Research Projects

Clean, safe water is essential for all life, but it is a finite resource facing scarcity due to growing populations. Recycled water is used for industrial, irrigation, and domestic purposes, but current technologies often fail to remove all endocrine disruptor compounds from source waters. Physical entrapment is an effective method, but it has limitations in removing maximum concentrations. Conventional wastewater treatment strategies are expensive and produce secondary pollutants. Microbial extracellular polymeric substances can be used to trap minor concentrations of endocrine disruptors in treated water. These substances can be tailored to chelate contaminants and be reused for cost-effective water recycling. The efficacy of these treatments is checked through LCMS analysis, and treated EPS can be reused for future treatment or used as biofertilizers.