Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Water is the most important resource on earth. However, water is scarce due to climate change, population growth, and resource allocation, among other natural and human-made causes. As such, the exploitation of non-conventional sources of water such as industrially produced water and domestic wastewater has received much attention to reduce water shortages. Water reuse is being considered as a solution to reduce the gap between availability and demand as well as minimize the amount of pollution caused by wastewaters. However, water reuse has some issues that need to be addressed. The incomplete removal of certain pollutants, such as toxic hydrophilic neutral compounds, by conventional wastewater treatments results in the presence of contaminants of concern in the treated wastewater. Currently, there are technologies capable of achieving excellent water quality; however, their economic feasibility is an obstacle to their widespread implementation, especially for remote, rural and Indigenous communities. Dr. Mohamed Gamal El-Din is known for his fundamental and applied research in water and wastewater treatment, particularly for his breakthroughs in treatment/reclamation approaches for oil sands process water. As the Canada Research Chair in Sustainable and Resilient Wastewater Treatment for Reuse, Dr. Gamal El-Din will develop effective, integrated, and low-energy treatment strategies for better managing municipal and industrial wastewaters for their safe discharge or reuse. The development of cutting-edge materials from wastes, the use of renewable energy, and the application of green wastewater treatment approaches are the main drivers of his research program. Dr. Gamal El-Din and his team propose a unique multi-disciplinary program that addresses wastewater reuse issues from a holistic perspective, combining engineering, environment, science, and social aspects. Moreover, his research is establishing the basis of new wastewater treatment and reclamation approaches by combining different technologies and developing innovative materials that will replace existing practices and help to transition to a circular economy model. Through a multidisciplinary research, Dr. Gamal El-Din will help to transfer knowledge and build a network of collaborations with industry, academia, government, and communities, increasing the research outputs while solving the challenging problems facing the province of Alberta and Canada with leading researchers in the field.