Research Thesis Topic
Novel Forward Osmosis Concentration Technology for Anaerobic Sewage Treatment
We propose to develop a novel forward osmosis (FO) concentration technology to enable effective anaerobic treatment of sewage. Anaerobic biological processes have many advantages including energy recovery through methane production and low sludge production. While they have been widely used to treat medium to high strength wastewaters, their applications for raw sewage treatment have been limited due to the dilute nature (400 mg COD/L). The successful implementation of anaerobic treatment of dilute wastewater calls for an effective and energy-efficient wastewater concentration technology. This can be achieved by incorporating an FO pre-concentration process before anaerobic treatment. In the proposed FO process, seawater or brine will be used as a draw solution to concentrate raw sewage by a factor of 10 times or greater (4,000 mg COD/L) at nearly zero energy input. The pre-concentrated sewage will then be treated anaerobically for significant energy recovery.
- School of Engineering and Built Environment
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Biotechnology
- Environmental Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy (DPHD)
- Doctor of Philosophy (DPHD)
- Doctor of Philosophy (DPHD)
Please review the admission requirements for the academic program associated with this Thesis Topic
Essential requirements include:
- Master degree in chemical/environmental engineering or microbiology
- publication track record will be considered favourably
- strong motivation and a commitment to work hard