91Ö±²¥

Management team

• Robert Sweeney (Knowledge Transfer Coordinator), Contaminated Land: Applications in Real Environments Ltd (CL:AIRE), UK
• Serge Brouyère (Training Coordinator), Université de Liège, Belgium
• Kay Knoeller, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany
• Mario Schirmer (Scientific Coordinator), EAWAG, Switzerland
• Grzegorz Malina, AGH University of Science and Technology, Poland
• Ingeborg Joris, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Belgium
• Tomasz Kasela, Hydrogeotechnika Ltd, Poland
• Daniel Hunkeler, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland 

Research fellows

Alice Badin

Research Topics

Assessing the fate and behavior of chlorinated ethenes in groundwater using carbon-chlorine isotope analysis.

Work package

Enhancing bioremediation processes.

Biography

Alice attended the National Graduate School of Engineering Chemistry of Lille and graduated as an engineer in Chemistry and Environment, equivalent to a master degree, in September 2010. During her education, she worked on the effect of polychaetes on the re-establishment of a marine eelgrass at the Institute of Biology at the University of Odense, Denmark. Her master project, completed in collaboration with the University of Stavanger, Norway, focused on the skin irritation potential and bioavailability of 5 amino-acid based surfactants. After graduating, she worked at the French cosmetics company l'Oréal for one year as a project engineer in a research collaboration between France and Japan.

Research

Due to extensive industrial activities between 1940 and 1970, pollution with chlorinated hydrocarbons occurred at a large number of sites in Switzerland, causing significant groundwater contamination. Monitoring of contaminants as well as further remediation is therefore needed. The Federal Office for the Environment launched the ChloroNet Project in 2007, aimed at tackling this issue.

This research will support the ChloroNet Project through the investigation of chlorinated solvent behaviour in groundwater. More specifically, the behaviour of contaminant plume in aquifers as well as their natural attenuation will be investigated. Specific emphasis will be given to the development of compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) to evaluate the origin and fate of chlorinated hydrocarbons at contaminated sites. The results are expected to lead to a better understanding of contaminated sites and thus to an improvement in the design and implementation of remediation.

Supervisory team

• Professor Dr Daniel Hunkeler (University of Neuchatel, Centre for Hydrogeology and Geothermics)
• Christiane Wermeille (Federal Office of the Environment of Switzerland)
• Professor Dr Mario Schrimer (Eawag, Dept of Water Resources and Drinking Water)

Alistair Beames

Research Topics

Assessing sustainable approaches to contaminated land remediation.

Work package

Socio-economic and sustainability aspects of in situ remediation.

Biography

My MSc in Environment and Resource Management at the Vrije University, Amsterdam, specialized in Environmental Studies. The theoretical component of the degree focused on environmental economics, environmental valuation and environmental policy. The practical component of the degree involved the application of policy and decision support systems in developing solutions to environmental problems. My master’s thesis research topic involved applying the REC decision support framework to possible remediation strategies for a particular case study of a site contaminated with inert compounds. These compounds were spilled in solvent form and had formed DNAPL source zones in highly impermeable soil layers. The ADVOCATE project is therefore a natural progression in this research area. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Cape Town and then relocated to Amsterdam where I worked for two large information technology based firms.

Research

The two subjects that I am most passionate about are contaminated land remediation and sustainable land management. The ADVOCATE project and my particular work package, provide for the perfect opportunity to merge these two interests in developing a framework that can facilitate transparent and socially equitable decision making in land restoration. I am currently evaluating sustainability assessment practices in soil and groundwater remediation and I hope to add to the existing knowledge base by developing a sustainability assessment framework that can account for different degrees of contaminant load removal, according to specific land re-use requirements.

Beyond the obvious financial implications of land restoration, there are also costs borne by society, which are not immediately reflected in financial terms. These costs are due to the natural resources consumed in the process of remediation. These depleted resources are therefore no longer available to society. This raises some interesting questions as to how these costs can be accounted for. A sustainability assessment would allow these environmental costs to be measured against the net benefits of various remediation options.

The objective of this work package is to enrich the technical knowledge generated through the other work packages in the ADVOCATE project, by broadening the overall scope of the project to include the socio-economic implications of in situ remediation. Developing a decision framework that includes primary and secondary environmental impacts, as decision criteria, would allow stakeholders of contaminated sites to make more informed decisions as to the most appropriate courses of remedial action.

Supervisory team

• Professor Dr Ir. Piet Seuntjens (VITO, Environmental Modelling Unit, and University of Ghent, Dept of Soil Management)
• Steven Broekx (VITO, Environmental Modelling Unit)

Lukasz Cieslak

Research topics

Microbial dynamics and biodegradation at the bioreactive fringe of contaminant plumes in groundwater.

Work package

Performance assessment of natural attenuation at field-scale.

Biography

Lukasz graduated with an MSc Eng. in Biotechnology from the Technical University of Lodz (Poland). During his studies he completed IAESTE internships in organic chemistry at the University of St Andrews (Scotland) and to the Manipal Institute of Technology (India). He then went on to obtain an MSc in Technical Microbiology and subsequently undertook studies on microbially influenced corrosion risk assessment at the University of Oklahoma (USA) and University of Portsmouth (UK).

Lukasz is a member of the following scientific societies:

• The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) since 2012 
• The International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) since 2013 
• The Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM) since 2013

Research

The research explores interactions between microorganisms in aquifers which use a range of dissolved and mineral-based oxidants to biodegrade organic contaminants via oxidation-reduction (redox) processes. This creates a sequence of redox zones in contaminated groundwater, which represent different terminal electron accepting processes (TEAP), such as aerobic respiration, denitrification, sulphate-reduction, manganese/iron-reduction and methanogenesis. These redox zones provide an ecological niche for different microorganisms within the in situ microbial community, which creates significant spatial variation in contaminant biodegradation potential in plumes. Most biodegradation in contaminant plumes occurs in a narrow zone at the interface with uncontaminated groundwater, termed the bioreactive fringe.
This research will explore the environmental and microbiological controls on biodegradation potential at the bioreactive fringe of contaminant plumes, focusing on the dynamics of microbiological community development, structure and metabolic function. It will establish the factors that lead to microbial succession and diversity in the microorganisms at the fringe of plumes, considering environmental pressures (e.g. organic contaminant type, concentration and oxidant availability) and the molecular controls on this behaviour.

Supervisory team

• Dr. Steven Thornton (University of 91Ö±²¥, Groundwater Protection and Restoration Group)
• Dr. Wei Huang (University of 91Ö±²¥, Cell-Mineral Research Centre)
• Dr. Stephen Rolfe (University of 91Ö±²¥, Dept of Animal and Plant Sciences)

Publications

Thornton SF, Baker KM, Bottrell SH, Rolfe SA, McNamee P, Forrest F, Duffield P, Wilson RD, Fairburn AW and Cieslak LA (2014) Enhancement of in situ biodegradation of organic compounds in groundwater by targeted pump and treat intervention. Applied Geochemistry 48, 28-40. 

Natalia Fernández de Vera

Research topics

Integrated approach for contaminant fluxes assessment in the heterogeneous soil-groundwater continuum using geophysical, tracer and passive sampling techniques.

Work package

Linking soil and vadose zone processes to in situ remediation of groundwater.

Previous education

• 2007 Geology Licenciate degree, University of Oviedo, Spain
• 2006 Erasmus Programme, University of Liverpool, UK

Professional experience

• 2009-2011 Fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science within the Operational Support Group at the International Continental Scientific Drilling Programme in Potsdam, Germany
• 2007-2008 Geologist in the Groundwater Section of the Geological Survey of Ireland
• 2007 Student trainee in the Leonardo Da Vinci Programme at the British Geological Survey, UK, working on projects related to contaminant hydrogeology, karst geohazards and geophysics

Research

The research will explore the links between soil and vadose zone processes for in situ remediation of groundwater. Risk analysis and mitigation programmes for polluted soil and groundwater are based on a conceptual and quantitative understanding of pollutant fate and transport in the soil- groundwater continuum and on the characterization of pollutants at the site-scale. Quantitative modelling is affected significantly by spatial and temporal variability in the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil and aquifers and the variety of reactive processes therein. It is therefore important to design and validate approaches which allow the fate and transport of pollutants to be assessed, considering the overlapping effects of these controls, in the whole soil – subsoil –groundwater continuum.

This aim is to develop, optimise and validate an efficient and robust procedure to assess pollutant transport from the pollution site to the groundwater body. Pollutant fluxes will be characterized, based on an upgradient–downgradient mass-balance approach, across representative control planes located in soil and in groundwater. The project focuses on the design of control planes for soil and groundwater assessment and will integrate passive samplers, reactive tracers and geophysical techniques to obtain appropriate estimates of the flow field and attenuation processes at the scale of the pollution site. Geophysical, sampling and field tracer techniques will be combined with space-time modelling of pollutant transport (stochastic and deterministic), calibrated with both the direct (sampling) and indirect (geophysics) data to verify understanding of the system and validate the approach.

Supervisory team

• Dr Serge Brouyère (Université de Liège, Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology)
• Dr Marnik Vanclooster (Université Catholique de Louvain)
• Professor Alain Dassargues (Université de Liège, Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology)
• Dr Frédéric Nguyen (Université de Liège, Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology)

Behnam Doulatyari

Research Topics

Stochastic modelling of water quantity and management at the catchment scale

Work package

Developing in situ treatment strategies for mixed contaminants

Education
2009 MSc, Applied Environmental Geosciences, Tübingen University, Germany
2009 Master thesis project, Effects of Ethanol on Gasoline Released in the Unsaturated Zone, University of Waterloo, Canada
2007 BSc, Applied Mathematics from York University, Toronto, Canada
Professional experience
2010-2011 Groundwater Scientist, Worleyparsons Infrastructure and Environment, Edmonton, Canada.
Current Research
My research is focused on catchment scale water distribution and management as well as studying how streamflow regimes control various morphological and ecohydrological processes in a riverine system, in particular, riparian vegetation dynamics.

Supervisory team

• Professor Dr habil. Mario Schirmer (Eawag, Dept of Water Resources and Drinking Water and University of Neuchâtel, Centre for Hydrogeology)
• Professor Dr Daniel Hunkeler (Centre for Hydrogeology, University of Nechâtel)
• Gianluca Botter (Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy)

Publications and research outputs

• Behnam Doulatyari, Stefano Basso, Mario Schirmer, Gianluca Botter (2014). River flow regimes and vegetation dynamics along a river transect. Journal of Advances in Water Resources, 73, Pages 30–43.
• Freitas, J.G. , B. Doulatyari, J.W. Molson, J.F. Barker (2011), Oxygenated gasoline release in the unsaturated zone, Part 2: Downgradient transport of ethanol and hydrocarbons, J. Contaminant Hydrology, 125, 70-85, doi: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2011.05.002

Johana Grajales

Research topic

In situ remediation of contaminated sites using permeable reactive multi barriers (PRmB) systems

Work package

In situ remediation of contaminated sites

Previous education

• 2011 MSc in Hydro Sciences and Engineering, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany Master Thesis: Statistical Evaluation of 2D analytical models for predicting Plume length at Contaminated sites. Dresden University of technology and Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ
• 2005 BSc in Environmental Sciences, Technological University of Pereira (UTP), Colombia

Professional experience

• 2005-2009 Undergraduate research assistant in the water and sanitation research group (GIAS), Technological University of Pereira (UTP), Colombia
• 2010-2011 Project co-operation, providing support for natural attenuation assessments at hydrocarbon contaminated sites, Saxon State Agency of Environment, Agriculture and Geology, LFULG, Dresden-Germany

Research

The research will use laboratory, field and modelling studies to identify the most effective strategy for in situ sustainable remediation of groundwater contaminated with mixed organic/inorganic compounds using permeable reactive multi-barrier (PRmB) systems. This analysis will focus on finding the most effective active materials for the design of a sequenced PRmB at the waterworks of Nowa Dęba (South-East Poland). The results will be interpreted at the pilot on-site installation and modelling tools will be used to validate conceptual models of contaminant migration and the performance of the PRmB system.

Awards

• 2005 - University academic award : Outstanding Student, University of Technology Pereira, Colombia
• 2009 - DAAD Fellowship, TU Dresden, Germany

Supervisory team

• Professor DR hab. inz. Grzegorz Malina, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology
• Dr inz. Tadeusz Szklarczyk, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology

Petra Hedbavna

Research Topic

Development of microbial fuel cells for enhanced in situ bioremediation of soil and groundwater

Work package

Enhancing bioremediation processes

Biography

Petra completed an MSc at the Department of Fermentation Chemistry and Bioengineering at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague, Czech Republic. She was twice the winner of the Student Science Conference at this department. Her diploma thesis focused on the effect of different surfactants on bioremediation and biofilm formation of Rhodococcus erythropolis.

Research

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are considered to be one of the future alternative sources of energy, created by the activity of in situ microorganisms. With the help of microorganisms chemical energy from the metabolism of organic compounds is directly transferred to the generation of an electrical current. MFCs can also enhance in situ bioremediation of contaminated sites by providing a suitable electron acceptor to microorganisms for biodegradation of organic compounds. In principle, the electrical current generated can be coupled with the enhanced supply of electron acceptors to sustain biodegradation. However, only a few pilot scale MFC applications have been established and the fundamental science supporting the use of this concept is currently underdeveloped.

The aim is to develop the scientific basis underpinning the development of MFCs for in situ bioremediation of contaminated soil and groundwater. This will involve research into the fundamental processes which control the operation, performance and design of MFCs, using lab-scale experiments of model and natural systems. It will deduce the critical factors that affect the efficiency of MFCs for biodegradation of representative organic contaminants over a range of conditions and develop design criteria for pilot-scale tests.

Supervisory team

• Dr Wei Huang (University of 91Ö±²¥, Cell-Mineral Research Centre)
• Dr Steven Thornton (University of 91Ö±²¥, Groundwater Protection and Restoration Group)

Franklin Obiri-Nyarko

Research topic

In situ sustainable remediation of groundwater contaminated with mixed organic/inorganic compounds using permeable reactive multi-barrier (PRmB) systems.

Work package

Developing in situ treatment strategies for mixed contaminants using sequenced reactive biobarriers

Biography

Franklin holds a BSc in Agriculture (Soil Science major) from the University of Ghana and an MSc in Geosciences (Environmental Geology and Geohazards) from the University of Oslo. Prior to his graduate studies, he worked as a teaching and research assistant at the Department of Soil Science, University of Ghana where he assisted academic staff in their duties. His main research interest is in soil and groundwater remediation.

Research

The research will use laboratory, field and modelling studies to identify the most effective strategy for in situ sustainable remediation of groundwater contaminated with mixed organic/inorganic compounds using permeable reactive multi-barrier (PRmB) systems. This analysis will focus on the most effective active materials and hydraulic performance of a PRmB installed at a field test site in Tomaszów Mazowiecki (central Poland) and additional field sites, in close cooperation with other project partners from Poland (AGH), Germany (UFZ) and Switzerland (Eawag). The results will be interpreted at the pilot on-site installation, and modelling tools will be used to validate conceptual models of contaminant migration and the performance of the PRmB system.

Awards

• 2006: Academic Excellence Award, Teshie North Methodist Church, Ghana
• 2006-2007: Teaching and research assistant, Dept of Soil Science, University of Ghana

Supervisory team

• Dr Tomasz Kasela (Hydrogeotechnika)
• Mr Maciej Jeczalik (Hydrogeotechnika)
• Professor Dr hab. inz. Grzegorz Malina, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology

Uwe Schneidewind

Research topic

Water flow, contaminant transport and attenuation processes in the hyporheic zone considering spatial and temporal variability and uncertainty.

Work package

Groundwater-surface water interactions and in-situ remediation

Previous education

• 2008 MSc in Applied Environmental Geosciences from Tübingen University, Germany.
• 2006 BSc in Environmental and Resource Management from Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany.
• 2004 Semester abroad at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico.
• Professional experience
• 2010-2011 Junior researcher at Free University Brussels (VUB), Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, Brussels, Belgium, working mainly on groundwater modelling and ecosystem restoration.
• 2008-2010 Field hydrogeologist at Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Department of Monitoring and Exploration Technologies, Leipzig, Germany, conducting field campaigns to acquire hydrological and geophysical data for research projects, using standard and novel field equipment.

Research

My research focuses on the study of water flow and contaminant transport processes in the hyporheic zone (HZ). This zone comprises the streambed and area adjacent to it and is characterised by the mixing of groundwater and surface water. The mixing behaviour determines biogeochemical processes relevant for the attenuation of nutrients and contaminants. In turn, the mixing behaviour depends mainly on the predominant parameters defining groundwater-surface water interactions and biological reactions. Although these parameters have been and are the focus of many scientific studies further research regarding their interconnection under the premise of spatial and temporal variability is necessary.

My research is divided into five parts:

• Literature review on water flow, contaminant transport and attenuation processes in the HZ.
• Modelling microcosms to study the sequential degradation of TCE at the Zenne River site in Belgium.
• Determining spatial and temporal variability and uncertainty of groundwater-surface water exchange in the Slootbeek, Belgium using measurements of streambed temperature, piezometric heads and seepage meter experiments.
• Determining variations in streambed hydraulic conductivities at Slootbeek and River Tern, UK using streambed temperatures, grain size curves and falling head test data.
• Determining uncertainties during modelling of HZ contaminant transport.

Supervisory team

• Professor Dr. Ir. Piet Seuntjens (VITO, Environmental Modelling Unit, and University of Gent, Dept of Soil Management)
• Dr Ir. Ingeborg Joris (VITO, Environmental Modelling Unit)
• Professor Dr. Okke Batelaan, (Flinders University, School of the Environment)

Publications and research outputs

Journal articles:

• Vandersteen G.*, Schneidewind, U.*, Anibas C.*, Schmidt C., Seuntjens P., Batelaan O. (2014): Determining groundwater-surface water exchange from temperature time series: Combining a local polynomial method with a maximum likelihood estimator. Water Resour. Res. (accepted manuscript) DOI: 10.1002/2014wr015994.
• Schneidewind, U.*, Haest, P.J.*, Atashgahi, S.*, Maphosa, F., Hamonts, K., Maesen, M., Calderer, M., Seuntjens, P., Smidt, H., Springael, D., Dejonghe, W. (2014): Kinetics of dechlorination by Dehalococcoides mccartyi using different carbon sources. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 157, 25-36, DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2013.10.006.
• Lessoff, S.C., Schneidewin, U., Leven, C., Blum, P., Dietrich, P., Dagan, G. (2010). Spatial characterization of the hydraulic conductivity using direct-push injection logging. Water Resour. Res., 46, W12502, doi:10.1029/2009WR008949.

Conference proceedings (peer-reviewed):

• Schneidewind, U., Anibas, C., Vandersteen, G., Schmidt, C., Joris, I., Seuntjens, P., Batelaan, O. (2013): Delineating Groundwater-Surface Water Interaction Using Temperature-Time Series Analysis Methods. Proceedings of the 2nd European Symposium on Water Technology, Leuven, 20.-21.11.2013, p. 219-225, ISBN 9789058570109.
• Atashgahi, S., Haest, P.J., Carpentier, C., Maphosa, F., Eisenmann, H., Schneidewind, U., Slobodník, J., Seuntjens, P., Smidt, H., Springael, D., Dejonghe, W. (2013): Development of rehabilitation technologies to decrease pollutant influx between groundwater and surface water near river banks – AQUAREHAB WP3. Proceedings of the 2nd European Symposium on Water Technology, Leuven, 20.-21.11.2013, p. 241-246, ISBN 9789058570109.

Technical reports:

• Schneidewind, U. (2013): Contaminant transport and attenuation in the hyporheic zone of streams. State of science report for ADVOCATE project. Grant agreement no. 265063. 83 pages.
• Schneidewind, U., Joris, I. (2013): Modeling contaminant transport and attenuation in the hyporheic zone of streams – model guidance document. Deliverable for ADVOCATE project. Grant agreement no. 265063. 43 pages.

Awards

• 2010-2011: Research scholarship of the Free University Brussels (VUB)
• 2004: DAAD scholarship for semester abroad

Teaching experience

• 2011: Integrated Project - Modeling Contaminant Remediation with HYDRUS 2D (Ghent University)
• 2012-2014: Contaminant Transport in Soils - HYDRUS 1D Modeling (Ghent University)
• 2012-2014: Soil Processes - HYDRUS 1D Modeling (University of Antwerp)

Vidhya Chittoor Viswanathan

Research topic

Influence of surface water - groundwater interactions along a river reach on water quality.

Work package

Groundwater-surface water interactions and in-situ remediation

Previous education

• 2009-2011 MSc in Water Management and Hydroinformatics (EURO AQUAE), supported by Erasmus Mundus scholarship (thesis on The Impact of agriculture on the groundwater of the Keoladeo national park in a semi-arid region like Rajasthan, India).
• 2009-2011 B.Eng. in Civil Engineering, Anna University, with an internship in Tamil Nadu water supply and drainage board.

Professional experience

• 2010 Summer internship in Hyd3Flow research project with Sieker GmBH and TU Berlin.
• 2008-2010 Groundwater modeller and GIS analyst at the Indo-French cell for Water Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science.

Research

My research topic will examine the effects of water quality on the groundwater-surface water interface. The River Thur catchment in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland is the study area. The water quality along the entire river reach (with the corresponding groundwater monitoring wells) will be analyzed with regard to the corresponding land use and a comparison made with the water quality in the restored river section of the river. The restored river section has been heavily monitored as a part of the RECORD project and this data will be vital for the present work, to study the impact of river restoration on the water quality of the surface and groundwater in the study area.

Supervisory team

• Professor Dr habil. Mario Schirmer (Eawag, Dept of Water Resources and Drinking Water and University of Neuchâtel, Centre for Hydrogeology
• Professor Dr Daniel Hunkeler (Centre for Hydrogeology, University of Neuchâtel)

Awards

• 2009: Awarded the British Common Wealth scholarship
• 2009: Awarded the Netherlands Fellowship scholarship
• 2009: Erasmus Mundus scholarship for MSc in Water Management

Teaching

• 2012: Tutor in the Transdisciplinary case studies (TdCS) module for MSc students in ETH, Zurich

Oksana Coban

Research topic

Microbial nitrogen transformation in horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands for the treatment of contaminated groundwater.

Work package

Developing in situ treatment strategies for mixed contaminants

Biography

Oksana graduated with an MSc in Biochemistry from Dnipropetrovs'k National University by Oles' Gonchar, Ukraine. During her study, she trained in the Department of Enzyme Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of the NAS in Ukraine. Her diploma thesis focused on "Nanoliposomes preparation with surface lipids of plants". She subsequently worked as a teacher of human anatomy in Dnipropetrovs'k State Medical academy, Ukraine for two years.

Research

This research explores the role of aerobic and anaerobic microbial processes for the removal of ammonium from contaminated groundwater in constructed wetlands (CWs) downstream of the chemical industrial area in Leuna, Germany. In vertical downflow and horizontal subsurface flow CWs aerobic conditions usually prevail and nitrate accumulates in the water. However in horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF), CWs oxygen is limited and denitrification is favoured, preventing the accumulation of nitrite or nitrate and completely removing nitrogen from the water. In these HSSF-CWs anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) may play an important role in nitrogen removal. However, interactions between aerobic and anaerobic ammonium oxidation processes in CWs have not been explored. The importance of the anammox process for nitrogen removal is generally accepted, but the processes in HSSF-CWs are poorly understood.

This research will combine measurements of different physicochemical parameters, natural abundance and tracer-based stable isotope analysis of nitrogen species and molecular-biological techniques to interpret the relevant processes, pathways and microbiological interactions that control the fate of nitrogen in HSSF-CWs. The experiments and monitoring will be done in laboratory-scale model wetlands with artificial wastewater and in pilot-scale CWs in Leuna, treating groundwater contaminated from the nearby chemical industry. The results will help bioengineers to develop new approaches to improve and optimise ammonium removal in CWs.

Supervisory team

• Dr Peter Kuschk (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Department of Environmental Biotechnology)
• Dr Jochen A. Müller (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Department Environmental Biotechnology)
• Dr Kay Knoeller (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Department of Hydrogeology)

Publications and research outputs

Oksana Coban, Peter Kuschk, Naomi S. Wells, Gerhard Strauch, Kay Knoeller (2014) Microbial nitrogen transformation in constructed wetlands treating contaminated groundwater. Environmental Science and Pollution Research.