Active Materials & Manufacturing Chemistry

A simple approach to tailoring biofilms for effective removal of micropollutants during wastewater treatment

Funder EPSRC (part of UKRI)
Recipient organisation University of Sheffield
Funding Not disclosed
Period Sept 2025 — Sept 2029

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Tiny plastic beads, drug residues, and industrial chemicals slip through standard wastewater treatment and end up in rivers and groundwater. This project tests whether changing the surface properties of the plastic carriers inside treatment filters can make the microbial biofilms growing on them better at breaking down those micropollutants. Current trickling filters—tanks filled with carrier material where bacteria form biofilms and digest waste—remove many pollutants, but not the most stubborn synthetic ones. The researchers will create carriers with different chemical surfaces, then measure how each surface affects which microbes colonise it and how fast those microbes degrade specific micropollutants. They will run lab experiments alongside tests at the sponsor’s full-scale treatment plants, sampling across seasons to capture real-world variability. If the approach works, wastewater treatment plants could upgrade their filters simply by swapping in better carrier materials—no new infrastructure required. That would reduce the load of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals entering waterways, with direct benefits for drinking water quality and aquatic ecosystems. The project is applied, not fundamental science: it aims to produce a practical, sponsor-ready solution for an immediate engineering problem.

View original technical description
The proposed project seeks to undertake a systematic investigation into the impact of carrier material surface properties on the microbial community composition in the biofilms and the associated process outcomes. The study will particularly assess feasibility of improving biodegradation of synthetic micropollutants relevant to the business needs of the project sponsor. Carrier materials of varying chemical properties will be generated at the University of Sheffield. A design of experiments approach will be taken to assess the impact of the carrier material selection and pertinent process variables (e.g. temperature, flow rate) on: 1. microbial community composition and function using state-of-the-art molecular methods such as next-generation sequencing and metaproteomics, respectively. 2. Degradation rates of synthetic micropollutants. The concentration of selected chemicals will be monitored via chromatography methods. The project will employ a hybrid approach i.e. laboratory studies at the University of Sheffield and the innovation labs of the project sponsor, and studies within the sponsor's wastewater treatment facilities. Seasonal sampling will be undertaken to obtain a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of established trickling filters at the sponsor sites. This will be used as a benchmark when assessing the impact of carrier material selection on biodegradation rates of the selected micropollutants.

View the original record at the funder ↗

Researchers

Samuel Garnham (Student)

Related Research

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Understanding Microbial Metabolism of Pharmaceuticals to Facilitate Design for Degradation in Medicinal Chemistry
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Original classification

Studentship

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