PhD Student
Department of Environmental Science - Environmental Microbiology and Circular Resource Flow
Frederiksborgvej 399
building 7411, B2.21
4000 Roskilde
Denmark
PhD project: Microbiomes for biodegradation of environmental micropollutants
University: Aarhus University
Department: Department of Environmental Science
Section: Environmental Microbiology
Supervisor: Lea Ellegaard-Jensen
Co-supervisor(s):
Carsten Suhr Jacobsen (AU)
Martin Hansen (AU)
Lars Hestbjerg Hansen (KU –PLEN)
Project term: 01.06.2018 – 31.05.2021
Master’s degree: MSc in Applied and Environmental Geoscience, specialization in Geomicrobiology; University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
BACKGROUND
Micropollutants, now coined as emerging water resource contaminants, are pollutants present at concentrations between pg/L to µg/L. They originate from a multitude of both anthropogenic and natural sources including pesticides, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, and naturally occurring steroid hormones. Current wastewater treatment plants are not built to manage, treat, or eliminate pollutants at such low concentrations, thereby, facilitating their dispersal into the aquatic environment and drinking water reserves.
AIM
This project aims to investigate various microbiomes speculated to have the potential for micropollutant biodegradation. The microbiomes of interest are to be found in agricultural soil and sediment, waterworks filter material, and laboratory scale wastewater treatment bioreactors. Microbial communities will be cultivated using a variety of microbiological approaches and exposed to micropollutants. Chemical analysis will be conducted in order to prove that the enriched communities are in fact degrading the micropollutants of interest. Upon proving degradation is occurring, isolation attempts of key organisms will be conducted. Based on the outcome of those experiments, certain omic techniques will be utilized to further investigate and elucidate the microbial players involved, the degradation mechanisms, and finally the degradation pathways of the micropollutants.
RESEARCH OUTLINE
This PhD project is broken down into three work packages, each of which focuses on a specific class of micropollutant:
PARTNERS OF COLLABORATION
Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) – Geochemistry department
Copenhagen University – Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Research output: Book/anthology/dissertation/report › Report › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › Research
ID: 125413118