Achieving sustainable urban greening through the integration of anaerobic membrane bioreactor and nature-based biofiltration landscaping gardens.
Project Details
Program
Environmental Science and Engineering
Field of Study
Environmental science and engineering
Division
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Faculty Lab Link
Center Affiliation
Water Desalination and Reuse Center
Project Description
The anaerobic membrane bioreactor is able to clean municipal wastewater at potentially lower energy costs than the conventional aerobic treatment processes 6. Anaerobic microorganisms within the membrane bioreactor do not remove ammonia and phosphate, hence resulting in a final effluent quality that can serve as liquid fertilizers for the landscaping plants and trees. Nature-based biofiltration system is a sand filtration unit that will consist of specifically layered filter media with saturated zone at the bottom, and planted with local plants and trees that are effective in pollutant and nutrient removal. Additional physical removal of contaminants is further achieved as the water flow through the filter media. Clean treated wastewater is collected at the drainage layer and can be reused for other purposes.
By integrating the anaerobic membrane bioreactor-based wastewater treatment plant with the nature-based biofiltration landscaping feature, we can achieve the following:
- Near zero-energy cost in treating municipal wastewater
- Landscaping features with minimal water loss
- Recovery of clean water that can be reused for other purposes
About the Researcher
Peiying Hong
Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering
Affiliations
Education Profile
- Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2012
- Ph.D., National University of Singapore, 2009
- B.Eng., National University of Singapore, 2004
Research Interests
Professor Honga's research interests include molecular microbiology and microbial aspects in water and wastewater ecosystems. Her research aims to understand the roles and interactions of microorganisms in these ecosystems, and to utilize the insights to solve issues related to water quality and water reuse. Professor Honga's research also looks at the biotic contaminants (e.g. antibiotic resistance genes, mobile genetic elements, pathogens) that are present in the natural and engineered environments.Selected Publications
- Hong, P.-Y., X. Li, X. Yang, T. Shinkai, Y., Zhang, X. Wang, and R.I. Mackie (2012) Monitoring airborne biotic contaminants in the indoor environment of pig and poultry confinement buildings. Environmental Microbiology 14: 1420-31
- Hong, P.-Y., C. Hwang, F. Ling, G.L. Andersen, M.W. LeChevallier, W.-T. Liu (2010) Pyrosequencing analysis of bacterial biofilm communities in water meters of a drinking water system. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 76: 5631-5635
- Hong, P.-Y., J.-H. Wu, and W.-T. Liu (2009) A high-throughput and quantitative hierarchical oligonucleotide primer extension (HOPE)-based approach to identify sources of fecal contamination in water bodies. Environmental Microbiology 11: 1672-1681
- Hong, P.-Y., J.-H. Wu, and W.-T. Liu (2008) Relative abundance of Bacteroides spp. in stools and wastewaters as determined by hierarchical oligonucleotide primer extension. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 74: 2882-2892
- Pang, C.M., P.-Y. Hong, H.-L. Guo, and W.-T. Liu (2005) Biofilm formation characteristics of bacterial isolates retrieved from a reverse osmosis membrane. Environmental Science and Technology 39: 7541-7550
Desired Project Deliverables
- Operate a high-throughput column experiments to determine how different variables (SandX, biochar, type of wastewater, plants, emerging contaminants) can affect the nature-based biofiltration columns
- Monitor water quality
- Monitor microorganisms
Recommended Student Background
Biotechnology
Environmental Engineering
Microbiology
Molecular biology