A project by a University of Queensland graduate has been recognised as one of the best environmental science and engineering PhD studies in the world.
Dr Adrian Oehmen`s discovery of operational factors that can improve phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment systems has provided the wastewater industry with strategies that could potentially improve the performance and reduce the costs of full-scale wastewater treatment plants.
He will receive the 2004 CH2M-Hill PhD Thesis Award from the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) at a ceremony in Washington DC on October 31.
It is the first time in the award`s 17-year history that a student from a non-US university has won the award.
“A high level of phosphorus in rivers and other waterways stimulates the growth of toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae),” Dr Oehmen said.
“These cyanobacteria can have harmful effects on plant and animal communities in waterways, which is why phosphorus must be removed from wastewater.”
Dr Oehmen`s thesis centred on understanding the metabolisms of the microorganisms responsible for removing phosphorus from wastewater in treatment plants and their competition with other organisms.
“My work revealed potential ways to eliminate the unwanted bacteria, leading to improvements in the performance and reliability of phosphorus removal treatment systems,” he said.
Dr Oehmen, who was based at UQ`s Advanced Wastewater Management Centre (AWMC), will receive a cheque for US $1000 for his thesis entitled The Competition between Polyphosphate Accumulating Organisms and Glycogen Accumulating Organisms in the Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal Process.
His PhD supervisors Associate Professor Zhiguo Yuan and Professor Jurg Keller will also be recognised at the ceremony for their role in Dr Oehmen`s study.
Dr Yuan said Dr Oehmen`s research had made a substantial contribution to the body of knowledge on biological phosphorus removal systems.
“His findings will likely have a significant impact on the operation of many full-scale wastewater treatment plants worldwide,” Dr Yuan said.
“Winning this prestigious award is an outstanding achievement by Adrian. It is also yet another recognition of the high-quality environmental biotechnology research at UQ.”
Dr Oehmen, who graduated from UQ earlier this year, received an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship and a UQ International Postgraduate Research Scholarship. His research was sponsored by the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Waste Management and Pollution Control through Environmental Biotechnology CRC.
“My work would not have been possible without the expertise of my supervisors, my colleagues at the AWMC, the high-level research facilities at UQ and the financial support from the CRC and the University,” he said.
Dr Oehmen is currently working on a project at the New University of Lisbon in Portugal, examining ways of removing mercury from drinking water systems.
“Due to the highly toxic and harmful nature of mercury to people and the environment, there is an increasing need to remove mercury to extremely low levels worldwide,” he said.
Media: for more information, contact Dr Adrian Oehmen (email adriano@dq.fct.unl.pt) or Associate Professor Zhiguo Yuan (telephone 07 3365 4374, email zhiguo@awmc.uq.edu.au ) or Chris Saxby at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2479, email c.saxby@uq.edu.au).
