Controlling the microbial geneatrion of nitrous oxide in wastewater treatment; a pathway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

In this project we will adopt a multiscale approach to understand and control nitrous oxide (N2O)emissions in wastewater treatment (WWT) bacteria. This will involve combining plant-scale detection/analysis with an experimental model system for understanding microbial production and consumption of N2O in WWT. The student will initially use Comamonas denitrificans as a potential model system for understanding N2O production (source) and consumption (sink) in WWT bacteria. C. denitrificans, an important heterotrophic denitrifier in WWT with rapid denitrifying ability, is easy to culture and forms aggregates in suspension and on surfaces. The cells within these aggregates form interconnected space-spanning networks with fascinating mechanical properties and so are excellent systems with which to study from a soft matter and biological physics perspective.