Projects
Multi-controlled bioreactors for thermophilic nitrogen removal Ghent University
In this research grant proposal, we want to transpose natural microbial resources into an unexplored, but potentially powerful environmental application. The specific research focus is on the removal of harmful ammonium (NH4 +) from polluted warm wastewater. Compared to the established mesophilic processes (10-35°C), biotechnology at thermophilic temperatures (45-70°C) is hypothesized to have clear advantages: higher stability, faster ...
Microbial community evolution and functional dynamics in anaerobic bioreactors for the sustainable production of green energy Ghent University
This doctoral project focusses on microbial diversity in anaerobic digesters and bioelectrochemical systems, which have largely been treated as a black box despite the importance of microbial communities and their associated activities to the functioning of these bioreactors. By combining new ecological principles and molecular techniques with mathematical guidance and statistical analysis, it will be possible to explore the relationship ...
What is the role of activated sludge flocs in membrane fouling build up in membrane bioreactors (MBRs)? KU Leuven
As an efficient technology for wastewater treatment, membrane bioreactors (MBRs) have gained a lot of popularity over the recent years. In an MBR, the secondary biological treatment step is combined with a pressure driven membrane filtration, which results in an effluent of consistently high quality, reliable operation and a reduced footprint in comparison with conventional activated sludge systems that rely on sedimentation. However, fouling, ...
Biofouling in submerged membrane bioreactors. University of Antwerp
Biofouling in submerged membrane bioreactors. University of Antwerp
NanoCT and bioreactor CT for a better understanding of the dynamics of 3D tissue formation in regenerative medicine KU Leuven
As cell clusters, tissues and organs are 3D structures with a complex spatial heterogeneity, traditional 2D imaging techniques such as histology are insufficient to investigate the dynamics of tissue remodeling taking place during development, pathology, regeneration and repair. To provide more accurate and spatiotemporal quantitative 3D information on these dynamic biological processes, the consortium will purchase a nanofocus X-ray computed ...
AGS-MBR, the continuous-flow, aerobic granular sludge membrane bioreactor for industrial wastewater treatment. University of Antwerp
Next-generation bioprocess engineering: phage-based synthetic reprogramming of bacterial bioreactor populations KU Leuven
In this proposal, we will interface synthetic biology, gene regulatory modeling and population dynamics modeling to establish and standardize novel and tunable tools to genetically reprogram bacterial populations. More specifically, we will focus (i) on phage mediated transduction as highly efficient way to transmit a genetic instruction throughout a bacterial population, (ii) on the design of synthetic circuitry that imposes staged genetic ...
Reprogramming bacterial bioreactor populations using a synthetic phage chassis KU Leuven
This project aims to establish a novel platform of phage-based transmission-tools to genetically reprogram bacterial bioreactor populations in order to alleviate current problems in the field of bioprocessing.