialising the technology. EBCRC participation is strongly leveraged by a generous grant from the Queensland State Government (Smart State RIPP Scheme). Industry members Meat & Livestock Australia Limited (MLA), and the Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) are facilitating the technology to agricultural end-users.
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Research Snapshot THE ENVIRONMENTAL TRADE-OFFS OF ADVANCED WASTEWATER TREATMENT A quantitative analysis by life cycle assessment
The current regulatory paradigm for wastewater treatment systems focuses almost entirely on the improvement of local water quality (e.g. Queensland Water Quality Guidelines). However, increasingly sophisticated means of nutrient removal come at the cost of higher resource consumption (e.g. energy, chemicals, infrastructure, biosolids disposal, etc.) and elevated environmental emissions, such as greenhouse gases. To date, these additional environmental burdens have been largely unrecognised in the regulatory push for cleaner local waterways. This PhD project uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantitatively assess these global environmental tradeoffs, so as to better inform policy makers and strategic planners of the wider environmental benefits and burdens associated with wastewater treatment. Specifically, there are three main aims for this project: 1. For a specific receiving environment (e.g. Moreton Bay), identify the optimum wastewater treatment system that minimises whole-of-life environmental burdens. The system configuration is defined by such elements as treatment technology, effluent nutrient discharge limits, sludge stabilisation methods, and biosolids disposal practice. 2. Quantify the fugitive emissions of methane (both gaseous and dissolved methane) from low-strength anaerobic wastewater systems, such as sewers, lagoons, reactors and digesters. 3. Quantify the fugitive emissions of nitrous oxide from different biological nitrogen removal wastewater treatment plants, under various process conditions. The last two aims represent a significant area of uncertainty for the water industry, as it grapples with the cost implications of the emerging Australian Emissions Trading Scheme (AETS), the reporting obligations of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System (NGERS) and the increasingly popular (and largely misunderstood) managerial commitments to “carbon neutrality”. A recent report completed by the AWMC for the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) reviewed the existing knowledge on production of methane and nitrous oxide in wastewater systems (article available on-line) and defined their relative importance compared to emissions from energy usage in both wastewater systems and other economic sectors (refer below). Based on the outcomes of this study, the AWMC developed a more accurate and comprehensive methodology for estimating fugitive greenhouse gas emissions in Australian wastewater systems. Further research, in partnership with WSAA and member organisations, will continue on this topic throughout 2008. Funding: Queensland Government Growing the Smart State PhD Funding Program and Water Services Association of Australia
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Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions 2005 by economic sector
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International Collaborations The AWMC has become an internationally recognised centre of excellence in the field of innovative water and waste technology and management. Our strong international reputation is enhanced by continuing recognition in awards and international conferences. We have a strong visiting academic and student program and encourage all to visit the AWMC.
Visiting Academics Dr Dores Cirne Fundacão para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal
September 2007 – October 2008
Dr Albert Guisasola Canudas Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
September 2006 - June 2007
Dr Donghee Park Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea
September 2007 – September 2008
Prof Peter Jones University of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
April – July 2007
Dr Jorge Rodriguez University of Glamorgan, Wales, UK
October 2007
INTERNATIONAL PROJECT SPOTLIGHT INNOWATECH
Novel microbial technologies for improved treatment of industrial wastewater. The AWMC has developed extensive knowledge in the development of aerobic granular sludge systems to treat wastewater. The advantage of these systems is a 25% reduction in wastewater treatment plant space required for conventional sludge systems. This project will develop and demonstrate innovative granular sludge systems and molecular biological diagnostic procedures to provide economical, streamlined industrial wastewater processors. The project allows for a major nutrient producer (wastewater from abattoir processors) to take advantage of granular sludge operation for their wastewater treatment.
2007 AWMC Annual Report
The project focuses on three areas; bioreactor operation at lab scale, the implementation of reactors at pilot scale, and state-of-the-art molecular biology methods, to determine the function of microorganisms in granules. The AWMC is a major partner in this project and will cooperate with two leading EU organizations; Instituto di Ricerca Sulla Acque (IRSA), Rome Italy and the Technical University Delft, Netherlands. The EU research partners each work on different aspects of the project. Furthermore the AWMC works with Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and collaborates with the Environmental Biotechnology CRC.
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INTERNATIONAL PROJECT SPOTLIGHT NEPTUNE
New Sustainable Concepts and Processes for Optimisation and Upgrading Municipal Wastewater and Sludge Treatment AWMC’s recognition that wastewater treatment is undergoing a shift in focus to resource recovery has led to us being invited to join Project Neptune: a European Commission sponsored project with funding of over A$7m and involving partners from Australia, Canada and no less than 11 European countries. Financial support for our activities is from the Australian Department of Education, Science and Technology (DEST). This funding is specifically for investigating ‘novel technology to produce biodegradable polymer and electrical energy from sewage treatment biosolids’. Our objectives are: 1. Optimise and model fermentation of biosolids 2. Produce biopolymer from fermented biosolids, and 3. Produce electrical energy via microbial fuel cells using fermented biosolids. Biosolids are associated with high disposal costs, large production volumes, and are consistent around the world, so utilisation of biosolids as a reliable high volume feed for renewable energy and biopolymer production represents an exciting opportunity.
International Visiting Students Peter Aelterman Ghent University, Belgium
Apr – Jun 07
Raphaela Schoon MPI Bremen, Germany
Oct - Nov 07
Monica Arcos Oct 06 – Mar 07 Institute de Ingeniería (UNAM), Mexico
Huma Shahzadi Feb – Jun 07 Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Francois Chantret ENSAR, France
Feb – Jul 07
Lea Aster Such INSA de Lyon, France
Peter Clauwaert Ghent University, Belgium
Sep 07
Jelmer Tamis Mar – Oct 07 Technical University of Delft, The Netherlands
Coen van Gennep Mar - Aug 07 Val Hall Institute, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
Romain Gulot INSA de Lyon, France
Apr - Sep 07
Alexander Leib Jul 07 – Feb 08 University of Applied Science, Esslingen, Germany Margot Loubalie INSA de Lyon, France
Apr – Oct 07
Aravinthan Vijayaragavan Feb – Jun 07 University of Newcastle, UK Xiaonlian Wang Apr 06 – Apr 07 Beijing University of Technology, China Erugun Yucesoy Feb – Aug 07 University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany Hang Zheng Feb 07 – Feb 08 Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
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Osman Gormez Feb – Jun 07 Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Apr – Sep 07
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The AWMC Team Academic Staff DIRECTOR Prof Jürg Keller
Dipl (Chem Eng) PhD (ETH Zurich) • Biochemical and environmental engineering • Environmental biotechnology • Chair of IWA Australia
DEPUTY DIRECTOR Prof Zhiguo Yuan B Eng (BUAA), PhD (BUAA) • Biological nutrient removal • Process modelling, simulation and control • Sewer management • Chair of IWA SG on ICA
SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR Prof Linda Blackall BSc (Hons) (UQ), PhD (UQ) • Microbial ecology • Wastewater and environmental microbiology Prof Blackall will move on to a new position at the Australian Institute for Marine Science in 2008
Assoc Prof Paul Lant M Eng PhD (Newcastle, UK) MBA (UQ) • Biological wastewater treatment • Wastewater and greenhouse gas interactions • Sustainable urban water systems
Dr Damien Batstone B ChemEng (Hons) (UQ), PhD ChemEng (UQ) • Anaerobic Digestion • Instrumentation, Modelling, and Control • ndustrial Wastewater Treatment
Dr Phil Bond BSc (Hons)(Uni of Melbourne), PhD ChemEng (UQ) • Wastewater and environmental microbiology • Microbial community function analyses
Research Staff Dr Markus Billerbeck Diploma (Biology) Hons (University of Rostock, Germany), PhD (MPI, University of Bremen, Germany) • Research Officer • Aquatic Biogeochemitry
Ms Simone Bützer MEnv Engineering (ETH, Switzerland) •
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Design and construction of small – pilot scale reactors Process Maintenance
Dr David de Haas BSc (Hons) (Uni of Natal, South Africa), MSc (Rand Afrikaans University, South Africa), PhD (University of Cape Town, South Africa) • Senior Research Officer • Biological Nutrient Removal and Sewer Modelling
Dr Oriol Gutierrez GarciaMoreno B Sc, PhD (UdG, Universitat of Girona, Spain) • Postdoctoral Research Fellow • Biotransformation processes in a sewer system
Dr Sandra Hall BApplSc (Biotechnology (Hons), PhD (UQ), MASM • Research Officer - 50% secondment to the EBCRC until Nov07 and the International Society for Microbial Ecology • Microbial identification tools
Dr Beatrice Keller-Lehmann Dipl. (Chem), PhD (ETH Zurich) • Environmental and water analysis techniques • AWMC Lab Manager
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The AWMC Team Mr Romain Lemaire
Dr Korneel Rabaey
Research Diploma, MPhil in Environmental Engineering, Industrial processes and environmental engineering degree (INSA de Toulouse, France) • High strength wastewater • Process engineering
BioEng, PhD (Ghent University, Belgium) • UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellowship • Australian Research Council – Discovery projects, QSEIF (EPA), Neptune
Ms Kar Man Leung
Dr Keshab Sharma
B Biotechnology (Hons) (University of NSW) • Laboratory Assistant
B Eng (Nagpur University, India),PhD (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) • Process modelling and simulation • Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr Thomas Loetscher
Dr Stephan Tait
BSc (Zoology) Hons (University of Zurich, Switzerland), PhD (UQ) • Water Recycling • Website development
Ms Jianguang Li •
Laboratory Assistant
Dr Yang Mu BS Appl Chemistry, MSc, PhD (University of Science and Technology, China) • Postdoctoral Research Fellow • Wastewater and microbial fuel cells research
Dr Maite Pijuan Vilalta
Dr Steven Pratt BEng (Chemical) Hons, PhD (UQ). • Biotechnology for ‘Products from Wastes’ • Project Manager: Neptune
Mr Shane Watts B Appl Sc (Hons) (UQ) • Pilot plant design and operation • Anaerobic solids digestion and biological nutrient removal
Dr Ursula Werner BSc (University of Bonn, Germany), MSc (University of Bremen, Germany), PhD (Max Planck Institute of Marine Microbiology, Germany) • EBCRC Postdoctoral Fellow • Microsensors
Dr Raymond Zeng BEng (South China University of Technology, China), PhD (UQ) • Research Fellow • Methane driven denitrification and anaerobic fermentation
2007 AWMC Annual Report
B EnvSc (University de Girona, Spain), M EnvSc, PhD ChemEng (University Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain) • EBCRC Project Leader • Nutrient removal and granular sludge
BEng (Chemical), PhD (UQ) • Anaerobic digestion and aqueous chemistry • ARC linkage funded research associate
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The AWMC Team IT Support Staff Mr Ampon Chumpia BSc (Kasetsart Uni, Thailand), MSc (Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand), ME (USQ) • IT Support for AWMC personnel
Administration Staff Mrs Wendy Mahon Centre Administrator
Ms Michaela Lackner Administration Assistant Position Start May 07
Ms Anna Gallard Mrs Vivienne Clayton Administration Assistant Position Start April 07
Administration Assistant Casual Appointment Sep 07-Jan 08
Mrs Jan Phillips Administration Assistant Resigned her position in Sep 07
Ms Chris Alexander Administration Assistant Resigned her position in Mar 07
AWMC Staff Achievements Awards Linda Blackall won a Smart Women - Smart State Award 2007 in the Community/Public Sector - Science Prize for her contribution to research on wastewater management. Dr Korneel Rabaey was a finalist in the 2007 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes in the category of Young Leaders in Environmental Issues and Climate Change. This is in recognition of Korneel’s pioneering work on sustainable wastewater treatment involving the development of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), a novel technology to generate energy during wastewater treatment. Prof Linda Blackall won the Women In Technology, University of Queensland Sponsored Biotech Researchers Award in recognition of her lifetime contribution to the field of Biotechnology.
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Grants The AWMC and Environmental Biotechnology CRC team linked with leading European researchers to advance a revolutionary “fast sludge” process after receiving $823,500 from the International Science Linkages program of the Federal Government’s Department of Education, Science and Training. Veolia Water France, one of the world’s leading water infrastructure companies, funded a $2.5 million Chair in Water Recycling at the AWMC Dr Damien Batstone received $619,000 to develop better technology for organic solids handling from the Queensland Government’s $200 million Smart State Innovation Funding Program A joint project between the AWMC and Foster’s to turn beer wastewater into electricity won $140,000 from the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Energy Innovation Fund. Zhiguo Yuan, Jurg Keller, and colleagues from domestic and foreign universities, and water utilities across the country, won a $4.66 million Australian Research Council Linkage grant to undertake the largest project yet to tackle odour and concrete pipe corrosion in the sewerage system. This is the largest ARC Linkage ever awarded.
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AWMC Student Program The AWMC students form a diverse and energetic community of the centre. Over the coming years we expect the postgraduate numbers in the AWMC to double. The AWMC is committed to providing professional development for all of our postgraduate students and continue to provide the necessary opportunities to produce the highest calibre and most desired of graduates in the University. Arseto Bagastyo PhD AusAID
Aluminium sulfate coagulation for the treatment of reverse osmosis concentrates Supervisors: Dr Damien Batstone and Prof Jurg Keller
Jeremy Barr EBCRC PhD Scholar
Fundamental microbial investigations into extracellular polymeric substances from aerobic granular sludge Supervisors: Dr Phil Bond and Dr Amanda Mabbett (SMMS, UQ)
Luke Burow EBCRC PhD Scholar Submitted November 2007
Investigation of microorganisms critical to enhanced biological phosphorous removal Supervisors: Prof Linda Blackall and Dr Amanda Mabbett (SMMS, UQ)
Nicole Diatloff PhD, Part-time
Effluent management at a catchment scale: a strategic intergrated approach to small scale wastewater management Supervisors: Prof Jurg Keller, Dr Roger Shaw (Previously CEO, CRC for Costal Zone and Estuary Waterways Management)
Paritam Kumar Dutta PhD
Investigation of sulfur removal, recovery and control by microbial fuel cells Supervisors: Prof Jurg Keller, Prof Zhiguo Yuan and Dr Korneel Rabaey
Determination of the fate of dissolved organic nitrogen in biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes and development of appropriate treatment technologies Supervisors: A/Prof Paul Lant
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Jason Dwyer PhD
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AWMC Student Program Jeff Foley PhD
Life cycle assessment of wastewater treatment systems Supervisors: A/Prof Paul Lant, Dr David de Haas and Adj/Prof Ken Hartley
Stefano Freguia PhD
Fundamental studies of anodic and cathodic processes in microbial fuel cells Supervisors: Prof Jurg Keller, and Prof Zhiguo Yuan
Huoqing Ge EBCRC PhD Scholar
Small-medium scale organic solids stabilisation Supervisors: Dr Damien Batstone and Dr Phil Bond
Nicholas Gurieff PhD
Production of biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate polymers using advanced wastewater treatment process technology Supervisors: A/Prof Paul Lant and Prof Jurg Keller
Shihu Hu PhD
A fundamental understanding of methane driven denitrification Supervisors: Prof Zhiguo Yuan, A/Prof Paul Lant and Dr Raymond Zeng
Guangming Jiang PhD
Metabolisms of sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogens in sewers under oxic and anoxic conditions Supervisors: Prof Zhiguo Yuan, Dr Keshab Sharma and Prof Jurg Keller
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Romain Lemaire EBCRC PhD Scholar Completed Oct 07
Development and optimisation of sequencing batch reactor operations for phosphorous and nitrogen biological removal from high strength wastewater Supervisors: Prof Zhiguo Yuan, Prof Jurg Keller and Dr Nicolas Bernet (LBE-Narbonne, France)
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AWMC Student Program Huabing Lu PhD Completed Jun 07
The endogenous processes of polyphosphate accumulating organisms and glycogen accumulating organisms in activated sludge Supervisors: Prof Zhiguo Yuan, Prof Jurg Keller and Dr Raymond Zeng
Scott McMurray PhD
Enhancing Biological denitrification by addition of external carbon sources: process optimisation though kinetic studies and mathematical modelling Supervisors: Prof Jurg Keller and Prof Zhiguo Yuan
Janani Mohanakrishnan PhD
The role of biofilms in sewer biotransformations
Jason Paxman PhD Completed Dec 07
Enhancing biological denitrification by addition of external carbon sources: the impact of external carbon sources on the denitrification community structure and properties
Supervisors: Prof Zhiguo Yuan, Prof Jurg Keller and Dr Rikke Meyer (University of Aarhaus, Denmark)
Supervisors: Prof Zhiguo Yuan, Prof Jurg Keller and Prof Linda Blackall
Hasina Pervin EBCRC PhD Scholar
Microbial community and function analysis during optimisation of small to medium scale organic solids stablisation Supervisors: Dr Phil Bond and Dr Damien Batstone
Christopher Pipe-Martin MPhil, Part-time
Biological processes for dissolved organic carbon removal
Pahvai Raveenthiran PhD Withdrawn Sep 07
Sustainable biological nitrogen removal in anaerobic treatment of domestic waste
Supersivors: Prof Jurg Keller and Dr Damien Batstone
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Supervisors: A/Prof Paul Lant
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AWMC Student Program Sue Read PhD
Microbial ecology of extracellular electron transfer (EET) Supervisors: Prof Jurg Keller, Dr Phil Bond and Dr Korneel Rabaey
Thomas Seviour PhD
Macromolecular associations in aerobic sludge granule derived extra-cellular polymeric substances Supervisors: Prof Zhiguo Yuan, Dr Maite Pijuan and Prof Jurg Keller
Nishanthi Siyambalapitiya PhD Submitted Nov 07
The investigation of biological mechanisms influencing the activated sludge flocculation process
Bernardino Virdis PhD
Nitrogen removal in microbial fuel cells
Supervisors: Prof Linda Blackall and A/Prof Paul Lant
Supervisors: Prof Jurg Keller, Dr Korneel Rabaey, Prof Zhiguo Yuan, and Prof Alessandra Carucci (University of Cagliari, Italy)
Lishan Zhang PhD
Understanding the biotransformation processes in a sewer system to achieve optimal management Supervisors: Prof Jurg Keller, Prof Zhiguo Yuan and Dr David de Haas
Yan Zhou PhD
Development of a 2-sludge, 3-stage process for nitrogen and phosphorous removal from high strength wastewater Supervisors: Prof Zhiguo Yuan, Dr Maite Pijuan and Dr Raymond Zeng
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Honours Student
David Tran EBCRC Scholarship
Granular formation during wastewater treatment processes. Supervisors: Dr Phil Bond and Dr Maite Pijuan
Summer Vacation Student
Rachael Slade 06/07 Summer Vacation
Comparison of three EPS extraction methods using proteins, carbohydrates and DNA as EPS quantification Supervisors: Dr Phil Bond
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AWMC Student Program Student Achievements Luke Burow won the Best Student Paper 2007 Award at the Annual Conference of the Environmental Biotechnology CRC Luke Burow was awarded the Becton Dickinson PhD Student Award – Australian Society for Microbiology (2007), the most prestigious prize in Microbiology in Queensland Sue Read was awarded a Smart State fellowship to conduct her studies on the Microbial Ecology of Microbial Fuel Cells Paritam Kumar Duta and Stefano Freguia both won Best poster and paper awards (respectively) at the 11th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion
AWMC Courses IWES Directed by A/Prof Paul Lant, IWES is the leading provider of short courses for environment professionals in Australia. The program covers most facets of water management. In 2007, IWES ran events in Sydney (Feb), Gold Coast (Jul) and for the first time in Perth, WA (Nov). The 2007 Gold Coast course was the biggest yet consisting of 13 courses in water and wastewater treatment and environmental management with 280 participants. Many of the AWMC staff and students participate in the IWES course by either teaching or by providing the latest research for the course contents.
Master of Integrated Water Management This masters program is offered by the International Water Centre (IWC). It aims to improve the capacity of future leaders in water resource management, with an emphasis on professionals working in developing countries. At the forefront of current and evolving practice, the program equips students with interdisciplinary skills and practical approaches to providing clean water solutions from catchment to coast. A/Prof Paul Lant is the Director of Education and Training for the International Water Centre (IWC), a joint venture between The University of Queensland, Griffith University, Monash University and The University of Western Australia.
ARB Course This course teaches participants to use the software package ARB to explain the phylogenetic relationships of organisms in complex microbial communities. The first ARB course was held 11-13 April for a sell out course of 15 participants.
This course teaches the use of rRNA-targeted Fluorescence in situ Hybridisation (FISH), which is now widely accepted as the least biased method for identifying and enumerating populations of microorganisms within a large variety of environmental samples - including sludge, seawater, freshwater, intestinal/skin flora, plant root/leaf epiphytes, and rumen. The AWMC has run the FISH course annually since 2001. The 2007 course was held for first time immediately following the ARB course in April, which allowed participants to a full understanding of Microbial identification and enumeration techniques.
2007 AWMC Annual Report
FISH Course
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Conference Participation 2007 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS ATTENDED BY AWMC STAFF AND STUDENTS Australian Water Association OzWater 2007 Convention and Exhibition, March 4-8, Sydney, Australia. Nutrient Removal 2007: The State of the Art, March 4-7, Baltimore, Maryland, USA The American Society for Microbiology Biofilm conference, March 23–28, Quebec City, Canada Universite de Laval, Geau, March 29, Quebec City, Canada Annual Cooperative Research Centre Association Meeting, May 15-18, Perth, Australia International Meeting of the Federation of Korean Microbiological Societies, June 2-8, Seoul, Korea 4th International Water Association Leading Edge Conference on Water and Wastewater Technology, June 3-6, Singapore Transformational biology workshop, June 18-20 2007, Canberra, Australia 2007 Annual Scientific meeting of the Australian Society for Microbiology, July 9-13, Adelaide, Australia Gordon Conference on Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 16-20, Mount Holyoke, MA, USA 3rd Australian Water Association Water Reuse and Recycling Conference, July 16-18, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia International Water Association Conference on Sewer Processes and Networks, August 28-31, 2007, Delft, The Netherlands 10th International Riversymposium, September 3-6, Brisbane, Australia 2nd International Water Association Conference on Automation in Water Quality Monitoring (AutMoNet), September 5 -7, Gent, Belgium 11th International Water Association World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion, September 23-27, Brisbane Australia NSI2007 - Queensland Branch of the Australian Society for Microbiology annual North Stradbroke Island Meeting, October 27, Stradbroke Island, Australia 2nd International Water Association Asia-Pacific regional group conference & exhibition (ASPIRE), October 28 November 1, Perth, Australia.
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Environmental Biotechnology Cooperative Research Centre Annual Conference, November 19-21, Perth Australia Annual AWMC Research Showcase, November 27, The University of Queensland, Australia
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Financial Information INCOME FOR 2007 University Income Postgraduate Supervision plus Research Quantum Postgraduate Tuition Fee Income Payment for Teaching Chair in Water Recycling Research Start Up Fund Early Career Research
$ 231,404 $ 28,933 $ 123,618 $ 50,000 $ 37,550 $ 65,575
$ 537,080
Salary Support School of Engineering Environmental Biotechnology CRC Project Staff Environmental Biotechnology CRC Project Management Other Projects & Research Fellowships ARC Postdoctoral Fellowships
$ 134,572 $ 334,512 $ 51,934 $ 179,151 $ 381,819
$1,081,988
Scholarship Support Scholarships & Tuition Fee Support Commonwealth Scholarships - APA/APAI/ARC Environmental Biotechnology CRC Scholarships External Scholarships
$ 64,792 $ 186,123 $ 104,367 $ 37,500
$ 392,782
Grants and Collaborative Research (excluding Salaries & Scholarship) Environmental Biotechnology CRC ARC Discovery: Novel Concept for Water with Integrated Power ARC Discovery: Fundamental Methane Driven Denitrification ARC Discovery - Metagenomics and the Genetic Basis of Ecology and Evolution SEQ Urban Water Security Alliance ARC Linkage: Biotransformation Processes in Sewer Systems DEST ISL Novel Technology to Produce Biodegradable - Neptune DEST ISL Novel Microbial Technology - Innowatech Australian Rain Corporation Other projects AWMC - Analytical Service
$ 123,774 $ 14,791 $ 31,448 $ 167,683 $ 254,000 $ 151,000 $ 262,420 $ 120,000 $ 225,000 $ 81,593 $ 189,081
Total Income
$1,620,790
$3,632,640
EXPENDITURE FOR 2007 Expenses
2005
2006
2007
% of expenditure
$1,779,285 $ 315,782 $ 243,746 $ 18,313 $1,133,446 $ 147,671 $ 232,266
46% 8% 6% 1% 29% 4% 6%
Total
$3,870,510
100%
$2,627,712
$3,158,330
APA - Australian Postgraduate Award, APAI - Australian Postgraduate Award for Industry, ARC - Australian Research Council, CRC - Cooperative Research Centre, DEST - Department of Education Science and Training, ISL - International Science Linkage, SEQ - South East Queensland
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Academic and Research Salaries $1,223,144 $1,321,893 General Salaries $ 336,219 $ 324,194 Scholarships $ 492,430 $ 459,976 Appointment Expenses Consumables $ 379,540 $ 798,613 Equipment $ 148,304 $ 127,290 Travel $ 48,075 $ 126,364
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Current and New Research Grants
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Duration
Title
Chief Investigators & Partners
Funding Source & Project Partners
Funding amount
2004-2006 Extended to 2008
Understanding the Biotransformation Processes in a Sewer System to Achieve Optimal Management
Zhiguo Yuan Jurg Keller Thorkild HvitvedJacobsen
ARC Linkage Gold Coast Water Sydney Water University of Aalborg (Denmark)
$708,000 $786,000 from partners
2005-2007
Community-level selection: Empirical tests in a microbial system
Craig Johnson Linda Blackall
ARC Discovery University of Tasmania
$260,000
2006 - 2008
A Fundamental Understanding of Methane-Driven Denitrification
Zhiguo Yuan Paul Lant Jurg Keller
ARC Discovery
$560,000
2006-2010
Novel Concept for Wastewater Treatment Jurg Keller with Integrated Power Production based Zhiguo Yuan on Microbial Fuel Cells Willy Verstraete
ARC Discovery Ghent University, Belgium
$1,300,000
2005-2007
Biological Processes for Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) Removal
CRC for Water Quality and Treatment
$232,870
2006-2007
Optimal Biological Nutrient Removal from Zhiguo Yuan Abattoir Wastewater
Environmental Biotechnology CRC Meat and Livestock Australia
$250,000
2005-2008
An Optimally Integrated Treatment Process for Food Waste and Wastewater to Maximise Sustainability in a Decentralised Treatment Plant
Jurg Keller Bill Clarke
ARC Linkage
$544,000
2007
Acid-sulfate and excess leachate treatment
Damien Batstone
Environmental Biotechnology CRC
$88,200
2007-2009
Metagenomics and the genetic basis of ecology and evolution of communitiescomplex microbial communities in industrial processes as excellent paradigms
Linda Blackall Phil Bond Craig Johnson
ARC Discovery University of Tasmania
$325,000
2007
Western Treatment Plant Investigation of Biogas Production Issues
Damien Batstone
Melbourne Water GHD
$30,000
2007
Anaerobic Digestion of Spent Bedding from Deep Litter
Damien Batstone
Australian Pork Ltd GHD
$65,000
2007-2008
Purified Recycled Water
Jurg Keller Paul Lant
SEQ Urban Water Security Research Alliance CSIRO Griffith University
$199,024
2007-2008
Life Cycle Analysis and Integrated Modelling
Jurg Keller Paul Lant
SEQ Urban Water Security Research Alliance CSIRO Griffith University
$23,700
2007-2008
Enhanced Treatment
Jurg Keller Paul Lant
SEQ Urban Water Security Research Alliance CSIRO
$150,276
2007-2008
SEQ Urban Water Security Alliance NDMA Formation Potential
Jurg Keller Paul Lant
SEQ Urban Water Security Research Alliance
$33,750
2007-2008
Microbial Fuel cell for Treating Brewery Waste
Jurg Keller Korneel Rabaey
Environmental Protection Agency -QLD, QSEIF Program Foster’s Group
$140,000
Jurg Keller
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Current and New Research Grants
Title
Chief Investigators & Partners
Funding Source & Project Partners
Funding amount
2007-2008
Advanced Aerobic Granulation
Maite Pijuan Zhiguo Yuan Jurg Keller
Environmental Biotechnology CRC University of NSW
$290,000
2007-2009
Advanced Stability Sensor for Anaerobic Digestion
Damien Batstone
ARC Linkage Gold Coast Water Brisbane Water
$264,000
2007-2010
Novel Technology to Produce Biodegradable Polymer and Electrical Energy from Sewage Treatments Biosolids
Paul Lant Jurg Keller Damien Batstone Korneel Rabaey
DEST International Science Linkages Grants EU Project: NEPTUNE
$837,159
2007-2009
Advanced Stability Sensor for Anaerobic Digestion
Damien Batstone
ARC Linkage Gold Coast Water Brisbane Water
$264,000
2007-2010
Novel Microbial Technologies for Improved Treatment of Industrial Wastewater
Linda Blackall Jurg Keller Zhiguo Yuan Phil Bond
DEST International Science Linkages Grants EU Project: INNOWATECH
$823,633
Small Medium Scale Organic Solids Stabilisation
Damien Batstone
QLD State Government Smart State Funding Environmental Biotechnology CRC Meat and Livestock Australia
$126,000
Extracellular Electron Transfer in Bioelectrochemical Systems
Korneel Rabaey Phil Bond Kenneth Nealson Nico Boon Franz Pichler
ARC Discovery University of Southern California, USA Ghent University, Belgium
$484,829
2008-2012
Optimal Management of Corrosion and Odour Problems in Sewer Systems
Zhiguo Yuan Jurg Keller Phil Bond and others from Partner organisations
ARC Linkage Gold Coast Water Brisbane Water CH2MHill, SA Water South East Water Ltd Sydney Water Corp United Water, Water Corp UNSW, USYD UNewcastle
$4,656,803 $3,325,000 from partners
2007-2008
Meteorological Assessments of Rainfall Enhancements
Jurg Keller Hamish McGowan
National Water Commission
$360,000
Detection of Trace Concentrations of Chemical Contaminants in Urban Water Systems
Jurg Keller Korneel Rabaey Phil Bond Damien Batstone and others from Partner organisations
ARC LIEF University of Technology, Sydney University of NSW
$430,000
2007-2008
2008-2011
2008
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Duration
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Publications List Theses Lu, H. (2007) Metabolic characterisation of a highly enriched culture of candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis under various conditions. Paxman, J. (2007) Effects of various carbon sources on the performance and properties of denitrifying sludge. Lemaire, R. (2007) Development and Fundamental Investigations of Innovative Technologies for Biological Nutrient Removal from Abattoir Wastewater.
Publications Allen D. E., Dalal R. C., Rennenberg H., Meyer R. L., Reeves S., and Schmidt S. (2007) Spatial and temporal variation of nitrous oxide and methane flux between subtropical mangrove sediments and the atmosphere. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 39: 622-631 Batstone, DJ, Steyer, JP (2007) Use of Modelling to Evaluate Best Control Practice for Winery-type Wastewaters. Water Science and Technology, 56(2): 147-152 Blackburne, R., Vadivelu, V. M., Yuan, Z. and Keller, J. (2007) Determination of growth rate and yield of nitrifying bacteria by measuring carbon dioxide uptake rate. Water Environment Research, 79(12): 2437-2445. Blackburne, R., Vadivelu V. M., Yuan, Z. and Keller, J. (2007) Kinetic characterisation of an enriched Nitrospira culture with comparison to Nitrobacter. Water Research, 41 (14): 3033-3042. Boe, K. Batstone, D.K., Angelidaki, I. (2007) An innovative online VFA monitoring system for the anaerobic process, based on headspace gas chromatography. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 96 (4): 712-721 Burow, L.C., Kong, Y.H., Nielsen, J.L., Blackall, L.L. and Nielsen, P.H. (2007) Abundance and Ecophysiology of Defluviicoccus spp., Glycogen-Accumulating Organisms in Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Processes. Microbiology-SGM, 153: 178-185
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Clauwaert P, Rabaey K, Aelterman P, De Schamphelaire L, The Pham H, Boeckx P, Boon N, and Verstraete W. (2007) Biological denitrification driven by microbial fuel cells. Environmental Science and Technology 41(9):3354-3360. Clauwaert, P., van der Ha, D., Boon, N., Verbeken, K., Verhaege, M., Rabaey, K. and Verstraete, W. 2007. Open air biocathode enables effective electricity generation with Microbial fuel cells. Environmental Science and Technology. 41(21):7564-7569. Dai, Y., Yuan, Z., Jack, K., and Keller, J. (2007) Production of Targeted Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) Copolymers by Glycogen Accumulating Organisms Using Acetate as Sole Carbon Source. Journal of Biotechnology, 129 (3): 489-497.
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Publications List Dai, Y., Yuan, Z., Wang, X. and Keller, J (2007) Anaerobic Metabolism of Defluviicoccus vanus Related Glycogen Accumulating Organisms (GAOs) with Acetate and Propionate as Carbon Sources, Water Research, 41(9): 1885-1896. De Schamphelaire, L., Rabaey, K., Boeckx, P., Boon, N. and Verstraete, W. (2007) The potential of enhanced manganese redox cycling for sediment oxidation. Geomicrobiology Journal, 24(7-8):547-558. Freguia, S., Rabaey, K., Yuan, Z. and Keller, J. (2007) Non-catalyzed cathodic oxygen reduction at graphite granules in microbial fuel cells, Electrochimica ACTA 53 (2): 598-603. Freguia, S., Rabaey, K., Yuan, Z., and Keller, J. (2007) Electron and carbon balances in microbial fuel cells reveal temporary bacterial storage behaviour during electricity generation. Environmental Science and Technology, 41 (8): 2915-2921. Lemos, P., C., Dai, Y., Yuan, Z., Santos, H., Keller, J., Reis, M. A. M. (2007) Elucidation of Metabolic Pathways of Glycogen Accumulating Organisms with in vivo 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Environmental Microbiology, 9(11): 2694-2706. Lu, H., Keller, J. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Endogenous metabolism of Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis under various starvation conditions. Water Research. 41(20): 4646-4656. Oehmen, A., Lemos, P. C., Carvalho, G., Yuan, Z., Keller, J., Blackall, L. L, Reis, M. A. M. (2007) Advances in enhanced biological phosphorus removal: from micro to macro scale. Water Research, 41: 2271-2300. Pratt, S. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Quantification of the effect of CO2 transfer on titrimetric techniques used for the study of biological wastewater treatment processes. Water SA. 33(1): 117-121. Rabaey, K., Rodriguez, J., Blackall, L.L., Keller, J. Gross, P. Batstone, D., Verstraete. W. and Nealson, K.H. (2007). Microbial ecology meets electrochemistry: electricity-driven and driving communities. ISME Journal 1(1): 9-18. Vadivelu, V., M., Keller, J. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Free Ammonia and Free Nitrous Acid Inhibition on the Anabolic and Catabolic Processes of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. Water Science and Technology. 56(7):89-97.
Yilmaz, G., Lemaire, R., Keller, J. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Effectiveness of an Alternating Aerobic, Anoxic/Anaerobic Strategy for Maintaining Biomass Activity of BNR Sludge during Long-term Starvation. Water Research, 41(12): 2590-2598. Zhou, Y., Pijuan, M. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Free Nitrous Acid Inhibition on Anoxic Phosphorus Uptake and Denitrification by Poly-phosphate Accumulating organisms. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 98(4): 903-912.
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Vadivelu, V. M., Keller, J. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Effect of free ammonia on the respiration and growth processes of an enriched Nitrobacter culture. Water Research 41(4): 826-834.
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Publications List Conferences Batstone, DJ., Balthes, C., and Barr, K. (2007) Model Assisted Startup of Anaerobic Digesters Fed with Thermally Hydrolysed Activated Sludge. 11th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion, 23-27 September 2007, Brisbane, Australia. Keynote presentation.
Blackall, L.L. and Burow, L.C. (2007). Exploitation of the genome sequence of Accumulibacter phosphatis (a Key Polyphosphate Accumulating Organism - PAO) obtained from a metagenomic study for functional studies in wastewater treatment. International Meeting of the Federation of Korean Microbiological Societies, 2-8 June, 2007, Seoul, Korea. Burow, L.C., Bond, P.L., McEwan, A.G., Mabbett, A.N. and Blackall, L.L. (2007). Biological Models for Acetate and Phosphate Transport in Bacteria Important in Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal. Annual Scientific meeting of the Australian Society for Microbiology, 9 - 13 July, 2007, Adelaide, Australia. Butzer S, Rabaey K, Freguia S, Chumpia A and Keller, J (2007). Design and construction of a pilot scale microbial fuel cell running on brewery wastewater. 11th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion, 23-27 September 2007, Brisbane, Australia. De Hass, D., Sharma, K. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Application of a new model for predicting hydrogen sulfide formation in sewer systems. Australian Water Association OzWater 2007 Convention and Exhibition, March 4-8, 2007, Sydney, Australia. Dutta, P. K., Rabaey, K., Yuan, Z. and Keller, J. (2007) Removal and Fate of Sulfide in an Electrochemical Fuel Cell. 11th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion, 23-27 September 2007, Brisbane, Australia.
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Foley J., Batstone, DJ, and Keller, J. (2007) The Challenges of Water Recycling – Technical and Environmental Horizons. Reuse 2007, 3rd Australian Water Association Water Reuse and Recycling Conference, July 16-18, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia Freguia, S., Rabaey, K., Yuan, Z. and Keller J (2007) Fermentation and electricity generation at microbial fuel cell anodes. 11th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion, 23-27 September 2007, Brisbane, Australia.
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Publications List Lemos, P. C., Dai, Y., Yuan, Z., Santos, H., Keller, J., Reis, M. A. M. (2007) Elucidation of Metabolic Pathways of Glycogen Accumulating Organisms with in vivo 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. 4th International Water Association Leading-Edge Conference & Exhibition on Water and Wastewater Technologies, 3-6 June 2007, Singapore. Mohanakrishnan, J., Sharma, K., R., Meyer, R. L., Keller, J. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Variation in biofilm structure and activity along a rising sewer main. International Water Association Conference on Sewer Processes and Networks, 28-31 August 2007, Delft, The Netherlands. Oehmen, A., Zeng, R. J., Keller, J. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Model for the Aerobic Metabolisms of Polyphosphate Accumulating Organisms with a Propionate Carbon Source. Nutrient Removal 2007: The State of the Art, March 4 - 7, 2007, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Pijuan, M. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Inhibition of Free Nitrous Acid on Aerobic P-uptake by Poly-phosphate Accumulating Organisms. 2nd International Water Association Asia-pacific regional group conference & exhibition, 28 October - 1 November 2007, Perth, Australia. Rabaey, K. and Keller, J. (2007). From microbial fuel cells to Bio-Electrochemical Systems. 11th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion, September 23-27, Brisbane, Australia. Plenary lecture Rabaey, K. (2007). Electricity driving and driven communities: From extracellular electron transfer to engineering. Gordon Conference on Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 16-20, Mount Holyoke, MA, USA. Invited presentation Rabaey, K., Virdis, B., Clauwaert, P. and Keller, J. (2007). Nitrogen removal in Microbial Fuel Cells. 4th International Water Association Leading-Edge Conference & Exhibition on Water and Wastewater Technologies, 3-6 June 2007, Singapore. Rabaey, K. (2007). Electricity driving and driven communities: en route towards a New environmental biotechnology? Transformational biology workshop, June 18-20, Canberra, Australia. Invited talk
Rabaey, K. (2007). Microbial fuel cells: from energy efficient wastewater treatment to sustainable energy generation (and beyond). Universite de Laval, Geau, March 29th 2007, Quebec City, Canada. Invited talk
2007 AWMC Annual Report
Rabaey, K., Rodriguez, J., Clauwaert, P., Virdis, B., The Pham, H., Aelterman, P., Freguia, S., Blackall, L.L., Verstraete, W. and Keller, J. (2007). Communities driving electricity support communities thriving on electricity. The Amercian Society for Microbiology Biofilm conference, March 23rd – 28th 2007, Quebec City, Canada. Invited talk
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Publications List Rabaey, K., Virdis, B., Clauwaert, P., Kumar Dutta, P. and Keller, J. Microbial fuel cells: from energy generation to nutrient removal. Australian Water Association OzWater 2007 Convention and Exhibition, March 4-8, 2007, Sydney, Australia. RodrĂguez, J., Batstone, D. J., Yuan, Z. and Rabaey, K. (2007) A comprehensive model to investigate microbial fuel cells. 11th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion, 23-27 September 2007, Brisbane, Australia. Sutherland-Stacey, L., Corrie, S., Neethling, Al., Johnson, I., Gutierrez, O., Dexter, R., Yuan, Z., Keller, J. and Hamilton, G. (2007) In-situ Continuous Monitoring of Sulfide in Sewer Systems. 2nd International Water Association Conference on Automation in Water Quality Monitoring (AutMoNet), 5 -7 September 2007. Gent, Belgium 2007, oral presentation. Sutherland-Stacey, L., Corrie, S., Neethling, Al., Johnson, I., Gutierrez, O., Dexter, R., Yuan, Z., Keller, J. and Hamilton, G. (2007) In Situ Continuous Monitoring of Dissolved Sulphide in Sewer Systems. Australian Water Association OzWater 2007 Convention and Exhibition, March 4-8, 2007, Sydney, Australia. Tamis, J., Tait, S. and Batstone, D.J. (2007) “Evaluation of the methanogenic activity on different substrates. 11th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion, 23-27 September 2007, Brisbane, Australia. Vadivelu, V., M., Keller, J. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Free Ammonia and Free Nitrous Acid Inhibition on the Anabolic and Catabolic Processes of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. 4th International Water Association Leading-Edge Conference & Exhibition on Water and Wastewater Technologies, 3-6 June 2007, Singapore. Virdis B, Rabaey K and Keller J (2007). Simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal in a microbial fuel cell-based system. 11th World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion, 23-27 September 2007, Brisbane, Australia. Yilmaz, G., Lemaire, R., Keller, J. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Biological Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal using Granular Sludge from Anaerobically Pre-treated Abattoir Wastewater. Australian Water Association OzWater 2007 Convention and Exhibition, March 4-8, 2007, Sydney, Australia. Zhou, Y., Pijuan, M. and Yuan, Z. (2007) Development of a 2-Sludge, 3-Stage System for Nitrogen and Phosphorous Removal from High-strength Wastewater Using Granular Sludge and Biofilms. Nutrient Removal 2007: The State of the Art, March 4 - 7, 2007, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
2007 AWMC Annual Report
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Notes
2007 AWMC Annual Report
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Advanced Water Management Centre Level 4 Gehrmann Laboratories, Building 60 Research Road, St. Lucia Campus The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia Telephone: +61 7 3365 4730 Facsimile: +61 7 3365 4726 Website: www.awmc.uq.edu.au Email: awmc@awmc.uq.edu.au
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