Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Dalhousie University
$64,000.00
Biological Treatment Processes in Drinking Water
FY 2014-15
Summary
The water industry is increasingly interested in green technology, such as biological filtration, as it does not increase energy costs and has potential to meet increasingly stringent water quality objectives. However, there is a paucity of design standards for biofiltration in regulatory jurisdictions. The 10 State Standards, which are leading design standards for US and Canadian utilities, state only that pilot studies should be conducted prior to full scale implementation as there is a lack of information to develop appropriate standards at this time. Thus, the overall objective of this research program is to advance the water industry's understanding of the application of biological processes in drinking water treatment. Through this research Dr. Gagnon's team will utilize tools to characterize organic matter and its biodegradable fractions. As well, his team will develop a better understanding of the suitability of biological processes for mitigating emerging compounds for the drinking water industry, such as nitrogen containing disinfection by-products and pharmaceutical compounds. Dr. Gagnon trains graduate student researchers for the water industry, which employs over a million people in North America and has a growth rate of more than 8% according to the Standard & Poor's Global Water Index. Graduate students are directly integrated into research themes, with outcomes leading to new contributions for the water industry. The proposed project will provide direct funding support to train 3 Ph.D. students and 3 Master's students. Dr. Gagnon's goal is to enhance student skills in Communications, Research Management, Student Leadership, and Scholarship Advancement through their research programs. Dr. Gagnon's students work as part of a team of undergraduate and graduate students and technical staff, which allows for knowledge transfer and leadership opportunities. Graduate students are also encouraged to participate in events and student committees for leading local and national water related organizations, such as the American Water Works Association (AWWA).
Program
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Recipient
Location
Nova Scotia, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
216821-2013
Name nom
Gagnon, Graham
Department département
Civil and Resource Engineering
Organization id
79
Institution établissement
Dalhousie University
Province en
Nova Scotia
Province fr
Nouvelle-Écosse
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2014
Competition year année de concours
2013
Award amount
64000
Program id
RGPIN
Program name en
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Program name fr
Programme de subventions à la découverte - individuelles
Group en
Discovery grants programs
Group fr
Programmes de subventions à la découverte
Committee code
1509
Committee name en
Civil, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Committee name fr
Génie civil, industriel et des systèmes
Area of application code
702
Area of application group en
Transportation systems and services
Area of application group fr
Services et systèmes de transport
Area of application en
Water
Area of application fr
Maritime
Research subject code
1501
Research subject group en
Environmental engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie de l'environnement
Research subject en
Water quality, pollution
Research subject fr
Qualité de l'eau, pollution
Partie
2
Nb partie
5
Application title
Biological Treatment Processes in Drinking Water
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
The water industry is increasingly interested in green technology, such as biological filtration, as it does not increase energy costs and has potential to meet increasingly stringent water quality objectives. However, there is a paucity of design standards for biofiltration in regulatory jurisdictions. The 10 State Standards, which are leading design standards for US and Canadian utilities, state only that pilot studies should be conducted prior to full scale implementation as there is a lack of information to develop appropriate standards at this time. Thus, the overall objective of this research program is to advance the water industry's understanding of the application of biological processes in drinking water treatment. Through this research Dr. Gagnon's team will utilize tools to characterize organic matter and its biodegradable fractions. As well, his team will develop a better understanding of the suitability of biological processes for mitigating emerging compounds for the drinking water industry, such as nitrogen containing disinfection by-products and pharmaceutical compounds. Dr. Gagnon trains graduate student researchers for the water industry, which employs over a million people in North America and has a growth rate of more than 8% according to the Standard & Poor's Global Water Index. Graduate students are directly integrated into research themes, with outcomes leading to new contributions for the water industry. The proposed project will provide direct funding support to train 3 Ph.D. students and 3 Master's students. Dr. Gagnon's goal is to enhance student skills in Communications, Research Management, Student Leadership, and Scholarship Advancement through their research programs. Dr. Gagnon's students work as part of a team of undergraduate and graduate students and technical staff, which allows for knowledge transfer and leadership opportunities. Graduate students are also encouraged to participate in events and student committees for leading local and national water related organizations, such as the American Water Works Association (AWWA).
