Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

Much of Canada's water service infrastructure is in need of replacement as this centralized infrastructure has reached its design life. Future water service options that improve upon economic, environmental and societal goals include separate collection and treatment of blackwater (toilet and kitchen food streams) from the remaining household grey water. The overall goal of the proposed research is to develop a robust bioreactor system with high biomethane production and low environmental risks for source-diverted blackwater energy recovery that suits the cold Canadian conditions. This research will focus on engineering a recently discovered metabolic pathway for methane production, known as direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET). The proposed research is expected to provide fundamental knowledge for developing technology with dramatic life-cycle cost and environmental health risk reductions and to facilitate sustainable urban water development.