National Science Foundation grant awarded to CvEEN professor’s latest project

Dr. Ramesh Goel received a National Science Foundation grant for more than $500,000 in June for his work toward energy efficient waste water treatment. The project is titled GOALI: Understanding Granulation Using Microbial Resource Management for The Broader Application of Granular Technology.

The project investigates the development and implementation of a relatively new municipal wastewater treatment for energy efficient treatment. The technology is called Granular Activated Sludge Process. There is currently not a single full-scale treatment plant in the United States which uses this technology.

Granular sludge technology is energy efficient and requires much smaller footprints than the conventional treatment options. The project studies the process of granulation and granule stability in sequencing batch and flow through reactors under an eco-genomics framework.

In collaboration with an industrial partner, DC Water, this academia-industry collaboration will generate a new body of knowledge related to full-scale applications of granular technology based on fundamental research and Dr. Goel’s track record in activated sludge systems, nutrient management, granular technology and omics.

Dr. Goel plans to recruit and mentor undergraduate students to work on this GOALI project and, in addition, integrate the research findings into existing undergraduate and graduate courses in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Haydee De Clippeleir, a Program Manager at DC Water, is the co-Principal Investigator while Dr. Goel is the Principal Investigator. The data generated from their work will provide powerful tools to the U.S. wastewater community.