This research improves biofuel production from sewage sludge by enhancing cellulose degradation. By isolating and reintroducing naturally occurring bacteria and fungi, sludge treatment efficiency and methane yield increase. The approach reduces waste, supports renewable energy generation, and contributes to replacing fossil fuels with sustainable alternatives.

Lead contamination in drinking water threatens millions. This research combines physics-based pipe models with machine learning to identify lead pipes using vibration data. Generating thousands of simulated signals enabled a classifier with 99% accuracy, offering a noninvasive, cost-effective method to locate hidden lead pipes and support safer water infrastructure worldwide.

This research presents a simple, low-energy method to remove and destroy PFAS “forever chemicals” from water. By chemically transforming PFAS to behave less like soap, over 98% can be separated and fully degraded, offering a scalable and environmentally friendly solution to widespread drinking water contamination.

This research develops a membrane-based wastewater treatment system that selectively supports nitrogen-removing bacteria without energy-intensive aeration or added organic matter. By enabling efficient biological nitrogen removal, the approach reduces greenhouse gas emissions, lowers costs, and makes advanced wastewater treatment more accessible—protecting aquatic ecosystems and water quality.

Bacteria can cause major industrial failures through metal corrosion, but most bacteria are harmless or beneficial. This research engineers protective bacterial strains to prevent corrosion by sealing cracks, forming biofilms, and outcompeting harmful microbes—transforming bacteria into a sustainable defense for metal infrastructure like pipelines, bridges, and buildings.

PFAS “forever chemicals” contaminate water, food, and air and accumulate in the body, causing serious health risks. This research develops a light-activated porous material that traps and breaks down PFAS molecules. Tested in real-world water and now being scaled up, the method aims to provide a practical, permanent solution for removing PFAS and protecting safe drinking water.

Athabasca tailings ponds contain over 1.2 trillion litres of toxic wastewater that grows daily. Conventional drying is slow and inefficient, so this research team developed a solar-heated cotton-layer device that accelerates evaporation by 400%. Their goal is to reclaim the contaminated land by rapidly reducing tailings volume.

This research explores chemical recycling, a process that breaks mixed plastic waste into molecular components and converts them back into high-quality plastic. The method reduces energy use and emissions, enabling a circular plastic economy. The goal is a sustainable, economically viable system that shifts responsibility across communities rather than individuals.

Athabasca tailings wastewater spans over 1.2 trillion litres, growing daily and damaging ecosystems. Current evaporation methods are slow and costly. This research introduces a simple, low-cost device using cotton towels and solar-heated thin-layer evaporation, increasing evaporation by 400%. The approach could help reclaim contaminated land and restore natural habitats.

This research reinvents wastewater treatment by adapting circulating fluidized bed reactors—normally used in petrochemicals—to grow bacteria on small surfaces and efficiently remove waste. Mobile, trailer-mounted reactors provide high-performance treatment without large facilities, making them ideal for dense cities, remote communities, and overburdened systems.