EESS seminar talk on "Microbial cleantech for used water and used nitrogen"

Environmental biotechnology is essential for protecting nature and human health. Within SUSTAIN at the University of Antwerp, we develop microbial cleantech for wastewater treatment and for waste nitrogen management, complemented with systems-level sustainability assessment. Our treatment strategies aim to maximise resource efficiency and minimise environmental emissions, with particular attention to the energy balance and carbon footprint. We mainly explore novel biological nitrogen and organic carbon conversions, and integrate them with physical/chemical solutions. From laboratory to pilot scale, our technology development advances bioreactor concepts and process control strategies to engineer competition and aggregation in microbiomes, including novel approaches to aeration and biomass selection. Our environmental systems analysis and sustainability engineering approach underpins decision-making through life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, techno-economic assessment, and socio-technical system analysis. The seminar will highlight key examples and concepts, ranging from mainstream anammox and net-zero sewage treatment to human urine treatment for Earth and space applications, hybrid membrane aeration-filtration systems, sustainability-driven management frameworks for used nitrogen, and approaches to the livestock-based nitrogen crisis in Flanders.

Siegfried Vlaeminck and his team develop sustainable microbial solutions for wastewater treatment, nutrient management and food production. He is full professor at the University of Antwerp, where he chairs the Biobased Sustainability Engineering (SUSTAIN) Research Group. He obtained his MSc (2005) and PhD (2009) degrees in Bioscience Engineering, with a specialization in Environmental Technology, at Ghent University, under the supervision of prof. Willy Verstraete. Our planet faces an environmental polycrisis. Vlaeminck’s team harnesses the power of microbes, (bio)technology and systems thinking to develop impactful solutions for a more sustainable future. Their microbial cleantech focuses on nitrification, anammox, high-rate activated sludge, and purple bacteria, with a strong emphasis on bioreactor innovation, microbiome engineering, and advanced process control. Technological advances are embedded in systemic sustainability assessments, including material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA), as well as economic and social dimensions. Siegfried Vlaeminck has contributed to 180+ papers indexed by Web of Science, which have been cited 8,000+ times.