All the news from around the Lab and occasionally, beyond! |
LABlog
Latest publication in Desalination & Water Treatment
 | BEEL research on carbonate biomineralization was featured this month in the journal Desalination & Water Treatment. The paper "Magnesium recovery from brines using exopolymeric substances of sulfate-reducing bacteria" presents findings from a study of the interactions between bacterial-origin extracellular polymers and Ca-Mg carbonates' deposition out of seawater brines. The study demonstrated a novel approach to studying Ca-Mg carbonate biomineralization ex situ, using a combination of compartmentalized culture techniques and high-resolution imaging with SEM-EDX. The paper was authored by then Research Engineer Wan A. Matiin, BEEL director Dr. Farrukh Ahmad, and their collaborator Dr. Bilal Mansoor. The journal article is accessible via DOI: 10.1080/19443994.2016.1155179. |
QMRA project in the news
 | BEEL research on Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) for treated wastewater destined for irrigation was recently featured on various English and Arabic news portals (UAE Today, Gulf Today, Al Khaleej, among others). The news reports highlight the novelty of using molecular biology techniques and probabilistic mathematical modeling to assess the safety of treated wastewater, and the significance of the research findings towards understanding the potential health risks to consumers. The articles can be accessed via our In the News section. |
Latest publication in Water Science & Technology
 | Findings from the BEEL project focusing on the QMRA of post-disinfection wastewater were published in the IWA journal Water Science & Technology this February. The study "A probabilistic QMRA of Salmonella in direct agricultural reuse of treated municipal wastewater" investigated the risk of Salmonella infections resulting from direct consumption of edible crops irrigated with treated wastewater. Different crops were analyzed, and the disease burden of their consumption was compared with the acceptable disease burden set by the World Health Organization. The paper was authored by BEEL members Yamrot Amha, Dr. Rajkumari Kumaraswamy and lab director Dr. Farrukh Ahmad.
(Article doi:10.2166/wst.2015.093) |
Recent publications
  | Findings from two BEEL projects focusing on (i) pathogen detection and fate in municipal wastewater treatment, and (ii) oil & gas produced water treatment using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were published this year in the journals, Environmental Science & Technology (American Chemical Society), and Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts (Royal Society of Chemistry), respectively. The paper "Molecular Analysis for Screening Human Bacterial Pathogens in Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse" (Environmental Science & Technology, DOI: 10.1021/es502546t) developed new methodology for bacterial pathogen screening in wastewater, and applied this methodology to determine the fate of pathogens along the wastewater treatment process train. The non-targeted pathogen detection methodology is essential to future work on pathogen quantification and subsequent quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) for treated water recycling scenarios. The paper was a multi-disciplinary effort coordinated through BEEL, bringing together expertise in molecular biology (Dr. Raji Kumaraswamy and MSc student Yamrot Amha), bioinformatics (Dr. Andreas Henschel and Research Engineer M. Zohaib Anwar), and wastewater treatment (Drs. Jorge Rodriguez and Farrukh Ahmad).
The second paper, "Using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) for oilfield produced water treatment with environmentally acceptable endpoints" (Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, DOI: 10.1039/C4EM00201F) evaluated the effectiveness of MWNTs in removing organic pollutants from crude oil-contaminated water at different salinities. The environmentally-acceptable endpoint chosen for the treatment was the removal of common carcinogens and other toxins such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzenes, xylenes, and naphthalene. The paper was authored by Qammer Zaib (PhD student), Oluwajinmi (“Jimi”) Aina (former BEEL member, currently a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto) and Dr. Farrukh Ahmad. |
BEEL MSc students graduate [photos]
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LET2014 wraps up, BEEL poster wins First Place
After four days of presentations and networking sessions, the Leading
Edge Technology (LET) conference organized by the International Water
Association (IWA) finally came to a close on Thursday, May 29th. Six
posters from BEEL were presented at the conference alongside others from
various groups including TU Delft, Eawag, Singapore Membrane Technology
Centre, and Veolia Water. BEEL members were in for a surprise when the
poster presented by Jubilee Adeoye "Halophyte Farming for Biofuels using
Seawater in Water-Stressed Coastal Communities" was announced First
Place winner (tied) during the Gala Dinner at the Yas Viceroy Hotel, Abu
Dhabi. Congratulations everyone for the excellent work and productive
participation at LET this year!
Check out the photo gallery below for sights and scenes from around the conference!
Check out the photo gallery below for sights and scenes from around the conference!
LET2014 takes place this week
 | It's May 26th and the BEEL team is excited to be participating in the various sessions planned for the conference. In addition to the poster and platform presentations to be held at the Yas Media Center, there will also be Workshop Sessions hosted by Masdar Institute today (Monday, May 26th). BEEL members along with the EnvBioProM lab (led by Dr. Jorge Rodriguez) will be assisting in the coordination of activities and sessions on campus.
See you at LET2014, and welcome to Masdar Institute! |
Lab Resources added to BEEL Website!
BEEL members can now access a variety of resources and tools to facilitate their needs around the lab under the new Lab Resources section on the sidebar. This is part of ongoing efforts to streamline BEEL management and ensure ease-of-access for all members (B2EL account required for sign-in).
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BEEL MSc students defend their theses
 | MSc students Yamrot Amha and Jubilee Adeoye successfully defended their
thesis last week before an audience of Masdar Institute faculty, researchers, and
regulators in the water & electricity sector. Yamrot Amha's presentation on Tuesday, May 6th, titled "Microbial Characterization of the Municipal Wastewater Treatment Process and QMRA of Edible Crop Irrigation with Treated Wastewater" focused on the microbial risk and safety of water reuse in Abu Dhabi determined using novel molecular biology tools to catalogue pathogens in treated wastewater. Jubilee Adeoye's thesis defense "Salt and Water Balance for Seawater Irrigation of Salicornia bigelovii: Geochemical Model & Soil Column Study" on Thursday covered his research on the potential impact of seawater irrigation practices on soil sodicity in the Abu Dhabi emirate, as proposed for the cultivation of salt-tolerant crops (halophytes) for aviation biofuel. Congratulations are in order for their successful defense and upcoming Commencement on June 4th from the entire BEEL team! |
BEEL Team gear up for upcoming LET2014 Conference
 | The research team at BEEL will be participating in the upcoming 11th Leading-Edge Technology (LET) Conference to be held 26-30 May 2014 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The annual conference is organized by the International Water Association (IWA), with the support of Masdar Institute and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Projects to be presented will address themes of interest for the conference, which include: biofilms processes, low-energy & renewables-driven desalination, water reclamation & reuse, energy-positive wastewater treatment, and water-sensitive cities.
Stay tuned for updates on our participation at LET2014! |
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