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.

This research tackles the environmental impact of plastic waste by improving the recyclability of coated paper products such as paper cups. By comparing global recycling methods and equipment, the study identifies factors affecting fibre recovery and develops a reliable lab-based protocol to evaluate coated paper recyclability, supporting greener packaging solutions.

This research develops a low-cost water-monitoring system using nanofabricated diffraction surfaces and image analysis. As water flows over a “rainbow film,” distinct optical patterns reveal chemical or biological contaminants. The system has already detected dyes, algae, and particulates, offering a rapid, affordable tool for identifying pollution in water pipelines.

My research develops green membrane technologies to extract and recycle lithium sustainably. By selectively filtering lithium ions from complex mixtures without heavy chemical or energy inputs, these membranes offer an alternative to current waste-intensive methods. The goal is to make the lithium supply chain as clean and sustainable as the renewable future it supports.