Research Projects

Water scarcity and poor water quality are critical issues in developing countries due to rapid industrialization and population growth. Conventional wastewater treatment methods are costly, energy-intensive, and generate GHG emissions. Treatment wetlands (TWs) are natural treatment technologies that efficiently treat various types of polluted water. TWs have low operation and maintenance requirements and are less susceptible to input variations. They can effectively treat raw, primary, secondary, or tertiary treated sewage and various types of agricultural and industrial wastewater. VF wetlands are effective in removing solids, organic pollutants, and ammonium. Microalgae, commonly cultivated in photobioreactors (PBRs), have been studied for their potential in removing micropollutants. A combined Wetland-PBR-MFC treatment system should be developed and tested to enhance treatment efficiencies of VF wetlands and micropollutant removal. Numerical modeling should be used to optimize the coupling of technologies and treatment performance.